It’s Sunday evening, dinner is over and there’s half a bottle of wine left on the table. Do you keep it for tomorrow, or is it already on its way out? The good news is that most wines keep for a few days once opened, as long as you treat them well. Here’s how long each style lasts, why wine changes once the cork is out, and how to make an open bottle last longer.
How many days does an open bottle keep?
If you just need the short answer, here’s a quick guide. All of these assume the bottle has been resealed and kept in the fridge – yes, even red wine.
- Sparkling wine (Champagne, Prosecco, Crémant, Cava…): 1 to 3 days with a proper sparkling wine stopper
- Light white and rosé wine: 2 to 3 days
- Full-bodied white wine: 3 to 5 days
- Light red wine: 2 to 3 days
- Fuller-bodied red wine: 3 to 5 days
- Sweet and dessert wine: 3 to 5 days, sometimes a little longer
- Fortified wine (Port, Sherry, Madeira…): from a few days to several weeks, depending on the style
- Bag-in-box wine: several weeks
These are guidelines rather than strict rules. A wine won’t suddenly turn bad on day four, it will slowly lose its freshness and fruit. Your nose and palate are the best judges.
Why does wine go off once it’s opened?
As soon as you open a bottle, the wine comes into contact with air. The oxygen in that air starts to react with the wine, in a process called oxidation. A little oxygen can be a good thing at first: it’s why some wines taste better after a short time in a decanter or glass. But after a day or two, oxidation starts to flatten the fruit flavours and dull the aromas.
Given enough time, a second problem appears. Acetic acid bacteria, tiny organisms that live naturally in the air, feed on the alcohol in the wine and turn it into acetic acid. That’s the main acid in vinegar, which is why a wine left open for too long smells sharp and vinegary.
Temperature plays a big part too. Both oxidation and bacteria work faster in warm conditions, so a bottle left on the kitchen counter will fade much more quickly than one kept in the fridge.
How long does each type of wine last?
Sparkling wine
Sparkling wine is the most fragile once opened, because it loses its bubbles as well as its freshness. With a proper sparkling wine stopper (the kind with clips that grip the neck of the bottle), Champagne, Crémant, Cava and Prosecco will usually keep for 1 to 3 days in the fridge.
The bubbles come from carbon dioxide trapped in the wine when sparkling wine is made, and once the bottle is open, that gas slowly escapes.
Tip: you may have heard that a silver spoon in the neck of the bottle keeps the fizz. Sadly, there’s little evidence that it works, so a good stopper is a much safer bet.
Light white and rosé wine
Light, crisp whites and rosés, such as Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio or a pale Provence-style rosé, are best within 2 to 3 days. Their appeal lies in their fresh fruit and lively acidity, and those are the first things to fade.
Full-bodied white wine
Richer whites, such as an oaked Chardonnay or a Viognier, usually hold up a little better and keep for 3 to 5 days. Their weight and texture give them more resistance to oxygen.
Red wine
Lighter reds, like Pinot Noir or Gamay, are delicate and best drunk within 2 to 3 days. Fuller-bodied reds with more tannin (the compound from grape skins that gives a drying feeling in your mouth), such as Cabernet Sauvignon or Syrah, can keep for 3 to 5 days. Tannins help protect the wine against oxidation.
Yes, red wine belongs in the fridge once opened too. Just take it out 30 minutes or so before serving, so it’s back at the right serving temperature when you pour it.
Sweet and dessert wine
Sweet wines, such as Sauternes, late-harvest Riesling or ice wine, generally keep for 3 to 5 days in the fridge, and sometimes a little longer. Their sugar gives them some extra protection, but they will still slowly lose their freshness.
Fortified wine
Fortified wines have a grape spirit added as part of the way they’re made, which raises their alcohol level. That extra alcohol makes them more stable once opened, but how long they last depends a lot on the style.
- Fino and Manzanilla Sherry: these pale, delicate Sherries are best treated like a white wine. Keep them in the fridge and drink them within a few days.
- Tawny Port and Oloroso Sherry: these styles have already been aged with some contact with oxygen, so they keep well, usually for a few weeks.
- Madeira: one of the most resilient wines of all, as it’s deliberately exposed to heat and oxygen during production. An open bottle can keep for a long time.
Bag-in-box wine
Bag-in-box wine lasts much longer than bottled wine once opened. The wine sits in a bag that collapses as you pour, so very little air gets in. Most keep for several weeks after opening. Keep it somewhere cool, or in the fridge for whites and rosés.
How can you make an open bottle last longer?
The aim is simple: limit the amount of air in contact with the wine and keep it cool. Here are the most effective ways to do it.
- Reseal it straight away: put the cork back in, screw the cap back on, or use a wine stopper as soon as you’ve poured.
- Keep it in the fridge: cold slows down both oxidation and bacteria, and that applies to reds as well as whites.
- Store it upright: this reduces the surface of wine exposed to the air inside the bottle.
- Pour it into a smaller bottle: less empty space means less air. A clean half bottle works well.
- Use a vacuum pump: these remove some of the air from the bottle. They work for still wines, but not for sparkling wines.
- Try an inert gas spray: these sprays add a layer of inert gas (a gas, usually argon, that doesn’t react with the wine) on top of the wine to protect it from oxygen.
You’ll find more tips in our guide on how to serve wine properly.
How can you tell if an opened wine has gone bad?
Before you pour a glass from a bottle that’s been open for a while, take a moment to smell it. These are the main signs that it’s past its best:
- A sharp, vinegary smell
- Flat, dull flavours with little fruit left
- A brownish colour in red wine, or a deep gold to amber colour in white wine
- Small bubbles in a wine that should be still
- A sour or harsh aftertaste
If you spot any of these, it’s time to let it go. Our guide on how to tell if a wine is bad explains each fault in more detail.
What can you do with leftover wine?
A wine that’s a little too tired to drink on its own can still be very useful in the kitchen. Here are a few ideas:
- Cook with it: add it to a stew, a risotto or a pan sauce. Red wine works well with beef and mushrooms, white wine with chicken, fish and creamy sauces.
- Freeze it: pour leftover wine into an ice cube tray and freeze it. The cubes are perfect for adding to sauces later.
- Make a vinaigrette: a splash of wine can liven up a salad dressing.
Just avoid cooking with a wine that smells of vinegar or has a fault. If it’s unpleasant in the glass, it won’t taste better in the pan.
FAQ
Can you drink wine that’s been open for a week?
It depends on the wine and how it was stored. A fortified wine or a bag-in-box will often be fine, but most still wines will have lost their freshness by then, so smell and taste it first.
Should you put red wine in the fridge once opened?
Yes, the fridge is the best place for any open bottle, red wine included. Just take it out about 30 minutes before serving so it can warm up a little.
How long does Prosecco last once opened?
With a good sparkling wine stopper and kept in the fridge, Prosecco usually keeps its bubbles for 1 to 3 days. It’s at its best on the day it’s opened.
Does Port go off once opened?
Port lasts longer than most wines thanks to its higher alcohol. Tawny Port keeps for a few weeks, while delicate styles are best enjoyed sooner.
Can old opened wine make you ill?
In most cases, no. An old opened wine is usually just unpleasant to drink rather than harmful, but if it smells strange or vinegary, it’s best to pour it away.
