Nothing lasts forever, especially the one thing we love the most – wine. Although it is well known that wine becomes better and stronger with time, even wine has its limits. At a certain point, your favorite wine will begin to deteriorate, along with every other item at the back of your fridge.
Now that you know your wine won’t last forever, the next thing you might wonder is, how long does wine last? The amount of time your wine stays fresh depends on whether you opened that wine bottle or not. In this guide, we will look at how long unopened and opened wine lasts, as well as signs that your wine has gone bad.
Open Wine Bottles
The length of time wine remains delicious and drinkable after opening it depends on several factors. This is where the next question, how long does open wine last, comes in. If you open a commercial red tannic wine and don’t touch it since then, it will last up to a week. However, if the wine is unstable and natural, it can go bad a day after opening it.
You also have to keep track of the day you opened it if you want to calculate when to drink it before it goes bad, that is if you’re sober enough. A standard bottle of white or red wine lasts for at least two days and a maximum of five days. For those that enjoy drinking sparkling wine, you can expect it to go flat the next day, and undrinkable after three days.
You can preserve your wine for a longer time by recorking it after you pour each glass. Although it seems like a hassle, it will keep the wine fresh and slow down its expiration significantly. If you are not finishing the whole bottle, don’t leave your bottle open for a long time. Remember to keep your cork!
If you do leave your bottle open through the night, you need to check it the next morning. Pour it into a glass and look at the color. If it has become brown-tinged, you have to throw it away, but if it still looks vibrant you can take a sip to test it.
Unopen Wine Bottles
If you don’t open the bottle of wine at all, how long will it last? Well, the factors that determine the longevity of an unopen wine vary. An unopened wine will last longer than one that has already been opened, but the time it lasts depends on the storage conditions and the type of wine.
Although fine wines are sold a few years after they have been bottled because they age with time, other types of wine don’t follow the same rules. Bottles of red or white wine that have been sitting on your shelf, can be kept between 1 and 3 years past the expiration date before they become undrinkable.
Cooking wine on the other hand, can last between 3 and 5 years, while fine wine can last for up to 20 years. Regardless, the longevity can vary so always double-check the color and smell of your wine to see if it’s still fresh or not.
Contact Custom Wine Packaging for all your packaging needs. We’re sure to secure your packages to ensure safe arrival and also we have products available to preserve the flavor and integrity of your products.
Products like the following are sure to help you make your wine and products stay fresh longer.
