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Open, drink ... within two days
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October 23, 2009
By Nicola Jenvey
Merneen Robson has asked a question that many others may also have pondered. Following on a column written a while ago, she wants to know if only white wines go bad after opening as she has heard conflicting reports on whether red wine can still be drunk reasonably several days later.
Both red and white wines will oxidise (the correct term for "going bad" meaning a change in the characteristics when oxygen is added) once exposed to the elements and will eventually convert into vinegar. Essentially, the only wines that keep for any length of time after removing the closure are fortified ones (ports and sherries).
Typically, white wines will turn sour faster than reds and the process is accelerated by higher temperatures; by replacing the cork or screwcap and keeping the wine in the fridge, oxidation is inhibited but not avoided.
A rule-of-thumb says that letting an open bottle of wine stand on the counter accelerates the ageing process by one year for each day opened.
If this is the case, a red wine intended to age for a few years may be propelled to age in this rather crude fashion. The counter is that in opening a bottle of wine and not finishing it in one sitting, there is the opportunity to drink it up to several days later.
A white wine does not usually last longer than two days after opening and being stored in the fridge.
Robson's question raises a related issue regarding the lifespan of a bottle of red wine. International statistics show 95 percent of wines bought are drunk within 48 hours. That means wine makers are producing wines where the bulk of them are meant to be drunk young, but with the complexity that may allow some wines (certainly the higher-priced ones) to benefit from a few years in a wine cellar, rack or back of a dark cupboard.
Obviously, there are wines not meant to be drunk soon after purchase and the super-premium price tags will indicate that, but farms are also benefiting consumers by holding back their wines until they believe they are ready for consumption. Asking your bottlestore for a good quality wine that has been stored and is now ready for drinking, solves the problem of having to find space to store wine.
Another question asked applies to the lifespan of boxed wines. Box wine (often called château cardboard as a pun on cultivating a French flair) is wine packaged as bag-in-box containing a plastic bladder protected by a cardboard box.
This packaging is not inferior to bottles, but offers a cheaper, lighter alternative to glass that can be sold in bulk. Unlike bottled wine, box wines stay fresh for weeks after opening since the vacuum-sealed pouch does not allow the wine to be exposed to air.
Box wine is not meant for keeping in a cellar. It is an everyday drinking wine that can be decanted into jugs for a slightly better appearance, but can easily be transported or kept in the fridge for that end-of-the-day drink.
Once South African legislation changed to allow varietals to be packaged in boxes, the quality of box wine improved dramatically, so there is little reason to look down on anyone consuming boxed wine.
Unopened box wines do have a shorter shelf-life than bottled wines and deteriorate within a year of going into the box.
E-mail me at jenveyn@telkomsa.net with questions or issues on wine.
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