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I have a wonderful bottle of dessert wine that I am deathly afraid to open, because I know I won't be able to finish it in 2 sitting, let alone one, & my hubby doesn't drink. Is there any way to store it after it is open? Oh please, oh please say there is! TIA
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Something I've heard recommended by several people: find (clean!) glass marbles, and fill up the bottle with these until the wine is at the original level, then simply recork it. This should be better than the vacu-vins, as they don't reduce the amount of air in the bottle by as much, and tend to leak over time. However, disturbing your wine by dropping glass marbles into it may have some negative effects; I can't really say. Perhaps try rolling them gently down the sides as the bottle is tilted.
Unfortunately, once you open a bottle of wine, it starts to degrade. How fast though depends on several factors. First, the type of wine -- red or white. I've had bottles of port wine (red) last for up to one month after opening the bottle. The longevity is helped by the high(er) alcohol and subtantial concentration of port, among other factors. Whites just don't last as long once they are opened. I've never had one last more than 2 weeks (then again, that's largely b/c I drink them!). Second, longevity can be extended by temperature (cool is better). Cork it and put it (whether red or white) in the refrigerator or in a cool basement. Third, get a "vacu-vin" -- available in just about any wine store (about $10) -- which uses a special rubber cork with a small hole in the top and sucks the air out of the bottle. This vacuuming of sorts reduces the air in the bottle and slows down oxidation of the wine. Good luck, and drink up!! I'm curious -- what kind of wine is it?
Certainly not on how long you want it to last.As noted, fortified wines last rather well after opening. 6 weeks is not excessive for an ordinary tawny, ruby or LBV port, madeira or a sherry. (Vintage ports should really be drunk more quickly - see below re fine wines)
Wines will keep better longer when refrigerated.
Vacu-vins are iffy. They are inexpensive and work that way, tending to lose vacuum daily. But they are certainly better than leaving the bottle unopened on the counter and after the second glass a bit better than merely corking the bottle.
My view is the better the wine, the less it lasts. A fine complex Sauternes has many more fine nuances than say an Oz dessert Muscat. As you would expect, you lose the finer, more delicate features first. The wine is still drinkable after a week, but it will be not the same experience you had on the first night.
That said, there really is no reason why you alone could not drink your wine in 10 days. From Friday to second Monday, you have six weekend meals. But if you don't.... you can tell us how long the wine lasted.
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