White wine is fermented without contact with the skin. It is a straw-yellow, yellow-green, or yellow-gold color. It is produced by the alcoholic fermentation of the colorless grape pulp that can have any skin color. For at least 2500 years, white wine has existed. But do you know how to store white wine after opening?
We all felt the pleasure of opening a white wine bottle with friends, who intended to finish it. But you have a half bottle left sometimes, and you don’t want to throw it out or waste delicious vino. If you are a wine fanatic, this guide will give you all the tips and tricks to keep your wine fresher longer and enjoy it as much as possible.
How do you store one after opening white wine? White wine oxidizes faster than red wine and has no high tannins to protect it against oxidation. You will, therefore, need to cork your white wine and place it immediately in the refrigerator. When corked, the white wine remains good for about 3-5 days and lasts for longer if it is kept below room temperature and stored upright.
It is impossible to give an exact expiry date on each bottle, because this variety, quality, and winery vary greatly depending on the year. There are differences between red wine and white wine and additional factors that determine the quality of your wine after opening. Because of this, you should know how to store white wine after opening.
What Causes Your White Open Wine To Expire?
Heat, oxygen, light, and vibration are the factors that will cause your wine to expire more quickly. That is why a wine that has to be transported long distances can spoil more quickly. The transport-inherent vibrations affect the flavor of sediments.
Oxygen is the final factor that has a substantial impact on your wine’s chemistry and makes it deteriorate more quickly than any other factor.
Bear this in mind – if you plan to save half, you also need to cork your wine between each glass you pour. Many leave it or decant to ‘open’ in flavor as the air interaction oxidizes it. If you do not wish to open the flavor or peak too quickly, seal it for freshness.
If the bottle is stored in the refrigerator, always cork to be oxidized overnight. If you do not have the cork or the way to seal the bottle, use plastic wrap around your neck, wrap a rubber strap around your neck, and confirm that it is airproof.
How To Store White Wine After Opening
Nothing breaks the heart of a wine lover but a horrible glass of wine. If you have a bottle of wine, you want to save for the following days, just make sure it is fresh and still delicious. The following tips make drinking wine easier when your mood strikes. Know how to store white wine after opening!
Store In Dim Light
Light exposure should always be minimized. The wine bottle should be stored in a dark place without natural light because the natural light from the sun can cause heat inside the bottle to accelerate the oxidation process. Keeping your wine from windows and other natural light sources ensures colder, humid conditions and prevents UV rays from slamming the bottles and causes an unpleasant aroma.
LED is your best bet for a light source. LED lighting creates a soft glow without heating. The UV rays can degrade wine, so most red wine bottles are made in darker-colored glass bottles. The dark tint helps protect the wine against the sun.
Cool It Down
Oxygen is the enemy in wine storage. Once a bottle of wine is opened, oxygen starts to interact with the wine and changes its composition over time. This is a good thing at first, as oxygen can open up and release the wine’s aroma. However, if the wine is exposed to oxygen for a long time, it will degrade and become vinegar. This is referred to as oxidation.
The easiest way to slow the process of oxidation is to put your wine in the refrigerator as soon as you are drinking. The more oxygen in contact with the wine, the faster it begins to degrade. The cool temp can not stop exposed wine, but it can significantly slow down the process. With a 55 degree refrigerator, your wine will be cool enough to slow oxidation, but not as cold as the standard fridge.
Vacuum Pump
The more air you can suck in the open bottle from the ullage, the less oxygen you can destroy your wine. Numerous vacuum pumps on the market can literally absorb the amount of air. Stoppers are often included in pump systems.
Insert the stopper in the bottle and connect it to the stopper so that oxygen can be removed from the bottle. Since many of the vacuum pumps are economical and are thought to be an easy and efficient way of maintaining an open bottle of wine, this option is widely used. However, some wine experts suggest that the flavor and aroma of the wine are affected by vacuum pumps.
Tests have shown that such pumps can only generate a vacuum of around 70%. This leaves much air in the bottle, and there is a risk that the seal will leak over time. Many wine lovers do not recommend this method for white wines.
Use Half Flasks
Only half a bottle of wine has been drunk, and the residual wine is now exposed to a bottle of half oxygen, consider bottling the remaining wine in a tinier container, so that air can be less oxidized.
If you want to save wine for another day, use a half bottle (150 mL, 375 mL). Half bottles can be obtained in most stores, which also sell regular 750 ml bottles of wine. This low-tech approach reduces the bottle air-to-wine ratio.
Gas Inert
An inert gas, which does not react with the wine, is a better option. Inert gas Argon or other gas mixtures work by replacing the bottle’s oxygen and creating a protective surface layer.
Argon is non-reactive and denser than oxygen, creates a sheet, and protects the wine against air contact and does not oxidize. Once the gasses are sprayed, place the cork back as close as possible and cool down.
Use Wine Stoppers
If you throw cork away accidentally, you can buy wine stoppers in cute, decorative designs. They are made of plastic or metal and create an airtight seal.
Wine stoppers are used because the original cork is difficult to put back in the bottleneck. Try to find the ones with soft flanges close to the top. They can be found online or in wine shops. There are stoppers explicitly designed for sparkling wines.
Use Wine Shields
Here’s another way to preserve the wine bottle you didn’t finish. A wine shield is a round, flexible disk inserted into a partially drunk wine bottle. This floating deck keeps the wine fresh and lasts for a few days. The plastic disk is made of some air bubbles that allow it to float on the wine’s surface.
It doesn’t plug the neck of the bottle. Rather it moves when the bottle is upright. There’s a great option for home wine drinkers who don’t eat the whole bottle in one go. It is also ideal for bars and restaurants selling a glass of wine.
Nothing breaks the heart of a wine lover but a horrible glass of wine. If you have a bottle of wine, you want to save for the following days, just make sure it is fresh and still delicious. The following tips make drinking wine easier when your mood strikes.
How Do You Determine If White Wine Is Bad?
The process is very simple and will proceed as follows.
Remove the bottle, and you will receive sensory signals of the freshness of this bottle immediately. Notice first the smell. When your neck is sent backward to get away from the vinegar’s foul smell, don’t bother sipping.
If it smells good, try a small sample to make sure a glass of it is worth pouring. You will notice that red wines will often taste sweeter the next day and perhaps somewhat darker in color. The sparkling wines are going to be flat and have lost every bubbling. White wines taste more sour and tart, but are often the same color, and sometimes slightly browned.
If you don’t like it drinking anymore, throw the wine out of the sink and recycle the glass bottle.
Storing Unopened White Wine
Before you open up your white wine, some important things to remember are the following.
Determine whether it needs to be drunk in 3-5 years and whether it is a long-term shelf-wine or a wine. No wines should ever be stored for longer than a week in a standard refrigerator. It can be stored in a specially made for this use wine refrigerator or in a normal refrigerator. Just keep it horizontally and to keep the cork moist on its side.
Do not store white wine in the fridge. Just like storing your wine by the stove makes it smell like the food you are cooking, it can make your wine smell like food on the stove by keeping it in the fridge.
Specifically, for white wine, this also affects the wine’s pressure and can kill the taste even in the short term. The best way to store whites is in a dark, dry room, protected from natural light and heat.
Final Words
Don’t throw away all your expensive half-boxes or just because the wine isn’t drunk. Use these tips so you know how to store white wine after opening! It can also help you to save money and enjoy your preferred wines.
Again, most wines will not last for more than a few years. So drink and enjoy as long as you can. If you go into half-empty bottles too often, maybe be pickier when you open the bottle and make sure that you have another person that night. It’ll be ideal for peak freshness and taste all night long.
