I don't really know. Different "experts" have told me different things. In terms of health/expiration, I think wine is probably good for a few weeks in the refrigerator. In terms of flavor, there are a few variables: refrigerating the wine vs. leaving it at room temp, suctioning the air out vs just putting the cork in.
My teacher at Culinary Institute of America, Jeff Morgan of Wine Spectator and also Covenant Winery in Napa, says "Just drink it." I like his attitude! He says that suctioning the air out also extracts the esters and terpines (what gives wine its delicious flavor). But keeping the air in, simply oxidizes the wine which could have positive or negative affects. On the other hand, the wine buyer at a shop in Washington D.C. says that suctioning the air out and refrigerating the wine will preserve it for 1-2 weeks.
I think this is a lot to weigh, and a lot to think about. I agree with Jeff's philosophy to just drink it!
Put to the test: BV Reserve Pinot Noir, 2004. My sister forgot she had this wine, and finally decided to open it (maybe it was perfect this year, maybe it would have been better last year...who knows). I was out of town when she uncorked it Friday night, but she saved me a splash so I could blog about it. She simply put the cork it and left it on the counter for 72 hours til I eventually drank it last night. It seemed that the main result of leaving it exposed to air for 3 days was a more acidic flavor over the palate, but still a soft/subtle finish. Not having tasted it in its pure form, I honestly can't really judge. It still tasted good to me, probably not as good, but I finished the rest of it. She says it was less earthy and more acidic than it was when she first tasted it. Also, since pinots are sort of delicate, I wonder if it would have done better or worse in the fridge.
Yangarra "Cadenzia" blend (65% Grenach, 35% Syrah, 5% Mourvedre), $20 retail. I opened this one on Friday before going out of town, but then I refridgerated it for teh 72 hours I was gone. When I tried this one last night, it was far too cold from the fridge and rather flavorless because of it. It was definitely more flat, boring, and had lost its smooth satisfying fruit. Originally, this wine was very pleasant. Soft, ripe fruits and "juicy" over the palate, subtle tannic structure, moderate finish. I really enjoyed it...shoulda finished it on Friday.
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Well I actually didn't put the cork back in, I have one of those rubber stopper things. I wonder about the fridge too...maybe that would have been better? But still, if it was pretty good a few days later, just imagine how good it was on Friday! Medium-bodied, earthy, bright fruit (maybe plum if I'm remembering correctly?), very smooth finish.
ReplyDeleteUgh, I am usually against day old wine -- don't even get me started on days 2 or 3! If I can't drink it after one day, I usually try to cook with it, pawn it off on my significant other, or it gets tossed.
ReplyDeleteI have tried many methods... can't seem to get any to work well. I find that the wine seems so flat the next day! I am always disappointed. White wine seems to do better than red wine (so maybe the fridge is a factor), I wonder if you put it back in the wine cooler instead of the fridge -- then perhaps it wouldn't be too cold?
I want to try one of those CO2 cans to see if pumping CO2 back into the bottle can really help make the flavors last longer!
what i noticed is that the wine goes down more smooth although most of nose is gone the next day (or even three days later). i also noticed that some wines become undrinkable (vinegar like) faster than others. can anyone explain this phenomenon?
DeleteLija, sounds great. Wish I could have been there!
ReplyDeleteShelbi, I agree! I think that's what I'll do with the remainder of the Cadenzia (pawn it off or cook with it). I hate wasting wine, but I really hate drinking it the next day, or a few days later.