how long does red wine last once a opened?

[Omegachi]

i opened a bottle of merlot 5 weeks ago, had a glass, recorked the bottle and left it in my kitchen till today. i feel like drinking it again, and i am wondering if it is still safe to drink...

 

[Perknose]

It's completely SAFE to drink, but oxidation does funny things to the taste. Open it, smell it, then try a little. It will NOT kill you or make you sick.

 

[Captante]

If its been in the fridge it should still taste fine ... on the counter it might be on the nasty side.

 

[xSauronx]

after 5 weeks i wouldnt drink anything, fridge or not. i find most stuff turns, even in the fridge, after just a couple of days to the point where im not interested in drinking it.

but it wont *kill* you, so....give it a shot. if anything save it and make it a vinaigrette for a sandwich or a salad

 

[Colt45]

It might be vinegar by now, but it ain't going to kill you.

 

[George P Burdell]

It won't taste as good.

 

[0roo0roo]

wine freshness is like ...a day?

 

[JulesMaximus]

Originally posted by: Perknose
It's completely SAFE to drink, but oxidation does funny things to the taste. Open it, smell it, then try a little. It will NOT kill you or make you sick.

It might taste like vinegar though, 5 weeks is a long time for wine to sit after opened. Some of the more snobbish types will tell you that you must drink the bottle within a couple hours after opening but I don't think it changes much, if at all, if re-corked and consumed within a few days or so.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Originally posted by: Captante
If its been in the fridge it should still taste fine ... on the counter it might be on the nasty side.

Red wine should not be served chilled nor should it be kept in the fridge.

 

[Nitemare]

In the future get you one of those cap/stopper things from a place that sells wine. It will suck the air out and "re-seal" it to keep it fresher, longer.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Originally posted by: Nitemare
In the future get you one of those cap/stopper things from a place that sells wine. It will suck the air out and "re-seal" it to keep it fresher, longer.

That will only extend the length of time you can keep the wine "fresh" by a few days IMO. They are great though and I have a few of them which I use whenever we open a bottle of wine...assuming we don't consume it all that evening of course.

 

[HannibalX]

Originally posted by: xSauronx
after 5 weeks i wouldnt drink anything, fridge or not. i find most stuff turns, even in the fridge, after just a couple of days to the point where im not interested in drinking it.

but it wont *kill* you, so....give it a shot. if anything save it and make it a vinaigrette for a sandwich or a salad

Most alcohol is aged beyond five weeks before it even makes it to your house. Same with cheese.

 

[biggestmuff]

There needs to be a "Is it safe to consume?" sub-category off of "Social". The frequency of these threads is getting out of hand.

 

[T9D]

It lasts about a day. Even then it usually tastes gross after that whole day and I throw it out.

If you want it to last long get the boxes of wine. They are never really 'opened' so they last weeks or more after the first time using it.

 

[jlee]

Originally posted by: Pale Rider

Originally posted by: xSauronx
after 5 weeks i wouldnt drink anything, fridge or not. i find most stuff turns, even in the fridge, after just a couple of days to the point where im not interested in drinking it.

but it wont *kill* you, so....give it a shot. if anything save it and make it a vinaigrette for a sandwich or a salad

Most alcohol is aged beyond five weeks before it even makes it to your house. Same with cheese.

It's not aged after being opened, though.

 

[Cdubneeddeal]

Usually a day is the longest I'll go after corking a bottle of anything. After a day, red wine especially starts to taste and smell like vinegar. Dump it.

 

[aircooled]

5 weeks is too long. Just go get another bottle. Australian Shiraz is very affordable and very good.

 

[AmigaMan]

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus

Originally posted by: Captante
If its been in the fridge it should still taste fine ... on the counter it might be on the nasty side.

Red wine should not be served chilled nor should it be kept in the fridge.

really? I never knew that. I always put my merlot and pinot noir in the fridge, but that's because I'm the only wine drinker in the house and I don't go through a whole bottle quickly. Does it taste better if it's not chilled?

 

[Xylitol]

i had one that was much, much older than 5 weeks and it tasted gross

 

[Cdubneeddeal]

Originally posted by: AmigaMan

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus

Originally posted by: Captante
If its been in the fridge it should still taste fine ... on the counter it might be on the nasty side.

Red wine should not be served chilled nor should it be kept in the fridge.

really? I never knew that. I always put my merlot and pinot noir in the fridge, but that's because I'm the only wine drinker in the house and I don't go through a whole bottle quickly. Does it taste better if it's not chilled?

Red wine should be slightly chilled, slightly. Any more then you lose the full flavor of the wine.

 

[Captante]

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus

Originally posted by: Captante
If its been in the fridge it should still taste fine ... on the counter it might be on the nasty side.

Red wine should not be served chilled nor should it be kept in the fridge.

Duh ...

However just like most other perishable food items, red wine will last MUCH longer when stored at cold tempetures, especially if you use a rubber or plastic stopper instead of the original cork to seal the bottle.

 

[waffleironhead]

Open it and take a drink. If it tastes good to you then drink it. It may taste flat or oxidized or if bacteria got into it it may have turned to vinegar. In all cases it will be safe to drink. You just may not enjoy it as much as when you first opened it.

 

[Bignate603]

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus

Originally posted by: Captante
If its been in the fridge it should still taste fine ... on the counter it might be on the nasty side.

Red wine should not be served chilled nor should it be kept in the fridge.

Um, if somebody likes it chilled why shouldn't the drink it chilled? Who cares about what is traditionally correct.

 

[IronWing]

Um, it's wine. Fermented. It went bad before it ever left the winery.

 

[sandorski]

Ugh, ya, like already stated, it'll taste bad. Many wines are still drinkable 3 days after opening, but there is a very noticable degradation of taste even the day after opening. That wine is only suitable for cooking now. Find yourself a French Beef Stew or other recipe that uses wine.