3 factors to access the shelf life of wine

Wine is the beverage of happy times! And, it is quite common for us to save the leftover wine, hoping that it is fine to drink it even from an opened bottle a couple of days later. Read on to know if it is safe to store an opened bottled of wine and until when can we consume it safely.

Wine is believed to get better with age, but not when its bottle has been opened. Much like most other foods and beverages, wine too cannot last forever. Here are some distinct ways to know about the shelf life of any wine.

For an unopened bottle of wine

An unopened bottle of wine can be consumed even past its expiration date, depending upon its type. White wine can be consumed for 1 to 2 years, red wine 2 to 3 years, cooking wine 3 to 5 years, and fine wine for 10 to 20 years past their expiration date, provided these wine bottles are correctly stored in a cool and dark place.

For opened bottles of wines

Once the wine is opened, it is prone to fast spoilage, and lighter wines tend to go bad faster. Storing wines at a low temperature helps to control the activity of yeast, bacteria, and several chemical reactions occurring in wines because of the exposure to heat, oxygen, and light. Sparkling wine lasts for a day or two, light wine and rose for 4 to 5 days, rich white for 3 to 5 days, red wine for 3 to 6 days, dessert wines for 3 to 7 days, and port wines for 1 to 3 weeks, after the bottles are opened but stored carefully by sealing it tightly in the refrigerator.

Signs of spoilage

Check the expiration date mentioned on the bottle to know if it has gone bad. Alternately, you should also check for any change in color, presence of tiny bubbles, foul smell, sour or bad flavor, and cork with any visible signs of leakage, as these are indicative of wine spoilage.