Still red and white: how many days do you have?
Once open, still wine starts oxidising immediately. That is not a disaster in itself. The first minutes of air often open a wine up and improve it. The problem arrives a few hours later, when oxidation has gone too far and the aromatics flatten out.
Structured reds hold better. A Barolo, an Amarone or a Brunello can still be good after 3 to 5 days if you close them properly and keep them somewhere cool and dark. The tannin protects them. A young Chianti or a Dolcetto is a 2 to 3 day proposition: less structure, less resistance.
Whites are more fragile. Most last 2 to 3 days, and the aromatic ones lose their perfume first: what goes is precisely the thing you bought the bottle for. Oaked whites with more body behave more like reds and can stretch to 4 days.
The test is your nose, not the calendar. If it smells of vinegar, nail varnish or wet cardboard, the days left do not matter.
Sparkling and sweet wine: the two exceptions
Sparkling is the most fragile category after opening. Prosecco, Franciacorta, Champagne: once the bottle is open the bubbles start leaving, and within 12 to 24 hours the wine is flat. It will not harm you, but it has lost the thing that made it worth opening.
A proper sparkling stopper, the sprung kind that clamps onto the neck, buys you a few hours. It is not magic. Honestly, when we open a good Franciacorta we finish it that evening, and we suggest you plan on the same.
Sweet and fortified wines run the other way. Passiti and fortified bottles hold 1 to 2 weeks in the fridge without trouble, and oxidative wines like Marsala or Sherry can last a month. The residual sugar and the higher alcohol protect them, and in the oxidative case the style is already built around the air.
How to make an open bottle last longer
The enemy is oxygen. The more air in the bottle, the faster the oxidation. The first trick is obvious and works: if there is not much wine left, decant it into a smaller bottle. Less room for air, more life for the wine.
Vacuum stoppers help but do not perform miracles. They remove some of the air, not all of it, and volatile aromas escape anyway. Think of them as buying 1 to 2 extra days on whites and young reds.
Cold is your ally. Structured reds can stay at room temperature if the house is cool, under 18 degrees, but in summer or in a warm kitchen the fridge is the better call. Put any open bottle in it, red included. At low temperature wine oxidises more slowly. Take the red out 20 to 30 minutes before drinking so it comes back to temperature.
Argon spray, sold for exactly this, genuinely works: it lays an inert layer over the wine. It is worth it if you regularly open bottles you cannot finish, and pointless if you do not.
Domande frequenti
Can I drink wine that has been open a week?
Depends on the type. A sweet or oxidative wine like Marsala, probably yes. A still white or a sparkling, no: it will be flat and unpleasant. Smell it first, and if there is vinegar or anything sour and sharp, pour it away.
Do vacuum stoppers actually work?
They work, they are not magic. Expect 1 to 2 extra days on whites and young reds. Do not expect a wine to be unchanged after a week because you pumped the air out.
Is it true that red wine should never go in the fridge?
Once open, the fridge is fine for red too. It slows the oxidation and keeps the wine fresher. Just take it out 20 to 30 minutes before you pour so it warms back up.
Can I cook with leftover sparkling?
Absolutely. A sparkling that has gone flat but is not sour or faulty works well in risotto or in sauces. Nothing wasted, and occasionally a better result than you expected.
How long does open sweet wine last?
Passiti and fortified wines hold 1 to 2 weeks in the fridge without trouble. Oxidative wines like Marsala or Sherry can go a month. Sugar and alcohol are doing the preserving.