What’s the best way to store uncorked wine?

Check if this sounds familiar: You open a nice bottle of spicy Zinfandel. Two glasses later, you’re ready to move onto something else. After corkbinning the label, you utilize the latest vacuvin you got for an early Christmas present and stick the bottle on your counter. Feeling like a pro, you move onto that Napa Cab you’d been saving. But wait… is this really the best way to store uncorked wine?

According to a recent post from our friends at Hello Vino, the countertop is not the place to store wine you have already opened and recorked. You are far better off putting it in the fridge. Surprised? It’s true. The flavor of the wine is best preserved that way.

If you think about it, this makes sense. There are so many ways that the countertop can disrupt the flavor. The temperature is far from stable, and the light will continually shift. And yes, this recommendation goes for red wine as well as whites. In fact, wine writer Frank Sinkwich says a properly stored uncorked wine can last as long as five weeks. Whoa!

You might want to check out Food & Wine’s list of 10 Uncorked Wines That Won’t Fade. One final note — if you’re refrigerating red wine, you’ll have to remember to take it out of the fridge well in advance of serving it. This seems obvious, but it sure is easy to forget. For now, happy drinking.

Tags: cork, corking, how to store wine, proper wine storage, recorking wine, refrigerating wine, screw tops, wine storage