How to Keep Wine After Being Opened

In some states if you purchase a bottle of wine at a restaurant and don't drink the entire bottle, they will allow you to take home the unfinished portion. Before you remove the wine from the premises, they will normally require you to recork the bottle, and then cut whatever amount of cork is protruding over the top of the bottle, so that it is flush with the brim. Keeping wine at home, after being opened, can be handled in a similar fashion, yet you won't need to cut the cork.

Things You'll Need

• Wine bottle
• Cork or wine stopper
• Wine Saver

Instructions

1. Return the wine to the wine bottle if you have poured it into a canister. If you've filled a canister with wine, don't store it in the canister for more than a couple of hours as the oxygen will quickly destroy the wine.

2. Recork the bottle by pushing the cork back into the top of the bottle. Corks can expand and make it difficult to reinsert. You can use a wine stopper for easier insertion.

3. Drink within a couple days, or store in the refrigerator and drink within one or two weeks.

4. Use a product like Wine Saver if you plan to store the opened bottle for longer than a few days. It is a canister of inert gas. It is squirted into the open bottle and sits on the wine, preventing oxidation. Wines treated this way may keep for several weeks.

References

• Winedoctor
• Wine Saver