Someone asked the other day about what to do with an unconsumed half bottle of wine. Now this question really took us back, as neither Kiwi nor Koala has really had to deal with this problem (we have a tendency to complete the job once we start). Now from time to time we have helped out others as it turns out but we had to really think hard to remember when that was. But since this is an area in which we are a little short on experience, some research was in order to confirm what we thought we knew. So for those of you who have this issue read on!
First off, what we know is exposure to oxygen is what drives the process of a wine degrading. That being said you should at a minimum re-cork your bottle as soon as you’re done and put back in the wine fridge. Now you can also put it into a smaller container and fill it to the top and seal (little to no air). Again you should put into a cooler or cold environment as bacteria grow fast in warm a kitchen (70̊F) environment and hardly at all in the fridge. Even still after about 48 hours the wine will head downhill. At least regular wine of the 10-15% alcohol content will. The Ports etc will go at least two weeks or so.
So there is another insightful public service to help reduce your environmental impact (wasting of wine) courtesy of Kiwi and Koala!
First off, what we know is exposure to oxygen is what drives the process of a wine degrading. That being said you should at a minimum re-cork your bottle as soon as you’re done and put back in the wine fridge. Now you can also put it into a smaller container and fill it to the top and seal (little to no air). Again you should put into a cooler or cold environment as bacteria grow fast in warm a kitchen (70̊F) environment and hardly at all in the fridge. Even still after about 48 hours the wine will head downhill. At least regular wine of the 10-15% alcohol content will. The Ports etc will go at least two weeks or so.
There are also a number of gadgets and tricks to achieve the removal of air from the half empty bottle. One such device is called a Rabbit (not that rabbit you deviants), which allows the user to easily pump out the air in the bottle creating a vacuum thereby extracting the nasty oxygen and preserving your wine for tomorrow. We have not found this to be very effective. A lot of commercial places use inert gas sprays to displace the air with nitrogen or argon. These odorless and tasteless gases do a good job of preserving the wine for a number of days and can be purchased at your favorite wine store. Some of the wine bar tasting facilities use a commercial system that never allows for the air to get to the wine by injecting the inert gas into the bottle and there by displacing the wine out into the dispenser and into your glass. Wines in this type of dispenser systems can last for 60days or more although the price point is not for the weak of wallet. You can buy a can of this and use it to help preserve your wine for a few more days.
Another solution is to invite those happy little Vegemites, Kiwi and Koala over, to help consume all your wine so there is no wine leftover to worry about!
So there is another insightful public service to help reduce your environmental impact (wasting of wine) courtesy of Kiwi and Koala!
Happy Tasting Adventures,
Cheers,
WineWalkabout
By the way, don’t use old wine (open for more than a few days) for cooking. Don’t cook with it, if you won’t drink it!
No comments:
Post a Comment
We are always on a WineWalkabout looking for a good drop. Please comment and ask questions about the things you like or would like to read and see. Don't drink without pants on!