I do not know much about wine, having only purchased a few bottles, and have some questions about how to store it.. Are you supposed to set the bottle upright, sideways or upside down?
The reason I ask is because I recently uncorked a bottle and the cork was really dry, not moist. I couldn't reinsert the cork into the bottle and had to flip the cork upside down. It also tasted strange a few days later - I don't know if I re-corked the bottle correctly...
make sure you store it so that the cork is covered by the wine - sideways is fine, upside down is fine (if you know a convenient way)
but best of all: buy wine with a Stelvin cap!
MAUOMBO
As long as the end of the cork (inside the bottle) is moist, the cork has done its job. Reinserting the cork is tough, and I flip the cork over, as you did. It's not surprising that the wine went funky after a few days, even in the refrigerator. This is to be expected, as opening the bottle starts the oxidation process.
Store your wines sideways in a dark, cool under 70 F environment, preferably with little temperature variation.
Tom Schellberg
I am having a glass of 2000 Geyser Peak cabernet sauvignon from a bottle that I opened on Saturday (2/7/04) night. I had one glass then, re-corked, and put it in my basement closet, which stays around 55-60 degrees F. My glass this evening is just fine, but on other occasions with different wines, the wine had gone flat after three or four days.
Today, my Page-A-Day wine calendar from Karen MacNeil has a tip on storing opened bottles, white or red, when you know you won't finish it in one evening. For example, if you know you're only going to have a couple glasses of red, go ahead and pour the two glasses, recork the bottle, and put it in the fridge. "As with food, a wine's character is best preserved if it's kept cold. If the wine is red, the next time you want a glass, take the bottle out of the fridge, and pour a glass. After 15 minutes or so, the wine will have warmed up to room temperature and will be in fine drinking condition. Wines treated this way will usually last three or four days. Oh, and about those preservation gadgets: I've tested most of them and found that none of them works." Karen MacNeil is author of the excellent book, "The Wine Bible".
And why so long between glasses, you ask? A bottle of 1998 Estancia pinot noir intervened a couple evenings (Wine Spectator gave it only an 80 but I liked its muted quality), as did Charbay vodka. That is some fine vodka.
Have something to add? Share your thoughts — no account required.
Ask the community — no account required