How Long Does it Take Wine to Go Bad

It is said that wine improves with age. With days flying by, its flagrance gets deeper and its taste becomes richer. Yet in life you may find that an  opened bottle of wine easily goes bad within several days. That’s the result of wine’s quality and storage method. So how long does it take wine to go bad and what makes it goes bad?

How long does it take wine to go bad?

The shelf life of wine depends on various factors, such as the vintage, label, preparation method and storage method. 99% of wine is not able to be stored for extended amounts of time. Shelf wines need to be consumed while fresh and young. Here is a picture shows the shelf life of wine.

As the picture shows, bottled wines lasts for years yet opened wines lasts for days or months. Besides, the life of opened wines also depends on a variety of factors, such as temperature, container and the kinds of wines. Here is a picture showing the life of opened wine.

As the picture shows, the life of opened sparkling wine is the shortest and lasts for 1-2 days, while sherry, as the longest life of these wines, lasts for 8 weeks at its utmost.

What makes wine goes bad?

There are lots of reasons for a wine goes bad, but the main reason lies in the microbial contamination and storage problems. When the wine is opened and oxygen comes in, lots of chemical reactions happen with the joining of oxygen. Wine turns into vinegar finally. Thus, to ensure the airtightness of wine is essential. Yet, if it is inevitable to open a wine, you can also get your wine prepared with practical stoppers for longer life. Ecooe Stainless Steel Bottle Stoppers goes with a stand set for convenient use and the airtight seat helps to slow down the process of alcohol oxidization, thereby extending the life of the opened wine.

Besides, some other tips such as store the wine upright to minimize surface area exposed to oxygen is also helpful. Dramatic temperature changes should be avoided for this shift change can damage your wine quickly. You can also warm up your wine bottle in warm water instead of hot water for life lengthening. Keep in mind that the temperature of water should be slightly warmer than room temperature.

How to ensure that the wine has already went bad?

It is not difficult for wine lovers to judge whether it goes bad, yet for people who don’t drink it very often may be unclear about its condition. Generally speaking, bad wine smells like barnyard, sweaty horse, tastes like sauerkraut. And that is the result of bacteria contamination. Besides, bad wine has a strong vinegar quality and can easily release a smell of volatile acidity and acetic acid. Then, some odd smell like rotten eggs, onions will be produced. And if you are still unconscious about it, the wine will start to re-ferment, in that case, froth and bubble will appear.

To sum up, a bottled wine lasts for months, while an opened one lasts for days. Since various factors will affect the taste of wine. To store them in a right way is essential.