WINELINES ONLINE

Wine Lines Online is an extension of the syndicated Wine Lines column, written by Bob Johnson and featuring an array of wine reviews by Johnson and Glen Frederiksen.

Well, in my house (especially during a party), the bottle will be a Dead Soldier in 15 minutes or less…But that is not the topic at hand. The question is: Once a bottle of wine is opened, how long can you keep it re-corked and in the fridge and still enjoy the vino therein?

Wine has several enemies (other than bad winemakers). Oxygen. Light. Time. Temperature. Vibration.In the case of an opened bottle of wine, the main culprit is oxygen. Wine oxidizes (rusts) in much the same way that iron does. It even turns the wine a rust color over time.

So… how long will an opened bottle of wine last?

For cheap wine, the answer is simple: It’s cheap wine! Who cares? Deglaze a pan with it, if you must. But when you’ve pulled out the wallet and slapped down a Jackson or more for a decent bottle of wine, what is the life expectancy for that half-bottle left over from dinner?The simple answer you’ll hear in wine bars and tasting rooms during your travels is something like this: Depending on the wine, expect it to “turn” (start to taste unpleasant) in 24 to 48 hours.

That isn’t a bad rule of thumb. I have poured out hundreds of half-bottles of wine that seemed to oxidize when left a few days in the fridge……….

The manufacturer of the product is so proud of it, he asked Wine Lines Online to conduct our own test. We took three bottles of solidly made, quality wine that we had just completed taste testing, and applied the Wine Shield to two of those bottles. The other bottle came with a screw cap, and we used that as a control sample. The three bottles were put into a 38-degree fridge for 72 hours, and then glasses were poured. Below, find the original notes, followed by the revised notes at 72 hours….

2010 Dry Creek Vineyard ‘Wilson Ranch’ Chenin Blanc, Clarksburg

(Sealed with a screw cap.) Lightly hued, but with a heady nose of ripe pear, white peach, pineapple Lifesaver and green melon. Medium-full in the mouth with sweet/tart-edged fruit, including apple and melon, with a juicy, sweet fruit-driven finish that begs for another sip.

MSRP: $12 (July 2011)
Wine Lines rating: 88

The same wine, 72 hours later…

Light, almost transparent color. Ample rich pear and pineapple in the nose, with a banana dust essence. In the mouth, the acid is bright, jabbing and feinting with the fat, sweet fruit. There are no obvious signs of oxidation.

Three-day rating: 88

So, what did Wine Lines Online learn from this mildly intoxicating scientific experiment?

1. Dry Creek Vineyards makes some darn good wine that holds up well to the ravages of oxygen.

2. Hermetic seal screw caps are an excellent way to reseal and store opened wine.

3. The older the wine is, the more fragile it is in the presence of oxygen.

4. Wine Shield does a pretty good job.

Click here to read the complete review