There is absolutely no shame in not finishing an entire bottle of wine — especially if you’re drinking alone. Before you pour what’s left down the drain or guzzle a glass for no reason other than “not letting it go to waste,” consider that you CAN save the wine for another day — and if you store it properly, it’ll taste almost as good, if not as good, the next time you drink it (in fact, some wines taste even better after being opened).
Learn about the best ways to keep leftover wine tasting fresh and delicious by listening to episode #18 of Inside Wine Podcast.
Key points from the episode:
- How air (oxygen), humidity, temperature, light, and odors must be managed
- Why different types of wine are stored differently
- Why all colors of wine are stored the same
- The “half-bottle trick”
- What to do if you didn’t listen to any of the advice from the episode (such as cook with it!)
If you arrived at this page from the show notes, below are the images that were referred to while you were listening.
These are the two types of Champagne / sparkling wine stoppers that are common — and most effective. They’re recommended even if you plan to finish the bottle, because they’ll keep the bubbles in the bottle in between glasses being poured.
The first type screws right over the top and might look like this:
The other type has hinges on each side that latch over the bottle opening lip, it looks like this:
And this is how it looks closed, opened, and placed on the bottle:
There’s a similar type that has only one hinge, it looks like this:
These are examples of screw-topped half-bottles (375ml), standing next to their big-brother and big-sister “seven-fifties” (750ml):
Here are links to these wines, for more information and to purchase:
Michele Chiarlo Nivole – find it to buy here
St. Francis Chardonnay – find it to buy here
St. Francis Cabernet Sauvignon – find it to buy here
Do you have other ideas or recipes for leftover wine? Post them in the comments!
