Whether or not you’re ingesting or cooking with wine, you could not undergo the complete bottle at one time. Positive, you can use a wine stopper to maintain your wine contemporary(ish) till you’re prepared to complete it, however what for those who don’t have one? Because it seems, there’s a correct technique to recork a bottle of wine. Right here’s what to know.
How lengthy does a bottle of wine final after it’s open?
As soon as a bottle of wine has been opened, whether it is saved correctly, it sometimes stays drinkable for between two and 5 extra days, relying on the kind of wine. Glowing wine is a bit completely different: Although it would possible be flat by the following day, it could keep contemporary sufficient to drink for as much as three days, if recorked appropriately.
The way to recork wine
First, let’s begin with what not to do. You probably have any intention of ingesting the leftover wine, don’t depart the bottle open. Even for those who threw away the cork and don’t have a wine stopper, overlaying the highest of the bottle with a piece of cling wrap or foil and securing it with a rubber band isn’t perfect, however is healthier than nothing.
And now, easy methods to correctly recork wine:
Examine the cork
Earlier than trying to recork your wine, take a detailed take a look at the cork itself. Is is broken? Are items falling off? Is it crumbling? Is there a gap that goes all through the cork from when it was opened?
If any of this stuff are true, then you definitely shouldn’t try and reuse the cork—until the harm is genuinely minimal, during which case you may be capable of get away with wrapping it in wax paper. (Extra on that in a minute.)
Put the wine-covered facet again in
In case your cork is unbroken, resist the urge to place the “clear” facet into the bottle of wine: That’s the facet that’s been out into the world, and has come in touch with who-knows-what. You’re higher off placing the wine-stained finish of the cork into the bottle.
To reinsert the cork, put the bottle on a gradual, sturdy floor, then angle the cork so the wine-stained finish is within the bottle, and the clear finish is resting on the lip. From there, press down on the cork whereas twisting it, till the cork is about midway into the bottle.
Use wax paper
Even for those who nonetheless have the unique cork and it’s intact, it most likely has expanded because you first eliminated it from the bottle, making it tougher to get it again inside. However you will get round this—and assist make sure that the cork continues to remain collectively—with slightly wax paper.
Lower a chunk of wax paper roughly the identical size of the cork, and vast sufficient to wrap round it as soon as (however no extra). Subsequent, put one finish of the cork within the heart of the piece of wax paper.
Place the bottle on a gradual, sturdy floor, then insert the lined finish of the cork. Gently push it down, utilizing a rocking movement—don’t twist it, or the wax paper may wrinkle and tear—till the cork is about midway into the bottle.
Put the bottle within the fridge
As soon as the bottle of wine is recorked, there are a number of different issues you are able to do to forestall the wine from oxidizing too rapidly. First, retailer the bottle standing upright, so as to decrease the floor space of wine uncovered to oxygen. Additionally, cooler temperatures assist decelerate the oxidation course of, so your greatest guess is holding the recorked bottle of wine within the fridge—sure, even when it’s purple.
