How long does alcohol really last after it's been opened? Those “Best by,” “Use by” and “Sell before” dates stamped on the food we buy can be a source of continued confusion for consumers. Earlier this year, Congressional efforts to clarify reliable expiration dates only highlighted the problem. But when it comes to alcohol, where expiration dates are rarely available, how can we be sure our spirits are still sippable? While we know certain types of alcohol, like wine, can improve with age, what happens when a bottle has already been opened? From Champagne to Bailey’s Irish Cream, here’s a consumer’s guide to how long your favorite bottles of alcohol will last once you pop the cork or break the seal. While some wines improve with age, once opened, their shelf life drops dramatically. Dry red and white table wines (i.e. Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon) are only good for approximately three to five days after opening. Alternatively, fortified wines such as Port and sweet wines such as Sauternes can last about a month after opening due to the acidity and high sugar content which act as preservatives.

“A bottle of Sauternes can keep in the fridge for three to five weeks - if you can resist for that long!” says Bérénice Lurton, Owner of Bordeaux’s Chateau Climens. She adds, “it is even better laid down with a plastic cork which minimizes exposure to oxygen, wine’s number one enemy.”best wine coolers 2017 Sparkling wines like champagne and prosecco keep their bubbles for a brief one to three days after opening, even when kept in the fridge and sealed with a sparkling wine stopper. top fruit wine recipeThis is due to the ethereal nature of their carbonation, which dissipates quickly once the wines are exposed to oxygen. which rose wine is bestSparkling wine made using the traditional method such as Champagne will generally keep its bubbles slightly longer than bubbly made using the Charmat or “tank” method like prosecco. buy german wine uk

The traditional or champagne method imbues sparkling wine with more bubbles than any other alternative method. Like wine, certain beers gain complexity over time but most have a 6-9 month drinking window for maximum freshness. Once opened, however, beer has a very short shelf life due to the nature of hops and its hallmark effervescence which can dissipate quickly. beer and wine based cocktails“Once any beer has been opened it’s considered best to drink it immediately as it has now been exposed to oxygen,” says Peter Agardy, Co-founder and Branding Manager of Saltwater Brewery in Delray Beach, FL. where to buy black ink wineHe explains, “Oxygen breaks down beer and will create ‘off’ aromas and flavors over time.” best types of wine to drink

The same holds true for the popular large format bottles now being sold, including the 22-ounce bomber and the 64-ounce growler. Agardy adds, “Since you can re-seal some of the larger format bottles they can keep a day or so longer in the fridge.”glass of wine french Spirits like vodka, tequila and whiskey have a significantly longer shelf life once they’ve been opened because their high alcohol content acts as a preservative. best selling wine in usaWine, for example, clocks in at a mere 12-16 percent abv (alcohol by volume), while many spirits hover around 40 percent. Advanced Sommelier Mariya Kovacheva of France-based premium spirits and wine company, Pernod Ricard explains, “Once opened, spirits change and factors such as air, light and temperature are among the few factors that affect them.” So exactly how long will that opened vodka or whiskey last?

Kovacheva adds, “Perhaps a year or so should be the limit for keeping one's favorite spirit after opening and storing them in a cool, dark place will help to ensure maximum drinkability.” While liqueurs like Grand Marnier, Chambord, and St. Germain are made from distilled spirits, they are also sweetened and flavored with an array of additives which can include fruit, cream, nuts and/or herbal tinctures. The addition of these alternative ingredients makes liqueurs more susceptible to spoilage once they are opened and exposed to oxygen. Liqueurs that contain cream or milk products are especially at risk. While liqueurs can typically be enjoyed for up to 12 months after opening, any “off” colors, aromas and/or flavors should be a sign they have surpassed their prime. For optimal drinkability, store liqueurs away from direct sunlight in a cool, dark place. Stephanie Miskew is a certified sommelier, wine educator and proprietor of The Wine Atelier, an online wine boutique.  

She also runs the The Glamorous Gourmet, a website dedicated to wine and entertaining.I hate to break a few hearts out there, but wine does have a shelf life once opened. Oxygen is the enemy of wine and once that precious bottle is opened, air is going to seep into it at every opportunity and attack the living day lights out of that lovely wine. Even if you screw that lid or cork back on super tightly, it’s been exposed! The wine will literally die, the aromas will fade, the flavours will go flat and it may go pretty sour and acidic, a lot like vinegar. There have been a few occasions where I have been over at a friend’s house and then they pull out a bottle of wine they opened ‘a little while ago’ and when I ask how long a go that was, I’m usually told that it was ‘only 2 or 3 weeks/months a go’. As my face and jaw drop, I politely take the bottle from my host and pour it down the sink. Honestly it’s the best place for it, (or there are a few tricks at the bottom of this post if you really don’t have the heart to do that).

If you ever find yourself sipping on a 3 month old bottle of Chateau Vine-Gar, then this post is for you! Below is a handy infographic to make sure you’re always drinking wine at it’s prime: Here are my recommendations and the guides I personally live by when it comes to opened wine in the TC household: Like all good things, there’s no straight answer. But typically I go by the rule for whites, roses and reds that they will only keep for 2-3 days maximum once opened. Red wine can be very temperamental. Pinot Noir is super sensitive to oxygen. Aged red wines will also have a low tolerance to oxygen and light coloured red wines & organic/sulphite-free red wine will also die off quicker than other red wines. I feel like I may be promoting drinking opened bottles of wine ASAP in this post (don’t hate me!). For Champagne and bubbles these can die very quickly due to the carbonation being released from the bottle as soon as that cork is popped. Therefore it’s best to drink the whole darn bottle in one foul swoop.

What a bugger hey :) I have on quite a few occasions kept some over night and popped on a Champagne stopper, which is a pretty good solution. It’s not the same the next day but it is still drinkable. That’ll teach me for getting overly excited on a Saturday night and opening one too many Champagne bottles. I honestly think I just have an addiction to using my champagne sabre! For fortified wines like port and sherry, these last a lot longer once opened due to the higher alcohol and sugar content which work as preservatives. I would definitely store these in the fridge to help preserve them once opened. Therefore a cool, dark place for up to 28 days should keep it in good shape. A sherry is probably best to keep for a maximum of one week whilst a port can do a bit longer, about 2-4 weeks once opened. This category varies a lot due to the different types of fortified wines out there however I do find that quite a few ports will mention on the back label what their shelf life is roughly once opened.

Plus you can always get in touch with the producer via twitter or online and get the answer straight from the winemaker’s fingertips. Yes there are a few wine accessories out there on the market to help preserve the wine. There is a wide range of stoppers and also devices to remove the unwanted oxygen from the bottle once opened. I haven’t used these oxygen sucking vacuum pumps for wine before, so I can’t really say how good they are. Wine Folly does mention about the Vacuum Pump Controversy here. I like to use decent tight wine stoppers which latch onto the sides of the bottle, the ones shown below are very good for sparkling wines. Some quick tips to help keep opened wine longer: It’s very rare that there’s leftover wine in my house. However on the odd occasion when there is I simply pop the bottle in the fridge and use it for cooking. I love popping some red in my spaghetti Bolognese sauce or in a stew, and white wine can be great for fish and chicken dishes!