ask a sommelier
How long before an open bottle of red wine goes bad?
— David Navratil
Dear David,
This is the most common question we hear in the store, and there’ s no simple answer. After a few hours, some wines are already undrinkable! I’ ve also had wines of all styles that have gotten better after being open for days. With red wine, the initial oxidation upon opening, pouring, and / or decanting can help tight, young reds by softening tannins, allowing fruit and other complex flavours to emerge. But over hours or days, friend turns to foe. This isn’ t a rapid change. It takes time for flavours to go from enjoyable to undrinkable.
We keep wines up to three days before( sigh) pouring them down the drain. They need help staying that long, though. Start by transferring the leftover wine into a smaller container. My Sommelier friend Gary is the king of the“ beer bottle wine samples.” He showed me how an 11 year-old German Riesling can be fresh as a daisy after one week in a re-corked beer bottle!
Next, keep air away from the wine. Like a tomcat sniffing around your back door, oxygen is lurking around your wine. We sell pumps that remove enemy air, but I prefer Private Preserve, a safe, inert gas that blankets the wine. After re-corking, put leftover wine in the fridge. The cooler temperature helps slow the oxidation process.
If you want a wine to show its best, managing the effects of oxidation is important. Like milk that’ s been open too long, we each have our own idea of when it has passed to the“ other side.” Once the flavours you signed up for are no longer there, time is up. Dump it. Or, have someone else do it. I can’ t bear to watch!
– Darren Raeside
I eat a lot of wild meat, and although I usually follow“ red meats, red wine” and“ white meats, white wine,” I am looking for a wine that I can serve with buffalo chili. It is made with a very spicy green chili from New Mexico. What would you suggest?
— Michelle McGeough
Dear Michelle,
Sounds like that dish has quite a bit of kick. When it comes to spicy foods, you can go in one of two directions: you can try to find a wine that plays with the heat( spicy red wines) or you can try and counter the heat( sweeter wines might work as well). Avoid high-alcohol wines, as the heat of the dish tends to emphsize the heat of the alcohol, knocking off the balance.
Here are a few wines, and styles, that you might want to try with that dish:
Heredad Ugarte Crianza Rioja DOCa($ 18.99) – This Tempranillo from Spain has a nice little spice to it, medium tannins, and medium alcohol.
Don Ramon Campo de Borja DOC($ 10.99) – A great little deal of a red wine, also from Spain: 50 % Grenache, 50 % Tempranillo.
Vineland Semi-Dry Riesling($ 14.99) This Canadian gem is medium-bodied, medium-alcohol, and the touch of sweetness is not even noticeable when combined with spicy food.
Caymus Conundrum Proprietary Blend($ 32.99) – This is a great white wine from California. It has seven different grapes in it( including Riesling, Chardonnay, and Muscat) and has a rich body, and medium alcohol.
— Mike Muirhead
I would like to build my small wine collection to cover a variety of situations and occasions. What types of wines are must-have basics of any collection? I am also thinking of purchasing modular racks to store my wine laying down, thus preventing the corks from drying out. Anything else that I need to keep in mind when it comes to proper wine storage?
— Trina Paquin
Dear Trina,
Like any other collection, a wine collection should reflect its owner’ s tastes. Do not feel you should collect a particular formula. Holding a bottle of wine you hate is like keeping a pink skirt in your closet when you always wear black: it will stare at you accusingly every time you open the door. When you finally throw it out, or try it, the guilt is almost worse than the annoyance of keeping it.
Start with what you like, and select wines that will suit different occasions: good company wines for everyday; good entertaining wines for once-a-month occasions, including a few more intense, complex, and interesting wines; and splashy and sensational wines to celebrate those most wonderful occasions!
To be prepared no matter who arrives for dinner, include a selection of red, white, sparkling, and sweet. You might buy a few bottles of each wine, to try on several occasions, or to enjoy the same wine with a big group.
If you want to cellar wines over a longer term( more than a year or so), be sure to do a bit of homework, and ask a Sommelier or one of our wine experts about good choices. Not all wines are intended to age.
Finally, you are right to keep storage conditions in mind. Wine is delicate, and it enjoys the mushroom treatment: cool, moist, quiet, and dark. The worst possible conditions are in the kitchen, where light, vibration( especially from the refrigerator), temperature fluctuations, and humidity are all factors in the wine’ s lifespan.
— Sylvia Jansen
If you have questions for our Sommeliers, please submit them to www. banvilleandjones. com
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