Drinking wine over 2 or 3 days, where to store?

Very basic question which I should know:

I keep my wine at cellar temp of 55 degrees. For the reds I bring them out of the cellar and let the temp rise before drinking. Some bottles we don’t finish in one night. Occasionally, a bottle won’t be finished on the second night and will make it to a third day. Where should I store these unfinished bottles overnight: the fridge, back in the cellar, or leave out at room temperature?

I’ve been putting them in the fridge, but is that the best idea? Large fluctuations in temperature are bad for wine. So if I am taking the wine from 55 degrees, then up to room temperature, then in the fridge back down to say 40 degrees, then back up to room temperature the next day, is that bad for the wine?

Who doesn’t finish a bottle in a night? And who would ever let it go for 2 nights? And who would let it warm up to room temperature, especially if the temp is in the 70s?? Who wants to drink wine at room temp?

Would you drink beer at room temp? It’s a bad way to serve wine. I ask for ice buckets in restaurants if they give me a bottle that’s as warm as the room.

As to whether it’s “bad” for the wine - you can answer that question yourself. Does the wine suck on the second or third day? If so, then it was bad for the wine. It’s really that simple.

If you’re drinking within a couple days, don’t worry about fluctations in temp and yes, put it in the fridge and don’t leave it on the counter! The wine will react with the newly available oxygen, etc, and the cold fridge will help slow those reactions.

Better is to decant immediately into a 1/2 bottle, stopper that, and put it in the fridge. Then consume the other 1/2 at your leisure. Later, you can open the 1/2 bottle and finish that too. It’s like the fat ladies who go to a buffet and only take a little bit of this and a little bit of that. They eat like birds but somehow remain grossly obese and can’t understand it. Of course, it’s always dessert and they go back seven times. So you can delude yourself the same way - just say you’re only drinking a half bottle. Then all your problems go away.

Cheers!

My better half rarely indulges so I’m often drinking solo. A bottle usually lasts me 2-3 nights. Whites I recork and throw in the fridge. Let them warm up for a little while and you’re good to go with the rest of a bottle. Bigger reds, unless it’s very warm, I usually just recork and keep on the counter and have found them to hold up fairly well at room temp (and I rarely mind drinking them at ~70 degrees). Older wines certainly fall off more quickly but I rarely have any issues with bottles <10 years with either approach.
I often write my tasting notes on day two since I’ve found most wines improve a bit and rarely decline with that much time to breathe with the additional air recorked in the bottle.
+1 decanting 1/2 immediately into 1/2 bottles, I rarely do but have had success on those occasions.

I tend to put both reds and whites in the fridge in the original bottle with a rubber stopper. Bring your reds out when you get home and drink em a half hour later. I’ve tried rebottling in 375s, but it’s unnecessary hassle and it would seem that you are oxygenating the hell out of it in the process.

For daily drinker reds I just recork and keep at room temp. I wouldn’t bother letting them come up form cellar temp since they will warm in the glass quickly enough. There is some difference from day one -3 if it lasts that long. Sometimes it is a good progression other times there is falling off the cliff on day three and it gets dumped (usually not even a full glass by that time).

For whites, recorked and back in the fridge. They usually don’t last more than 2 days since we both drink them. Gf doesn’t drink as much red wine.

For better bottles I will put them back at cellar temp.

I put both whites and reds into the fridge. In my experience it does keep better, but I’ve never done a same bottle comparison.

P Hickner

Whites go back in the fridge. Reds get recorked and put back in the cellar. We sold our house recently and moved to a rental for two months before moving Into our new house. We have been putting the reds in the fridge too but I am working on the cellar this weekend and when it is ready, leftovers will be stored there.

Have to say I find the differences of opinion on fridge or no fridge for reds interesting. I fridge, but my palate is not as sensitive as those of several people I know, so maybe that’s why I’m OK with it.

My question is whether the choice of fridge or no fridge is usually based on wine science or a more subjective personal assessment of results. My guess is you have to be able to actually smell and taste changes based on the decision, or you’re just going on your theoretical assessment of which is best. Science says refrigeration retards change, but wine tends to be more of a subtle experience than that broader statement might suggest.

Peter,
For me it is that where we are storing the wine now is 70-72deg which is too warm. I like reds at 60-65 typically. If I put them in the fridge I can let them warm a little which is easier than making them colder.

Me. And apparently quite a few other people, even members here. Sometimes I have 2 different whites in the fridge just for variety and they may last 4 or 5 days per bottle if my girl doesn’t like one or both of the bottles.

Me. And apparently quite a few other people, even members here. As mentioned by Anders D, if only one person is drinking the bottle in question it might go 3 or 4 days.

Yes… if it’s REAL BEER like stout, and not some watered down mass marketed swill like Coors light or Michelob Ultra. Those cheap liquids NEED to be ice cold to hide their faults.

Simple to say after the fact, but I assume the OP was asking the question to speed his learning curve and save himself from wasting a bottle or two. Tough to make a definitive answer on this one though, isn’t it?

Robert - GregT is making a point here that you never know until you try. In my limited experience, I’ve found that some younger wines with high acidity and residual sugar need to breath for a day or two before peaking while some older wines can fall apart after 24 hours. For example, 2009 Huet Clos du Bourg is fantastic if you decant it overnight in the fridge, rebottle it and have it not that same night as rebottling but the next night - and the night after. So basically it shines after 48 hours of being opened and remains delicious for another 48 hours. However, we’ve had older cabs like a 2001 Arrowood that were excellent after only 1/2 hour of decanting yet went downhill the next night.

I keep my wines recorded in the fridge, pour out a glass and let it slowly come back towards room temperature. I have not studied whether cold temp slows down the continued oxidation of wine significantly more than cellar temperature, but I usually hate wine at room temp and prefer even my reds a good bit cooler. YMMV.

One caveat: if the wine lasts more than one night in our house there is typically a reason. Most commonly, either I didn’t like it at all, or it was a bit too high octane and fruity for me so I gave it time and air. Crappy wines and high alcohol wines taste better to me cold. Same with beer. A lot of second day bottles are sitting in my fridge, subtly shaming me for having spent money of wine I don’t want to drink …

Reds and whites, vacuvinned and in the fridge. If I have time (weekend) reds come out early afternoon to warm up. If not, microwave in the glass.

I’ve always put both red and whites in the fridge

Fridge. Removing before drinking and for red: bring to room temp by putting in LUKEWARM water in a bucket. Wine keeps longer in the fridge. Do the same for white, but just bring it down to proper temp for drinking white wine. White wine gets too cold in the fridge. Cheap wine does not matter usually. The only cheap white wine I really worry about getting back to proper temp is Yellow Tail because they seem to be pretty good for the price.

I would not reheat in microwave as suggested above. Something has to be lost in all that. The microwave heats differently than any other method. It destroys stuff. It’s radiation. Not enough to harm you (though some disagree) but enough to change the molecular character of that wine. Something like that. I barely passed chemistry so I am talking out of the other end.

Red and white in the fridge. My husband rarely drinks and I cant Sun-Wed because of work. If I have an unfinished bottle on Sat, its hanging out for a few days before I can finish it. I have rarely had an issue with a good wine in the fridge for that long. If its cheap stuff I just dump it Sat.

buy a Pungo and keep the wine bottle in your cellar between glasses.

Private Preserve is the simplest, fastest, easiest way to help a wine last a few days after opening. Spray, put the cork back in part way, put in refrigerator (takes about 5 seconds). Take bottle out next day, let the bottle reach room temperature, pour out a glass, then use the Private Preserve before placing back in refrigerator.

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Coravin
Totally changed how, when, and what we drink.

(I have no connection to the company)

Reds and whites in fridge – microwave half a pour in a separate glass. Blend cool and warmed red to cellar temp in serving glass…

I’m in the same boat and bc I’m the only red wine drinker in the house I usually pour a glass, immediately put Vacu-Vin stopper on, evacuate O2 and the bottle goes back in wine fridge.

On the young and/or tannic wines day 2 or 3 often tastes better.

Agree Coravin would be best but cost prohibitive