How long will sweet wine last opened?

[Paul_Bates]

Tawny Port- I’ve heard pretty much forever

I don’t know how long but it does hold up well. I have ordered Tawny by the glass at many a bar or restaurant where my guess would be that they don’t sell much and never had a glass that was obviously OTH. So much that it became my safe bet in sketchy places.

I do the same thing. It definitely holds up better when opened than LBV or Ruby.

[Chris_Seiber]

My modest number of personal experiences suggest far longer windows than Greg T’s post does, like multiples longer. I had maybe a third of a 750 of 99 dYquem in my fridge just recorked, I drank that last third in bits over probably two weeks, and it didn’t seem to lose anything.

But “how much do you like a wine after it’s been open for X long” is a highly subjective thing, depending both on the taster and the wines in question. There are folks around here who open a bottle of still red, just recork it and leave it on the counter, drink it over five days and think it stays just as good. That’s totally not my experience in general.

So I think the only real answer is to experiment and see what you think. The one thing I would say in that regard is, even if you end up more to Greg’s side of the spectrum, you’re not going to be remiss in experimenting. If a 10 day old Sauternes, Port or whatever ends up seeming like you held the last glass too long, it’s only going to be by a modest matter of degree, not anything like what that pinot you opened 6 days ago tastes like before it gets dumped into the sink.

[David_Bu3ker]

In my house? A couple of hours.

[John_Morris]

My modest number of personal experiences suggest far longer windows than Greg T’s post does, like multiples longer. I had maybe a third of a 750 of 99 dYquem in my fridge just recorked, I drank that last third in bits over probably two weeks, and it didn’t seem to lose anything.

+1

[GregT]

The thing is, those wines that have a lot of sugar in them are going to keep the sugar. It doesn’t really go away after opening. So they’re still going to be sweet. But next to a fresh bottle, a bottle that’s been open for a while will really seem distant and will start to take on the oxidized notes that for me, are flaws. With some of the wines from Tokaj, people grew used to those flavors, but I’m not a fan.

I’ve kept sherries for a year after opening, but those that were oxidized to start - I wouldn’t keep a fino that long.