Thinking whether to refrigerate wine or not? If you are thinking of refrigerating your wine, there are chances that you have experienced drinking an odd-tasting wine. Well, you must know that wine does go bad once you uncork it.
As soon as the fermentation process begins to produce carbon dioxide, it is immediately sealed. Once you uncork the bottle, you expose the wine to the oxygen in the air, initiating the process of oxidizing. Due to the slow and gradual oxidizing, the taste of the wine begins to change. The odd-taste that you felt when you drank the week-old wine is due to the chemical process of oxidizing that began as soon as the bottle was uncorked.
How to Know When to Refrigerate Wine?
Now that you know that wine does not last indefinitely and that the moment you uncork it, its taste begins to deteriorate, thinking about refrigerating is justified. The debate that swirls around the question whether there is a need to refrigerate wine or not has not reached a definite conclusion, but yes you might have to refrigerate the wine once you uncork it.
As long as you do not uncork the bottle, there is no need to refrigerate it. The reason behind it is the fact that normal refrigerators are too cold for wine. Once you open it and do not plan to drink the whole bottle, you may change the cork and then refrigerate it. If you think that the bottle will not last more than a week than you just replace the cork and place it on the shelf because it will stay unspoiled for a week at least.
The type of wine is also a vital factor when it comes to refrigeration of wine. For example, red wine tastes better when it stays at room temperature. Therefore, there is no point of refrigerating the wine and rewarming it up before serving. Moreover, constantly altering the temperature will negatively affect the taste of the wine. It is believed that the taste of red wine improves with some oxidizing. It is better to refrigerate white wine rather than leaving it at room temperature. Mostly people like drinking white wine at a chilling temperature. Adding ice in the wine dilutes the taste and may take away the original taste of the wine.
All You Need to Know About Refrigerating Wines
If you want your wines to last long, you should go through the following wine refrigeration tips.
Storing Table Wines
Table wines are not made to be stored for more than a few weeks. It is not the type that can last for years. If you are purchasing inexpensive and light table wines make sure you do not drink after a few weeks.
Place the Cork Back
A simple way to refrigerate open wines is to place them in the fridge after placing their corks back. Make sure that you do not keep such wines for more than three days as it will go bad after three to five days.
White Wines are Refrigerator-Friendly
When we talk about white wines, these are the ones that taste best when you drink it after refrigerating it. Once you uncork them, you can keep in the fridge for two months after which it will begin to go bad.
The Right Time to Discard Wine
Wine in a sealed bottle lasts long, but once you opened, you will begin to feel the change in the taste. Unsure about the wine you have in your home? Well, here are the three signs that indicate that the wine has gone bad and it is time to dispose it off.
Leaky or Crumbled Cork
By looking at the cork, you can determine whether the wine has gone bad or not. When a wine begins to go bad, it affects the cork. A slightly pushed out cork, leaking, or crumbled cork are signs that clearly indicate that the wine is not drinkable anymore. If you observe any of these signs on the cork, waste no time to discard it.
Change in Wine’s Appearance
If you observe no signs on the cork, you may observe it from the appearance of the wine. Another sign of a wine going bad is the change in color and appearance. The wine appears to be cloudy, and you can see the dusty settlement at the bottom of the wine. Discard the wine if you observe these changes in the wine’s appearance.
Change in Wine’s Taste
If you taste the wine and it feels fizzy, and it is not sparkling wine, it is another sign of the wine going bad. Other changes in taste include astringent and chemical flavors when you drink it. If you keep such wine for long it begins to taste like a paint thinner, and it is certainly not what you would want to serve your guests.
Disturbing Aroma of the Wine
When you feel like the smell is a bit off or its aroma resembles that of mold or a musty wall, wet cardboard, vinegar, or heavy raisin, it is best that you avoid drinking or serving that wine.
The debate about refrigerating wines has not been concluded. Go through this wine refrigeration guide and know what you did not about refrigerating wine.