There is wine left after dinner. Should you leave the bottle on the table, put the stopper back in or chill it? At VAVIN 酒盒子, we remember three simple steps: reseal it, stand it upright and put it in the fridge. Red wine included.

Red wine goes in the fridge too

Once a bottle is open, contact with air changes the wine. Over time, its aromas become less expressive and its fruit fades. Cold slows this process down.

Reseal the bottle after serving and stand it upright in the fridge. Before your next glass of red, let it warm up gently: storing it cold does not mean drinking it ice-cold.

How long can you keep it?

For still red, white or rosé wine, two to three days is a useful guide to enjoying it while it still tastes pleasant, provided you have resealed and refrigerated it. Some wines remain enjoyable for up to five days; others lose their sparkle sooner.

There is no universal countdown: the wine, storage conditions and amount remaining all make a difference. The last little bit generally changes faster than a nearly full bottle. Writing down the opening date can help you keep track.

What about the bubbles?

Champagne, Crémant or another sparkling wine: use a stopper designed for sparkling wines that locks onto the neck, then keep the bottle in the fridge. To enjoy its freshness and bubbles, aim for the next day or the day after.

A teaspoon in the neck? It cannot replace a suitable stopper. Avoid vacuum pumps for sparkling wines too: they encourage the loss of bubbles.

The next day, take a moment to rediscover it

Less distinct aromas, quieter fruit, a palate that has gone flat: the wine may simply have lost what you enjoyed when you opened it. Storage times are guidelines; they do not guarantee the same quality from one day to the next.