As someone who opens up a lot of bottles for tasting purposes, I am familiar with the problem. All wines begin the process of oxidation as soon as they come into contact with the air. Ideally you should drink it as soon as you open it. However, if there are just one or two wine drinkers in the house, this is not always possible.
Some wines keep their freshness better than others, but as a general rule your open bottle will keep for one to three days without losing all of those lovely flavours provided you replace the cork or screw cap. After a day or two, most wines will start to lose their vibrancy. Some may develop sharp vinegar-like flavours after a week or two.
Sparkling wines keep their fizz longer than many people think; most sparkling wines will still have plenty of bubbles the next day. If you drink prosecco or champagne frequently, it is worth investing in a champagne stopper, which clamps on to the lip of a bottle, preventing any loss of CO2. That way your sparkling wine can keep three to four days.
White and rosé wines should be stoppered with the original cork or screw cap and should last two to three days. I find red wines keep three to five days if they are stoppered and kept in a cool place. I often keep them in the fridge. Sweet wines last longer than most wines. I often keep a bottle in the fridge, dipping in for a small glass every night. It still tastes great a week later.
Fortified wines such as sherry and port will last longer than most wines with the exception of fino sherry, the lightest style, which should be stoppered, chilled and consumed in two to three days. Most ports can be kept for a week or two without deteriorating. Madeira and marsala, wines that are exposed to air during their maturation, will keep for months once opened.
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You can buy various wine preservation gadgets that will keep your wine fresh. Most involve sealing the bottle and then extracting as much air as possible. The Vacuvin is a relatively cheap (€15) pump that does exactly that. A Coravin is a unique device that extracts wine from a bottle through the cork, replacing it with argon gas. The remaining wine will then last for months or years. Sadly, they are expensive – anything from €200 to €400. Alternatively, you could keep an empty half-bottle, preferably with a screw cap, and pour your leftover wine into it. As it will have less exposure to air, the wine will keep for a longer period.
