Merlot 101

How long does opened wine stay good?

My roomates and I have a bottle of Merlot with the cork missing. It has been sitting on our dining room table for approximately 1 week. Is it still good to drink, or has it in effect gone "bad" by now?

Public Comments

1. I'd probably still drink it- give it a whiff first, though. If it doesn't smell anything like vinegar, then you're ok. I think a week is about the longest that I would keep it
2. Toss it. Wine that has been opened begins to oxidize almost immediately. Oxidized wine tastes bad and shouldn't be consumed. The best way to store opened wine is with the cork and refrigerate it. You can generally leave red wine at room temperature for 2 days, but no more. Keeping it cool will keep it good longer. There are also some products that pull the air out of the bottle, and reduce oxidation of the wine. A hand pump vacuum works okay and so does a can of compressed nitrogen. The nitrogen doesn't react with the wine and replaces the air space in the bottle with the nonreactive gas. Go buy a good bottle and enjoy a decent glass.
3. I wouldn't drink it.
4. Depends. If the wine has been stored in cooler temperature, it may still be fine. What open air does to wine is to oxidize, which turns a wine into vinegar. You can check the wine by its color (should be clear rather than cloudy), smell (grape smell at least with possible some alcohol burning and can also be fragarant or floral, instead of vinegary), and small taste (don't take a big gulp, just sip a bit and whiff it in your mouth). The best way to preserve wine is to keep it cool (in refrigerator, for example, with cork in), upright (to decrease the surface area for oxidation), and dark. If you want to preserve wine, buy a wine preserving kit with heavy gas covering the top of the wine so oxygen will not come in contact with the wine. The vacuum system really don't work that well, since it "sucks" the smell from the wine out of the wine.
5. It is good to the last drop... "maxwell house" Don't ask us taste it I'm sure it is fine. otherwise sprinkle a little on your salad and eat it.