The best way to store opened wine

[Stuart]

I drink wine most nights with dinner, my partner usually does not indulge. I only like a small glass or two however.
The solution - a quaffing wine. Cheap if you are drinking every night and you are not wasting too much money as the wine gradually spoils thoughout the week.
The problem - I am am fairly serious about wine (like most who participate in this forum) and most quaffing wines do not meet my quality standards anymore. I think that there is not enough time in life to drink a bad wine for a whole week.
SOLUTION! - I buy a pretty good wine ($35-45 Craiglee, Petaluma Coonawarra etc.) and make sure it lasts the week without spoiling. That way I drink a small amount of great wine every night after work. Using the method below the wine tastes as if it has been just opened for at least a week if not two or three. Like a fresh bottle every time - its great.
Spoliage of wine an opened bottle of wine is MAINLY due to oxygen and bacteria. So we must stop both of these. The following is a method to reduce spoliage of opened wine:
1. Buy a food grade collapsible plastic bottle - food grade plastic is inert and will not give of a plastic taste. The PLATYPUS range of water bottles are ideal. Avaliable from adventure sport stores.
2. Sterilise before each use by shaking out with boiling water - kills any bacteria.
3. Siphon freshly opened wine from bottle to plastic bottle with a small diameter flexible plastic hose. This sounds extreme but it is actually easy after you have done it once and makes a big difference to longevity of the wine. Again avoids aeration of the wine. It is important that the tubing reaches from the bottom of the wine bottle to the bottom of the plastic bottle. That way wine-air contact is minimised.
4. Squeeze air from plastic bottle then screw the lid on to keep the neagtive pressure - this eliminates oxygen. The bottle can be full or half empty or half a glass it doesnt matter.
5. Store in fridge. Slows bacterial growth.
Honestly, for 2 minutes work after openeing a bottle of wine - its worth it. Especially if you know you wont drink a whole bottle in a sitting.
I hope this helps those lone drinkers out there.
Any other novel ideas?
Stuart.

[707]

Oxidation is a chemical process so is speeded up in the presence of oxygen (of course) and heat. By eliminating those two factors the process is very much slowed.

Clever process Stuart and probably necessary with quaffers but for better wines of recent vintage it can probably be alot simpler.

I use a collection of 375ml (wine and spirit bottles) and 275ml (cordial)screw capped bottles and just fill those as soon as I open a bottle, if I don't intend to drink it completely that night.

I just leave them on the bench if I'm drinking them in a day or three but if longer than that, it's into the fridge. Never had a problem in ten years.

[Mark S]

Stuart - you ARE serious about storing vino properly, aren't you? Many would scoff ("just drink the damn thing" etc) but not me - I know where you're coming from. Process you've outlined is admirable - I like to have 2 or 3 wines on the go at one time; usually immediately pour off from freshly opened 750 ml into clean 375 ml, leaving absolute minimum air space & recork, then straight into fridge. When it's not so neat (ie too much left for half bottle, or less than 375 ml) I use these "Winesaver" canisters I picked up very cheap at auction - food grade nitrogen & carbon dioxide under pressure - just press nozzle into bottle neck, release 1 to 2 second's worth of gas, which being heavier than air & virtually inert, displaces the air in the space above the wine, then recork bottle of either size, then into fridge.
No idea about availability or retail price; says "Drylaw House Edinburgh Scotland" on the canister, and Made in Italy on the back. about 50 uses per canister - may be other brands doing the same thing.

[Handy]

Stuart, impressive method, you aren't an engineer per chance?

I usually use 707s method. However, I have to do that right after opening the bottle otherwise the bottle tends to empty itself as the night goes on. I admire your restraint.

[PaulV]

Sometimes we have about a quarter of a bottle left over. I just decant into those screw-cap 187ml (?) wine bottles you get on qantas after 4pm. Have a collection of these - the hostie's always gave me weird looks for wanting to take empty bottles off the plane. So with a collection of both 187ml and 375 ml screwcaps I am fully covered.

Cheers

Paul

[707]

You're not actually DRINKING the stuff on Qantas?

You're just grabbing the empties as the trolley past aren't you Paul?

[Red Bigot]

This is the patented John (Pie King) Davis method, probably the best idea he's ever had apart from marrying Sue.

It's ideal for those time when 375 ml is not enough (most of the time) and when 750 ml is just a little too much (most week nights).

1. Procure 2 x 500ml bottles, such as the fancy premium muscat/tokay/port bottles.

2. Choose 2 x 750 ml bottles of wines you want to drink over 3 days.

3. Pour 500ml from each bottle into a 500 ml bottle, re-seal (probably not with the original muscat/tokay/port cork), refrigerate if you want to be sure or just put aside.

4. Drink the 2 x 250 ml remnants.

5. Open the other two as desired, warming where necessary.

Not recommended for those who find planning for 3 days is difficult or who can't remember when they put wines away for the next night.

[Guest - RD]

FWIW, for 500 ml I use Grolsch (beer) swing-top bottles. The Grosch 1.5 l swing-top bottles make great water carafes.

250 ml goes into a piccolo bottle, sealed with a expansion type stopper (don't know their correct name) that came free with purchases of 2 bottles of Grandin. Thanks to my son & daughter, I ended up with six of them.

Then into the fridge until consumption, seldom more than three days.

Both stoppers contain a rubber seal but I don't overfill and avoid wine making contact, never had any problems. But then 500 ml doesn't last long in my place.

[Stuart]

Thanks for the tips everyone.

Its good to know I'm not the only one who is crazy enough to go to lengths to keep a wine in good condition.

Mark S: I like to keep a few on the go at the same time too. Comparison is a great teacher I think.

Handy: No I'm not an engineer, I'm a botanist.

Cheers,
Stuart.