How Long Does Riesling Last?
Other than water, almost every liquid beverage, including wine, will deteriorate in taste and flavor after the bottle has been opened. There are plenty of anecdotes from wine drinkers who opened up a nice bottle of wine and decided to finish it over a few days, only to find that the wine had gone bad in just two days. How long does Riesling last?
Once opened, most wines become more prominent with initial exposure to air, but with time, this expressiveness will start to fade. The oxygen in the air will diminish the fruity flavors and flatten out the aromatics. Drinking Riesling that has been oxidized or faded does not make for an optimal experience.
In general, the majority of wines will remain somewhat fresh for 2-5 days, but this also depends on the type of wine and how you store it.
HOW LONG DOES RIESLING LAST AFTER OPENING?
Riesling, like other white wines, has a shelf life of 2-5 days, depending on the type. Fortunately, there are a few tips you can maneuver through to maintain its great taste, freshness, and aroma. However, no matter how you may attempt to preserve the wine, you should drink the opened bottle of Riesling within 3-5 days. Beyond five days, the wine will most likely turn sour.
Preserving the Unopened Riesling
Avoid sunlight: Whether the Riesling is opened or unopened, one of the best ways to preserve it is to keep it away from direct sunlight. The wine should be stored in a dark, odorless area, preferably a basement.
Keep it cool: Another way to preserve the unopened Riesling is to store it in a cool place without too much humidity.
The above two tips will maintain the freshness of your unopened wine.
Preserving the Opened Riesling
How long does Riesling last after opening? Once a bottle of Riesling is opened, there are several ways to preserve the wine, which include the following:
Cork the bottle as soon as you have finished drinking. The sooner you re-cork it, the better it is for wine preservation. If the cork is ruined during the opening, and you don’t have another kind of bottle-stopper cover the opening with plastic wrap and place a tight rubber band around it.
Keep it cool. The opened bottle of Riesling should be placed in an ice bucket to keep it cool. This will ensure that the beverage retains its aroma, flavor, bubbliness, and taste. Storing wine at low temperatures slows down chemical reactions, which also helps preserve the wine.
Refrigerate. Once you are done drinking, store the Riesling in the refrigerator until you are ready to drink again. Make sure there is no strong odor in the fridge; otherwise, it could permeate and affect the wine.
Store wine on its side? If you’re planning on drinking your wine in the near future, then storing the wine on its side may not help. It also takes up more space this way. In general, unopened wines are usually stored on their side to ensure that the liquid comes into contact with the cork and prevents it from drying out.
Avoid temperature fluctuations. Once the Riesling is opened, avoid the wine getting exposed to wide fluctuations in temperature. Hot and cold temperatures usually lead to rapid deterioration of the wine. The key is to maintain the wine at a constant cool temperature. Temperature fluctuations can cause the wine to expand and contract, causing the cork to push out, which lets oxygen inside.
To tell if your Riesling has gone bad, the first thing to look for is a change in color. Riesling, being a white wine, will appear golden or light brown when oxidized. Next, the taste will be like vinegar or extremely sour.
CONCLUSION
How long does Riesling last after opening? Most opened Riesling wines can be preserved for 2-5 days, but this is not always a guarantee. The best advice if you want to enjoy your Riesling is to finish drinking the bottle each time you open it. This way, you will not have to worry about preservation, and, more importantly, you will save money in the long run as you will never have to throw away wine that has gone bad.
Looking to try some new Rieslings? Some of our affordable and great-quality Riesling wines include the following: