How to Reseal a Wine Bottle | Tips from Experts

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Wine Freshness

There’s nothing like having a glass of wine after a long day with your friends or for a celebration. But how do you store it once opened? What is the best way to keep it fresh? But once a wine bottle has been opened, it's important to know how to properly close your wine bottle in order to maintain freshness and its quality. 

Why is it Important to Reseal a Wine Bottle?

Instead of letting a half drank bottle of wine go to waste, you can properly seal the bottle. Once opened, it will begin to oxidize. The air will affect the taste of the wine. 


Although this is harmless to ingest, it's still important to know how to preserve your wine once opened. This process is especially important if you wish to drink the wine over a course of days or weeks. Even though you can’t prevent oxidation, how to store your wine can help slow down this process so you can enjoy your wine a little bit longer. 

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Signs That a Wine Bottle Needs to be Resealed

Once a wine bottle has been opened and stored properly, the wine will naturally start to oxidize. The aroma of your wine will begin to develop a unique smell. As wine ages, chemical reactions create these new smells that will affect the taste, color, and quality of your wine. Storing wine in proper conditions once opened will help reduce how fast your wine oxidizes. 

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Materials Needed to Reseal a Wine Bottle

To reseal a wine bottle, there are a variety of options to choose from. First being the original cork. Reusable stoppers can be purchased at most stores or online. You can also use bar top closures to secure contents. Unless you have an automatic opener, you don't need any specific tools to close your bottle.


Choosing the Right Stopper or Seal

There are a variety of ways to seal a wine bottle. Creating an airtight seal is crucial to properly store wine to preserve wine in the long run. These closures will preserve wine for different periods of time depending on the type of wine, where its stored, and the type of closure.

Cork

If the cork that first initially sealed the bottle is in good condition, simply insert the cork back into the bottle. Corks will naturally start to expand once they are opened. The cork is a great closure if you plan to drink the wine within a couple of days after opening. 


With reusing your cork, wine will last 2 to 3 days after being opened. Light wines and full-bodied red wines may last up to five days. 

Reusable Rubber Stopper

A reusable rubber stopper can seal wine if the original cork is not in good condition. A rubber stopper will fit snug into a bottle of wine. If you are looking for an easy way to seal a wine bottle, a reusable stopper is an easy route to go. 


With a reusable rubber stopper, wine will last about 5 days before the freshness will fade. It's recommended to consume within 1-2 days for full freshness.

Wine Saver

A wine saver is a small device that can help preserve wine. This device pumps air out of a bottle that seals with a stopper. Removing air helps reduce oxidation. When this device removes oxygen from the bottle, it will preserve your wine for up to two weeks. 

Wax Paper 

When you open your bottle of wine the cork will naturally expand, making it harder to recork the bottle. If you would like to use the original cork but it won't budge, placing wax paper around the cork will help. This will help secure your wine. Using this method, you can store wine in the refrigerator for three to five days.

Paper Towel 

A paper towel can be a temporary fix if the cork is completely unusable, especially if you don't have a reusable plastic stopper. Folding a paper towel can resemble a cork. Once the paper towel is folded, use tape or plastic wrap to secure your homemade cork. This is not a permanent fix, and should only be used as a last resort in order to preserve your wine longer. Wine will only last a few days with this method, so it's best to choose a better closing method to preserve your wine.


How Long Should I Store My Wine?

Resealing a wine bottle doesn’t mean it will be preserved forever. Depending on the type of wine will determine how long it will stay preserved for. 


For the best storing results, it will be ideal to store resealed wine in these conditions: 

  • Out of bright lit areas
  • In refrigerator
  • In consistent temperature environments
Wine corks.Wine corks.

Factors to Preserve Unopened Wine

Preserve your wine before its even opened. When storing unopened wine, if not in the proper conditions, it can begin to oxidize and grow bacteria. 

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Temperature

Wine should ideally be stored between 45-65°F (~7-18°C). Well-made wines will stay preserved for longer prior to opening if stored in proper temperatures. Some wines are more sensitive to light. 

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Humidity

In a wine cellar, humidity outside of the 50%-80% range can lead to cellar mold and ruined labels. These risks are relatively low during short-term transportation. Air conditioning is a sufficient way to control humidity unless you're in extreme climates for a long time.


Lower humidity can dry out the cork, causing the wine to oxidize. As mentioned before, pack your wine bottles sideways to keep the cork moist and prevent it from drying out.

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Vibrations

According to scientists, vibrations can disrupt chemical properties of wine that will affect the taste and aroma of your wine. To prevent wine from losing flavor during travel, wait a few days before opening transported bottles. This allows the wine to recover.

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Sunlight

Sunlight affects the taste of wine. If your wine bottle is made of colored glass, it has more UV protection than a clear bottle because it can filter out light better. It is still best to keep bottles out of direct sunlight to preserve your wine once opened.


Common Mistakes to Avoid When Resealing a Wine Bottle

When closing a bottle of wine, it's important to properly seal bottles so it doesn't ruin your wine, here are some tips for sealing your wine:

  • Not labeling your bottles when you opened them. It might be a good idea to write down when you open a bottle of wine to keep track of how long it's been open. 
  • Not storing wine in proper temperature conditions. 
  • Storing wine completely on its side. If you want to preserve your wine, then it's best to leave wine tilted on its side. This helps prevent the cork from drying out which causes wine to age faster. 

The Point of the Punt

The punt or kick-up is the depression on the bottom of some wine bottles. This term is derived from an old glassmaking word, “punto” that refers to the focal point of the bottle. Here are some points about the punt:

  • Bottles can be made with or without a punt.
  • The depth of the punt can vary. For instance, the punts for champagne bottles are usually deeper because those types of bottles require thicker glass to withstand the pressure.
  • Punts can add to the bottle cost because more glass is needed to make the bottle.
  • Punts are believed to add stability, making the bottle less likely to fall over.
  • Punts consolidate sediment at the bottom of the bottle, which can prevent the sediment from pouring from the bottle into a glass or decanter.
Punt of wine bottle.Punt of wine bottle.

Cheers!

The duration of how long wine will last after being opened will be determined from your closure method. Reseal your wine bottles and use the proper storing methods listed above to ensure your wine will stay fresh. Browse our selection of glass containers. For more information -- Call 630.629.6600 or email us at sales@thecarycompany.com