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Winespan ran an absolutely unscientific experiment and the results are in!

Recently I witnessed the perfectly drinkable contents of an unfinished bottle of red wine get glug-glugged down Ye Olde Drain because, and I quote, red wine goes bad if you don’t drink it right away. Cue a slo-mo meme of yours truly flailing…wide-eyed..nostrils flared toward the sink screaming nnnnnooooooo!

Too late. I couldn’t save the wine from SD (Sink Death). What a waste.

True, wine does begin to decline once exposed to air (oxygen), but allow me to myth bust on that point. You do not need to trash unfinished juice immediately. As proof of concept and as a courtesy to Winespan nation (HA! I’ve declared us a nation), I embarked on a wee experiment. I opened four bottles—a sparkler, a lighter white, a lighter red and a big red—and performed preschool-level science on them, which is to say I had a glass from each of these bottles everyday for five days. Rough stuff, this science.

The results are in. Here’s what you should know.

SPARKLING WINE

This Cava of Pinot Noir was kept in the fridge with a stopper to retain carbonation and was better than fine for two days. Yes, it kept its bubbles and was delish. It was still drinkable until day three but with fewer bubbles. No SD for her until at least day four if you ask me.

LIGHT to MEDIUM WHITE

Americans chug light to medium whites such as Sancerre like water, so I can’t imagine any bottle going unfinished. Nevertheless, should you ever have leftovers be confident that they remain drinkable for three days. On day four I thought the aroma on this Savvy B had waned a bit but the taste was ok enough. SD seems appropriate on day five IMHO.

LIGHT RED

The tannins in red wines usually allow them to last a little longer and such was the case with this Pinot Noir. Five days. Not even a problem.

BIG RED

Testing this Barolo was the most mind blowing. Not only was the wine fine for five full days, it was better—I will say that again, better—on day two than it had been on day one. The huuuuuge tannins had blown off and the aromas and flavors really sang. PRO TIP: Big reds can be opened quite early. Sometimes I open and decant younger Nebbiolo (Barolo), Cabernet Sauvignon or Sangiovese a full day ahead so the tannins can calm down.

My experiments complete I determined that, indeed, Wine SD can be avoided by keeping bottles corked in the fridge. Sure, some bottles fair better than others—higher quality bottles and reds tend to last longer— but they all fair well. So, next time you have an unfinished bottle of any wine style put it in the fridge not down the drain.

If you’re willing to limit Wine SD in your home, here’s a cheat sheet for future reference.

Re-cork or champagne stopper the bottle

Store the bottle in the fridge upright to lessen surface area exposure to oxygen

Sparkling Wine: 2-3 days

Light White and Rosé Wine: 2-5 days.

Full-Bodied White Wine: 3-5 days.

Red Wine: 3-5 days.

Fortified Wine: Up to 28 days.

Cheers!