3 Ways to Tell if Your Wine Has Gone Bad

by Bottle Barn The Best Place to Buy Wine in Sonoma County

When you buy wine from a store or order wine online, you need to be sure that the wine you are receiving is of good quality. Wine is a delicate drink that can easily be affected by its environment. Whether it’s stored in a hot, humid basement or a sunny kitchen, wine can spoil if it’s not cared for properly. So, how can you tell if your wine has gone bad? Keep reading to find out the few ways before you buy wine.

How Can You Tell if Wine Has Gone Bad?

After you buy the wine, the first thing we need to look at is the appearance. A pop-up cork indicates an unhealthy wine before we pour it into the glass. This could be a result of heat damage. The air inside the bottle expands in volume and pushes the cork out, which may cause oxidation, but keep in mind that the wine may be damaged even if there is no visible sign of a pop-up corked. When you order wine online, you should consider the shipping conditions in the summertime.

Color is an extremely important indicator to check after you order wine. If the wine has turned a brownish color instead of red or white, it has most likely gone bad.

The bubbles are another visual indicator. Secondary fermentation occurs when some residual sugar is bottled with the wine and begins to ferment. This is one of the most common wine mistakes because the obvious visual sign is the bubble and fizz when you open the bottle unless it is a sparkling wine. In reality, it has little effect on taste and is more noticeable in natural wines without added sulfur or sweet wines bottled in non-sterile conditions.

The second method is to smell after you order wine. If the wine smells sour, it is most likely bad. People's odor thresholds may also differ. However, if you are aware of the flaws in the wine, the only true guide between acceptable and problematic is your senses. Technically, wine flaws could also be intentional to increase the complexity of the wine and provide regional characteristics with an identifiable taste of the region. Furthermore, the odor that you dislike may be a favorite of another wine enthusiast. For example, the vanilla flavor from the barrels may irritate some wine lovers, but almost all wine flaws are harmless aside from the unpleasant taste.

These are some examples of unpleasant odors caused by wine faults. However, keep in mind that these can range from barely detectable to severe, but if the off odor is present for you along with the aromas described below, this is a clear indication of a faulty wine, and need to talk with your store where you buy wine or online service if you order wine online.

Corked wines have a musty basement odor, wet newspaper, damp cardboard, and muted fruit flavors. Sulfur overuse produces an unpleasant burnt match odor with a metallic and bitter taste. The acetic acid in wine smells like vinegar, while ethyl acid smells like nail polish and acetone. If the wine is attributed to Brett, the most common descriptor is a barnyard, medical, or pharmacy odor with a metallic aftertaste.

The final way to tell if your wine has gone bad is to look at the is to taste of the wine. If the wine tastes sour or vinegary, it is most likely spoiled. Or the wine could be in an over-the-hill situation as well.

Wine is a living thing with a lifespan; it is born, matures, crosses the hill, and dies. Unfortunately, there is nothing that can be done with a wine that has passed its prime. So you need to consider the lifetime of a wine when you want to buy wine or order wine online.

How Long Does Wine Typically Last?

Even though there is no exact longevity time for a newly opened wine, sparkling wines have the shortest time. They quickly lose their carbonation or fizz, and after that, they're no more than a bottle of light flat wine. Although traditional sparkling wines tend to last longer due to more bubbles, they can only last a day or two with a quality sparkling wine stopper.

Even though these times vary depending on the wine, light white wines can last two days if properly stored, full-bodied whites, roses, and light-bodied reds can last 2-3 days, and full-bodied reds can last 3-4 days. Depending on the sugar and alcohol levels, fortified wines can last for more than 20 days and up to one month.

After this time, very obvious signs of stale wine will appear. As the wine oxidizes, it loses its aromatic character and becomes sharp, with vinegar-like aromas and a hazy brown color. Furthermore, even dull wines can find their way into the best recipes during marination or cooking. Shortly after the wine loses its freshness, it is difficult to call it unhealthy but, of course, unpleasant to drink, but as time passes, microbial and bacterial growth can occur, which can be very harmful to the body.

Keeping Your Wine Collection Fresh

After you buy wine and when it’s exposed to oxygen, the chemical composition of wine, like that of all foods and beverages, changes and begins to break down rapidly. However, if the proper conditions are met after you buy wine, you can easily preserve the wine and extend its freshness once opened.

Although knowing how long an open bottle of wine lasts indeed allows us to enjoy its freshness not only on the day it is opened, but also to enjoy our dinner with more than one bottle. We can't say an exact time for freshness because wine is such a broad category. This time, the alcohol level and residual sugar, acidity, tannin level, air gap, and bubble intensity are the most important factors.

The main idea behind storing after you buy wine is to reduce oxygen contact, heat, and light. To begin, if we don't have a wine stopper, we should always turn the cork and recork it before storing it in the fridge or a cool, dark place. Lower temperatures slow the oxidation and chemical reaction of wine via vinegar. Instead of inexpensive wine, stoppers are the simplest and least expensive way to extend the life of an opened wine, but there are more complicated but certainly more effective tools such as vacuum systems that remove the oxygen or blanket systems that prevent contact with the oxygen by inserting a heavier gas.

If you are ever unsure about the quality of your wine, it is always best to contact the store where you buy wine from and ask them to change it.

If you want to learn more about how to extend the life span of the bottle after you buy wine from a store or order online, you should take a look at our blog about; Seven Tips for Storing Wine at Home.