Buzz
If you’re sipping or cooking with wine, there’s a chance you won’t finish the whole bottle at once. Sure, a wine stopper can help preserve its freshness (for a while), but what if you don’t have one on hand? Fortunately, there’s a correct method for recorking a bottle of wine. Here’s everything you need to know.
How long does an open bottle of wine stay good?
Once you open a bottle of wine, it can stay drinkable for two to five days when stored properly, depending on the wine type. Sparkling wine is a bit different: It may lose its fizz by the next day, but with proper recorking, it can remain fresh enough to drink for up to three days.
How to Properly Recork Wine
Let’s begin with what not to do. If you plan on finishing the remaining wine, don’t leave the bottle open. Even if you’ve lost the cork and don’t have a wine stopper, covering the bottle’s top with cling film or aluminum foil and securing it with a rubber band might not be perfect, but it’s better than nothing.
Now, let’s go over the correct way to recork wine:
Check the cork
Before you attempt to recork your wine, examine the cork closely. Is it damaged? Are any pieces falling off? Is it crumbling? Does it have a hole all the way through from when the bottle was opened?
If any of these conditions apply, it’s best not to reuse the cork—unless the damage is truly minimal. In that case, you might be able to get away with wrapping it in wax paper. (We’ll discuss this more shortly.)
Place the wine-stained side back in
If your cork is in good condition, resist the temptation to insert the “clean” side into the wine bottle: that’s the side that’s been exposed to the outside world and may have touched who knows what. It’s better to put the wine-covered side into the bottle.
To reinsert the cork, set the bottle on a stable, firm surface, then tilt the cork so the wine-stained side is facing the bottle, with the clean side resting on the rim. From there, press down while twisting the cork until it’s about halfway back in.
Use wax paper
Even if you have the original cork and it’s still intact, it’s likely expanded since being removed from the bottle, making it tougher to put back in. But you can work around this—and help ensure the cork stays intact—with some wax paper.
Cut a piece of wax paper that’s about the same length as the cork and wide enough to wrap around it once (but not more). Then, place one end of the cork at the center of the wax paper.
Set the bottle on a solid, flat surface, then insert the wrapped end of the cork. Gently press it down with a rocking motion—avoid twisting it, or the wax paper might wrinkle and tear—until the cork is about halfway back into the bottle.
Refrigerate the bottle
After recorking the wine, there are a few things you can do to slow down the oxidation process. First, store the bottle standing upright to reduce the surface area exposed to air. Cooler temperatures help slow oxidation, so your best option is to keep the recorked bottle in the fridge—yes, even if it’s red wine.
