Instant Wine Smarts

An Open Bottle of Wine

Air decomposes and oxidizes a bottle of wine once it's opened, and the wine spoils, "just like produce," says master sommelier Andrea Immer, host of the Fine Living Network's Simply Wine. Replacing the cork will keep it two or three days. To make it last the week, remove as much air as you can with a device like the Rabbit vacuum pump, moistening the stopper first for the tightest seal, advises Michael Aaron, chairman of Sherry-Lehmann Wines & Spirits, in New York City. Then refrigerate the bottle; all wines, including reds, last longer if chilled. But even when the wine is past its prime, that doesn't mean you have to toss it. "I put it on the cooking shelf and keep using it for up to a month," says Immer. Even better: Freeze it in ice-cube trays for up to six months and toss in a cube or two the next time you're making a sauce or a marinade, says Leslie Sbrocco, author of Wine for Women: A Guide to Buying, Pairing, and Sharing Wine (William Morrow, $25, amazon.com).