A rubber wine stopper is a great way to extend the life of a bottle of wine. But, it will not completely seal off the bottle, and the wine will expire if left for too long. As you may already know when wine is exposed to small amounts of oxygen, aerating, it releases its aromas. But too much exposure turns the wine rancid. Putting the cork or stopper back in will limit the exposure to oxygen, but it will not save the delicious flavour for very long.
The amount of time the wine could last depends on the type, the variety. In general, red wines have more endurance than whites in respect to time. Sparkling wines, champagne, will not last long.
An opened bottle of wine that has expired won’t actually do you any harm, but its taste will be off — it can range from tasting more acidic than intended to being downright nasty.
- Red Full Bodied – 3 to 5 Days
- Red Light Bodied – 3 Days
- White Full Bodied – 3 Days
- White Light Bodied – 3 Days
- Champagne – 4 Hours (or 24 hours with a stopper)
Things to consider:
Red or whites with a higher alcohol content will probably buy you a bit more time.
A bottle ¾ of the way full and four days old could be totally fine for drinking, whereas a bottle opened for the same amount of time with only half a glass left is probably not worth it. Surface area.
Also, wines over 10 years old should be drunk within 24 hours or less of opening.