Wine – good to the last drop.

Strawberries cherries and an angel’s kiss in spring My summer wine is really made from all these things Take off your silver spurs and help me pass the time And I will give to you summer wine Ohhh-oh summer wine

Whew, I’m showing my age on that one….OK, who here remembers Nancy Sinatra’s version of that sone (no, The Corrs don’t count)?

I was just thinking last night how much I enjoy a chilled glass of wine on a warm summer night. It feels so elegant and luxurious to savor a glass while sitting on my lanai in the evening. It’s a pleasure that can be very expensive, but doesn’t have to be. Here’s the thing. Have you bought a GREAT bottle of wine, opened it and enjoyed a glass, but then the next time you went to have some it had turned to vinegar?

Polishing off a bottle in one sitting is probably the BEST way to assure that you’ll be getting the best flavor, but if you do that often enough – I’ll be sending you to AA. Most of you are like me and will POP THE CORK and enjoy a glass or two, then try to figure out HOW you’re going to get the same great flavor out of the bottle the NEXT time you reach for it

Yes, I’ve “made” my share of cooking wine (left a bottle open on the counter for a week). So, what is the best thing to do to keep your wine and HOW LONG will it keep before you’re adding it to your beef bourguinon?

REDS – will keep just under a week

I’ve found that the best way to handle red wine is by using the original cork (or rubber stopper that they now use) and put it into the refrigerator. NOT THE COUNTER!! WHY? Because if you keep it out on the counter at room temperature, your wonderful bottle of Merlot will continue to aerate (or age) and that’s what we DON’T want. When you’re ready to pour yourself a glass tomorrow or the next day simply allow the bottle to warm up to room temperature.

WHITES – will keep 3-4 days

While you can certainly use the original cork in your bottle of white, I’ve found that I have better luck with one of those one way valve wine stoppers. Once again, just keep your wine in the refrigerator (like I had to tell you to chill white wine – LOL).

SPARKLING – will keep over a week

Have you seen those clamshell type of wine stoppers at the store? They use a clamping technique to seal in the carbonation and work very well for sparkling wines and champagnes. Of course, in the mansion – sparkling wine goes in one sitting.

So, no stuffing a wad of aluminum foil or pouring your extra into a carafe to leave open please. You want to enjoy your wine to the fullest, and I’m guessing that like me – you’ll want to savor it for as long as possible.

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