how long does open bottle last?

[Paulc]

So my JAOM is almost ready to bottle, certainly before the end of May. So once it is bottled and ready to drink, how long is an open bottle drinkable? I am probably going to be drinking this stuff on my own and a regular 750 bottle of wine lasts me at least 2 days, sometimes all week.

So once the cork on a 750 bottle of jaom is pulled, how long will the mead continue to taste good? Should it be drunk in one sitting? Can I vacuum seal it like a regular bottle of wine? Do I stick it in the fridge?

Tia, paulc

 

[Wade E]

Id say about 2-3 days unless you have a can of that wine preservative and a Tasters Cork.
Links to both below.
http://www.finevinewines.com/c-201-other.aspx
http://www.finevinewines.com/p-32-4319.aspx

 

[Paulc]

Is this stuff best drunk at room temp or fridge? Treat it like a white wine?

 

[Wade E]

Id say a little cooler then room temp. Too cold and it wont open up to release its florals as any mead should.

 

[BobF]

Open bottles last about 20-30 minutes around here! ;-)

 

[PPBart]

So once the cork on a 750 bottle of jaom is pulled, how long will the mead continue to taste good? Should it be drunk in one sitting? Can I vacuum seal it like a regular bottle of wine? Do I stick it in the fridge?

I have a real aversion to leaving a partial bottle in the frig overnight -- so we usually just finish it off (or I do, if no one else is helping).

 

[woodsxdragon]

if i have any left over from a bottle i usually find a mason jar and cap it if i plan on drinking it within the next few days or so... otherwise i get depressed that i have left over wine and usually end up drinking it.

 

[fatbloke]

dunno if there's actually any "set time".

Meads don't oxidise like "normal" wines do. I've had no problems putting part bottles in the fridge over night.

If in doubt, you can always just get a "vacuvin" type device. That way, you can de-gas the mead before serving it and then use their stopper to keep it overnight (after pumping out the majority of the air).

regards

fatbloke

 

[jet]

...
Meads don't oxidise like "normal" wines do.
...

That sound interesting. Can you elaborate?

 

[mmadmikes1]

"how long does open bottle last?"
How many people are in the room?

 

[Malkore]

That sound interesting. Can you elaborate?

I'm curious too, as I had a fairly old mead that, when tasted by the club, a few people noted oxidized flavors.

But it was 11 years old, and never sulfited, so I was not offended or put off by a little oxidation.

 

[fatbloke]

I'm curious too, as I had a fairly old mead that, when tasted by the club, a few people noted oxidized flavors.

But it was 11 years old, and never sulfited, so I was not offended or put off by a little oxidation.

Don't really know. I've just noticed that meads, particularly traditionals, don't seem to oxidise as readily as other wines (lower sensitivity ? for some reason).

I've read that other vastly more experienced mead makers have noticed this as well, though whether it's something to do with the actual honey(s) used, or a lack of organic compounds (when comparing honey to grape juice etc), or the temperature of the meads when ageing/stored.

I just notice that if I open a bottle of "normal" red or white, you can start noticing a change in flavour after a while (can't put a figure on how long in hours), and if you then store it in the fridge overnight, you can taste a difference the following day, where this doesn't seem to happen with meads so quickly. Yes, obviously it will happen after a while, it just doesn't seem to happen quite so quickly.

Don't forget, it could easily be a temperature thing. We're a hell of a lot more "temperate" here, that parts of north America, when you guys experience greater seasonal swings than us.

Does that make sense ? I hope it does. Otherwise all my efforts at avoiding oxygen/air exposure (airspaces when ageing, no splash racking, proper use of sulphites, etc etc) when actually making the stuff, would be wasted.

Hell, the only reason why I follow the comments about "sherry-like" tastes and the correlation to oxidation is because I know what sherry tastes like. I've not actually experienced losing a batch to oxidation.

regards

fatbloke

 

[docanddeb]

My husband and I have 1 glass of wine per night. The bottle is refrigerated overnight. Some wines taste BETTER the next day and others are the same, occasionally it tastes worse. Very dependent on the wine!

Debbie

 

[djrockinsteve]

We can have bottles of wine and numerous samples opened here for up to and beyond a week with no taste change. They all have a cover on either a wine stopper or even a piece of plastic wrap.

Air will undoubtly come in contact with the open wine. O2 will begin to work it's oxidation immediately but how fast will depend upon temperature, color of bottle, closeness to sunlight, the acid percentage and amount of sulfite contained within the wine.

I'm sure some wines will turn faster than others too. If you are in doubt chill the opened bottle and plug it. Even use a vacuum thing to remove as much air as possible.

If you are unable to finish bottles (750ml) within a reasonable time maybe use 375ml bottles.

 

[jet]

...
If you are unable to finish bottles (750ml) within a reasonable time maybe use 375ml bottles.

Unless you buy all your bottles, most people would have trouble coming up with that many 375's.

 

[Ron22]

If you are unable to finish bottles (750ml) within a reasonable time maybe use 375ml bottles.

That was my first thought too. One of the advantages of bottling your own. You can put it in any size bottle you like.
375ml
http://www.midwestsupplies.com/375-ml-green-bellissima-bottles-12-per-case.html
And if people need more wine at a time.
1.5 liter
http://www.midwestsupplies.com/1-5-liter-emerald-green-claret-bordeaux-bottles-6-per-case.html

 

[jet]

That was my first thought too. One of the advantages of bottling your own. You can put it in any size bottle you like.
375ml
http://www.midwestsupplies.com/375-ml-green-bellissima-bottles-12-per-case.html
And if people need more wine at a time.
1.5 liter
http://www.midwestsupplies.com/1-5-liter-emerald-green-claret-bordeaux-bottles-6-per-case.html

True, but buying 50-60 bottles per batch? $$$$ Ouch!

 

[BobF]

Buying bottles doesn't have to be that expensive. Get to know the folks at your local wineries. Some of them cater to home winemakers and will add a few cases to their bottle orders for you at their cost.

Sometimes you get lucky and they decide to discontinue certain bottles and let their stock go cheap.

Most with tasting rooms will save those bottles for you. My favorite bottle-source-winery saves tasting room bottles for home winemakers and they are cleaned/delabeled when you pick them up. They do charge $.25/bottle, but I'll pay that any day of the week for a clean delabeled bottle! Especially when they match ;-)

 

[jet]

Buying bottles doesn't have to be that expensive. Get to know the folks at your local wineries. Some of them cater to home winemakers and will add a few cases to their bottle orders for you at their cost.

Sometimes you get lucky and they decide to discontinue certain bottles and let their stock go cheap.

Most with tasting rooms will save those bottles for you. My favorite bottle-source-winery saves tasting room bottles for home winemakers and they are cleaned/delabeled when you pick them up. They do charge $.25/bottle, but I'll pay that any day of the week for a clean delabeled bottle! Especially when they match ;-)

How many of those are 375's?

 

[BobF]

How many of those are 375's?

About 75/25 for 750/375 for percentages they have. Prices are the same.