Most food and drink has an expiry
date. This may lead you to wonder if wine is the same. That’s the question the
Ideal Wine Company is going to tackle right now by asking; can wine go off?
Wine gets better with age
It’s one of those things we hear
all the time. A lot of people say that wine gets better with age and they have
a point. Although it’s not quite as simple as that.
There is evidence to suggest that
some wines get better as they get older. However as we explained when we asked
whether wine really gets better with age, it depends on the quality of the
vintage. A common table wine from your local supermarket won’t taste better no
matter how long you leave it to age. In contrast, a “” from
the Ideal Wine Company may appreciate in quality the longer its stored because
it’s a superior product.
When will a wine go off?
This would suggest that you can
leave a fine wine to age indefinitely and it’ll never go off. This is a false
perception. Any wine can go off.
This is because wine isn't immune
from the process of oxidisation. This is where a food or drink comes into
contact with air and breeds bacteria. If this happens the vintage will go off.
We don’t fully know how wine is oxidised however we do know that one way is
through its cork.
A cork isn't a full-proof
stopping device. It often carries tiny holes and it’s these holes that allow
air to come into contact with the liquid and oxidise the wine. This is why it’s
vital that if you want to keep a fine vintage for a long period of time you
store it lying on its side. This will keep the cork wet and prevent air
entering the bottle.
Store your wine properly to prevent it going off
In conclusion, yes wine can go
off but it won’t if you store it in the correct way. You should learn
how to store your wine if you want to make sure it tastes fantastic when
you crack it open.
