Comments on: banyuls

Question: banyuls

elwoodwiles — Sun, 18 Nov 2007 16:46:18 -0800

How long can a bottle of Banyuls dessert wine stay fresh after being opened?

By: Neiltupper

Neiltupper — Sun, 18 Nov 2007 17:28:21 -0800

Some people swear by freezing leftover wine.

By: elwoodwiles

elwoodwiles — Sun, 18 Nov 2007 17:31:44 -0800

Erm, I don't think that's an option here. What I'm thinking about is having an open bottle in the fridge that I can access over a period of weeks.

By: pupdog

pupdog — Sun, 18 Nov 2007 18:04:45 -0800

I'm not sure any wine is going to last a period of weeks after being opened. You can get various stopper devices that claim to prolong the life, but once it's been exposed to air, it's going to start to turn. From my highly unscientific tests (sniff and sip), a few days at most is about all you get before you start getting vinegar...

By: thinkingwoman

thinkingwoman — Sun, 18 Nov 2007 18:53:23 -0800

i think dessert wines can go longer than less-sweet wines because of the sugar. keep it in the fridge, and it should be okay. just give it a taste the night before you serve it again, and if it's gone yucky, well, pick up a new bottle. :)

By: pupdog

pupdog — Sun, 18 Nov 2007 18:56:15 -0800

I'm going to correct myself, I wasn't as familiar with Banyuls - since it's a fortified wine much like port, it will keep longer than some others. You do need to keep it sealed as best you can, and in a cool and shaded spot. If it was sealed with a stopper, you can put that back in and should be able to hold it for a week - maybe two. If it was corked, don't try and re-cork it - use a stopper (the lever-action cheap ones will work as well as anything). Some people swear by gas-replacement systems that pump in argon to fill the bottle, but a little wine never hurt anyone, just finish the bottle before it goes bad ;)

By: bru

bru — Sun, 18 Nov 2007 19:47:11 -0800

With a stopper you can keep it for weeks, maybe months.

By: J-Train

J-Train — Sun, 18 Nov 2007 21:02:10 -0800

As Bru says. Some dessert wines will stay fine for a whole year. It'll be great waaaaay longer than a week or two.

By: twirlypen

twirlypen — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 00:39:39 -0800

Yeah. Far longer than days or a couple of weeks. I'm told that dessert wine loses a certain 'freshness', but it wont go bad for months.

By: languagehat

languagehat — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 06:46:22 -0800

Seconding what most have said: dessert wines keep a long time. I had a bottle of Sauternes (Doisy-Daëne, if I remember correctly) that I kept sipping from for months, and it was fine.

By: elwoodwiles

elwoodwiles — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 09:54:54 -0800

Sweet. Thanks people.

By: Hogshead

Hogshead — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 03:46:02 -0800

Our last half-finished bottle of Banyuls developed a strange edge to its taste about eight weeks after it was opened.