Good quality sparkling wine should keep and drink well for about 3-4 days after opening - use a sparkling wine stopper to help keep the fizz fresh.
Ideally, a bottle of sparkling wine should be consumed on the day of opening.
The magic is in the bubbles here and the fizz is very much at its best as soon as the cork has been popped.
How Long Does Sparkling Wine Last Unopened?
So what about the bottle of sparkling wine you’ve just discovered in the back of a cupboard?
Depending on the style and quality of the sparkling wine in question, your unopened sparkling wine can last for 1-3 years, as long as the bottles are stored with care.
Good quality sparkling wines can last even longer, with some varieties capable of being aged for at least a decade.
How To Store Opened Sparkling Wine
Whether its Prosecco or Champagne, once opened it’s best to store your sparkling wine in the fridge with a stopper at drinking temperature of 5-7 degrees C.
Doing so will help to preserve both the freshness of the flavour and the vitality of the sparkle. If possible, it's best to store your sparkling bottles in a large wine cooler as this size of fridge offers the most flexibility.
Remember that both the wine’s taste and carbonation can be affected by exposure to oxygen, so make sure you seal your bottles tightly!
How To Store Unopened Sparkling Wine
Explore our display wine wall, like the installation in the image.
The cork is key to keeping you unopened bottles of sparkling wine at their best, so if you can, try and lay your bottles on their side.
Doing this will allow the wine to have contact with the cork, which will stop it from drying out.
Other ways to store your sparkling wine well is to keep your bottles in cool and dark conditions that are quiet and free from unnecessary vibrations and light sources.
If you want to store your wines in style in your restaurant or bar, explore our restaurant wine coolers.
Does Sparkling Wine Go Bad?
Yes, unfortunately sparkling wine can go bad, which is why it’s always best to drink your bottles sooner rather than later.
There’s nothing worse than leaving a prized bottle of fizz for too long!
How Can You Tell Sparkling Wine Has Gone Bad?
Smell. Taste. Appearance. The 3 best methods you can use to tell if sparkling wine has gone bad.
- First and foremost, a tell-tale sign that a sparkling wine has gone bad is if there is no sparkle to be found!
- A fizzy wine can’t be good if it pours flat as a pancake, can it?
- After that, if the wine looks hazy in appearance, smells a bit weird and tastes downright bad then it’s not suitable for consumption and sadly you’d be best pouring the wine away.
Do You Keep Opened Sparkling Wine In The Fridge?
Yes, once opened it’s a great idea to keep your - tightly sealed! - opened sparkling wine in the fridge.
This will help to maintain its fresh, fizzy flavours for you to enjoy over the next couple of days.
Do You Keep Unopened Sparkling Wine In The Fridge?
Sparkling wine doesn’t need to be kept in the fridge if it's unopened, which can help save on valuable refrigeration space.
As long as you keep your wine in a cool, calm and dark place it can happily stay there for months if not years.
Just place the wine in the fridge on the day you wish to drink it to get your sparkling wine to the right serving temperature.
Does Sparkling Wine Expire?
Sparkling wine is magical, but unfortunately good things don't last forever and sparkling wines carbonation and quality of flavour will deteriorate over time.
So try and drink any unopened bottles within a 2-3 years of purchasing and remember you don’t always need a special occasion to pour yourself a glass of delicious sparkling wine!
Before You Go...
Check out our full guide here:
If you have any questions, leave them in the comments, or email us at info@expertwinestorage.co.uk
You can browse more posts on Wine Types here
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Author:
Philip Thompson
Philip is the General Manager at Expert Wine Storage, and is very knowledgable about all things relating to wine and wine storage, including wine fridges. He is regularly featured in media outlets sharing his knowledge on wine.
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