Wednesday, June 17, 2009

SHELF LIFE OF ORGANIC WINES

Can you please tell me what the shelf life is for organic wine and vegan
vine? I would like to order but do not drink often, and keep it mainly for
company. Thank you!
Terie
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Hello Terie,

There is no real difference between the shelf life of organic versus non organic wines. Totally organic, meaning without any added sulfites, will probably not keep for many years even though I have seen examples to the contrary. The main difference will happen when you open the bottle and the oxidation will start quickly limiting the drinking time to a few hours. However with the vast majority of what is called organic wines but is really organically grown wines with some added sulfites [for instance all the wines we carry are in that category], wines will keep very well and once open will last in the same way as "regular" wines. The factors at play here are not the organic growing but rather the type of wine, color, body, style, age, varietal etc etc as well as the outside temperature and the storage conditions which will influence more strongly the future of your bottle.

Being vegan or not (no animal byproduct used for the fining of the wine) will have absolutely zero influence on its shelf life.

For instance in your case if you keep wine mainly for company without any idea of when they will be served it may be wiser to get some sturdy reds which will withstand a couple of years in the cellar rather than light whites or fruity reds which will lose their youthful qualities if you keep them indefinitely!

Sincerely

Dr Mic

1 comment:

Unknown said...

I've started making my own organic wine (sometimes out of other berries instead of grapes) in addition to buying it. Something I've found particularly helpful, once wine is open is a wine dispenser like this one.

It works for all kinds of wine, but I find it most satisfying to have my own creations stay fresh!