Yes, wine can go bad, but an unopened bottle changes slowly and an opened one changes in days. Most bottles are made to be drunk within a couple of years, and heat is the fastest way to damage one. Below: how long each kind lasts, how to store it, and what spoiled wine looks and smells like.
Does wine go bad?
The short answer: Yes, but the figures are quality windows, not expiration dates. WSET says most wine is meant to be drunk within a couple of years after bottling. An opened bottle fades in days, and WSET gives up to five days for a re-closed red or white in the fridge. Heat, oxygen and a failed cork are the usual causes.
For a complete pantry storage reference, see our Food Storage Guide. More wine and bar guides live in our Bar & Spirits Guide.
Does Wine Go Bad: At a Glance
Unopened, everyday wine
WSET: most wine is meant to be drunk within a couple of years after bottling. A drinking window, not an expiration date
Unopened, storage
Cool and steady: 50 to 59°F (WSET) or 55°F ideal (Missouri Wine and Grape Board). The kitchen is a poor spot
Opened red or white
WSET: up to 5 days re-closed in the fridge. Coravin: red 3 to 5 days, white up to 3
Opened sparkling
Most producer guidance is 1 to 3 days under a sparkling stopper
Fortified
Days to months by style, from fino sherry to tawny port
Biggest threat
Heat. Purdue Extension: above 75°F greatly ages most wines
Spoilage signs
Brown tinge, vinegar or nail polish smell, damp cardboard smell, pushed-out cork
Safety
WSET: a corked wine is unpleasant but not harmful. We found no agency source on other faults, so we’d skip any bottle with mold or unusual growth
Key Takeaways
Yes, wine goes bad. Oxygen, heat and a failed cork do most of the damage. An unopened bottle changes slowly, and an opened one changes in days.
Most wine is made to be drunk soon. WSET says most wines are meant to be drunk within a couple of years after bottling, and only a small number benefit from ageing.
Opened red or white keeps up to 5 days re-closed in the fridge per WSET, though delicate styles may fade sooner. Coravin gives red 3 to 5 days and white up to 3. Sparkling is 1 to 3 days with a stopper.
Store unopened wine at 50 to 59°F per WSET, or 55°F per the Missouri Wine and Grape Board. For bottles you plan to keep a while, lay natural-cork bottles on their side, away from bright light and temperature swings.
Heat is the fastest way to ruin a bottle. Purdue Extension says temperatures above 75°F greatly age most wines, and the National Weather Service put a parked van above 100°F within minutes.
Look for a brown tinge, a vinegar or nail polish smell, a damp cardboard smell or a pushed-out cork. We don’t suggest tasting to test.
Most wine faults affect flavor and aroma. WSET says a corked wine is unpleasant but not harmful, and two university extension pages treat vinegar and nail polish smells as a fault, not a health finding. We found no agency statement that every spoiled bottl
