If we don't finish that bottle...

We find a bottle of wine that we opened a few days ago, recorked and left in the fridge. Is it still drinkable?

Wine is delicate. Once the cork is drawn, the clock starts ticking. Oxygen, while essential for unlocking aromas, eventually turns from friend to foe. That first contact with air helps wine 'breathe', releasing aromas and flavour - but after a day or two, fresh fruit notes can fade into jammy or vinegary tones.

Some signs of spoilage, like cork taint, are obvious. Others are subtle: blandness or a boozier taste if the wine is high in alcohol. Wines with natural preservatives like sugar, sulphites, or oak last longer. Riesling has staying power due to its sugar. Oak-aged wines also keep better.

Wines made from thicker-skinned grapes tend to hold up. Fragile varieties like Grenache or Pinot Noir degrade quickly - low tannins and acidity mean they lack structure for longevity.

Some wines, such as Brunello di Montalcino, even improve with air over a couple of days. But if your wine doesn’t tick the right boxes, don’t despair. Recork it tightly, store it in the fridge, and let it warm up before drinking again. Wine-preserving gadgets like the Coravin help, or consider boxed wines, which keep for weeks thanks to minimal oxygen exposure. Although some wineries consider that putting wine in boxes lowers the overall category of the wine, and sherry for example cannot be found ‘boxed’, there is no holding back the tide.

Ultimately, if it tastes good to you after four or five days, then it is good. Trust your palate.