How long does opened wine and spirits last?

Realistic keeping times for opened bottles, why some last years and others days, and how to slow the decline.

Difficulty: beginner
Time: 10 min
Read: 2 min

Short answer

Spirits keep for years once opened and change only slowly. Wine lasts three to five days recorked in the fridge, sparkling wine one to two days with a proper stopper, and cream liqueurs need refrigerating and have a real expiry.

The difference is alcohol content and oxidation. Above about 20% ABV, spirits are effectively self-preserving. Wine at 12-14% oxidises within days, and anything containing dairy or fresh juice spoils like food.

What you'll need

Wine stopper (optional)
Fridge space (optional)

Step by step

Spirits: keep for years, but store them upright.Lying down, high-proof spirit degrades the cork. Upright, in a cool dark place, they change very slowly over years.
Wine: recork and refrigerate, three to five days.Refrigerating red wine as well as white slows oxidation considerably. Let red come back to room temperature before drinking.
Sparkling wine: one to two days with a proper sparkling stopper.A dedicated pressure stopper holds carbonation far better than pushing the cork back. The teaspoon-in-the-neck trick does not work.
Fortified wines: several weeks refrigerated.Sherry, port and vermouth sit between wine and spirits. Vermouth in particular should be refrigerated and used within a month — it is a wine.
Cream liqueurs: refrigerate and observe the expiry date.These contain dairy and genuinely spoil. Once separated or thickened, discard them.
Opened mixers: use within a day or two.Tonic and soda go flat quickly. Small bottles are better value in practice than the last third of a large one.
Minimise headspace to slow oxidation.Decanting a half bottle of wine into a smaller bottle genuinely extends it, because there is less air in contact.
Use rather than discard wine that is past its best.Oxidised wine is fine for cooking, and it freezes well in ice cube trays for sauces and stews.

Tips

Vacuum wine stoppers help modestly. Inert gas sprays work better but only matter for bottles you genuinely want to keep several days.
Vermouth is the most commonly mishandled bottle in a home bar — it belongs in the fridge and it does go off.
Freezing leftover wine in ice cube trays is the most practical answer to a half-finished bottle you will not drink.

Common mistakes

Keeping vermouth on a shelf for months — It is a fortified wine, not a spirit. Unrefrigerated it oxidises within weeks and tastes stale and flat.
Storing spirits on their side — High-proof alcohol degrades cork over time, which taints the drink and can let the seal fail.
Putting a teaspoon in a sparkling wine bottle — It does nothing. A proper pressure stopper is what preserves the carbonation.

Questions people ask

How long does opened wine last?

Three to five days recorked in the fridge for still wine — reds included. Sparkling wine keeps one to two days with a proper pressure stopper.

Do spirits go off?

Not in any meaningful sense. Above about 20% ABV they are self-preserving and keep for years, though they slowly change once a bottle is mostly empty and full of air.