The opened-bottle guide
Does it go off? How long drinks last once they're open
Spirits don't go off: an open bottle of gin, whisky, vodka or rum keeps for years. Anything that's mostly wine does, and quickly: vermouth lasts about a month in the fridge, red wine about a week in a cool room. Here's every common bottle, from independent tests where they exist and the maker's own advice where they don't, and Barello, the app that keeps the house's wine and bar in one place, tracks the date you opened each one.
| Once it's open | How long | How to keep it |
|---|---|---|
| Red wine | About a week at 15°C (59°F), recorked | In a 2023 study a trained tasting panel found half-empty reds under a cork or screwcap stayed acceptable for about ten days at 15°C (59°F), a cool room or cellar, and seven if the bottle was poured from repeatedly. Fuller reds lasted longer. A warmer room shortens it. Independent study |
| White and rosé | Three to seven days, in the fridge | Whites take far less air than reds before they fade, so they need the fridge to keep up. America's Test Kitchen found half-empty whites, resealed and refrigerated, going dull at around a week, sooner without a good seal. Independent test |
| Sparkling wine | About two days, with a proper seal | Resealed bottles kept 90% of their pressure over two days; open bottles, and bottles with a spoon in the neck, lost half. The spoon does nothing. Independent write-up |
| Vermouth | One to two months, in the fridge | A blind test by America's Test Kitchen found fridge-kept vermouth good for sipping for two months, while bottles left in the pantry tasted flat after one. Martini's own advice is about a month. Independent test |
| Gin, vodka, rum and whisky | Years. They don't spoil | They won't turn unsafe. The flavour fades slowly, faster in a bottle that's mostly air, so move the last third into a smaller bottle and keep it out of the sun. No study puts a number on it; the Scotch Whisky Association says Scotch won't deteriorate. Industry body |
| Baileys and cream liqueurs | Around a year; the maker says two | Baileys says two years from bottling, opened or not, with no need for the fridge. No independent test has checked that. Keep it cold to be careful, and a curdled texture or sour smell means it's done. Maker only |
| Aperol | About three months, in the fridge | Aperol's own advice, and the only guidance there is. A paler colour and a flat taste are the signs it's going. Maker only |
| Cointreau and orange liqueurs | Up to two years | Cointreau's own advice; no independent test exists. The sugar and alcohol hold it steady. Maker only |
| Sherry | A week for fino, two months for the rest | Fino and manzanilla up to a week, always in the fridge; amontillado, oloroso and cream up to two months. Independent sherry writers give much the same. Regulator, checked |
| Port | Four to eight weeks; vintage two or three days | Ruby and tawny within eight weeks, late bottled vintage four to six, vintage port two or three days. Keep an open bottle upright. Maker only |
Read September 2026. Every row says where its number comes from. Where only the maker has spoken, the row says so: a maker can have reasons to make a bottle sound either more robust or more perishable than it is.
The rule that covers most of it
Alcohol and sugar preserve. Air, light and warmth wear things down. So a 40% spirit barely changes once it's open, a sugary liqueur holds for a year or two, and anything that's mostly wine, vermouth and sherry included, behaves like an open bottle of wine and wants the fridge.
Red and white differ more than people expect. A red's tannins soak up oxygen, so it takes about three times as much air as a white before it shows faults. The cold works the other way: the reactions that wear wine down roughly halve in speed for every 10°C cooler. That's why a white needs the fridge and a red is happy in a cool room, and why the red still tends to last longer.
Two things help everything: keep the bottle upright, and keep it out of the sun. And a bottle that's nearly empty ages faster than a full one, because it's mostly air.
Keep the vermouth in the fridge
If one thing on this page changes a drink, it's this. Vermouth sits on the bar shelf beside the gin, but it's a wine, and it fades like one: Martini's own advice is about a month once it's open, and in the fridge from the first pour. A Negroni, a Manhattan and a Martini all lean on it.
Questions people ask
Does gin go off?
No. An open bottle of gin won't become unsafe to drink. Its flavour fades slowly as the air and light get to it, so keep it sealed, upright and out of the sun. The Henley Distillery says it tastes best within six to twelve months of opening.
How long does red wine last once opened?
About a week in a cool room at 15°C (59°F), recorked. In a 2023 study a trained panel found half-empty reds under a cork or screwcap stayed acceptable for about ten days at 15°C (59°F), and seven if the bottle was poured from repeatedly. A warmer room shortens it.
How long does white wine last once opened?
Three to seven days, recorked and in the fridge. White wine takes far less air than red before it goes flat and dull, so it needs the cold. Kept the way most people keep them, red in a cool spot and white in the fridge, the red usually lasts longer.
How long does Baileys last once opened?
Baileys says up to two years from the day it was bottled, opened or not, without the fridge. No independent test has checked that, so keep an open bottle cold and treat a curdled texture or a sour smell as the end of it.
How long does vermouth last once opened?
One to two months in the fridge. A blind test by America's Test Kitchen found fridge-kept vermouth good for sipping for two months, and pantry-kept bottles flat after one. It's a wine, so it fades once it's open.
Does whisky go bad once opened?
No. The Scotch Whisky Association says Scotch won't deteriorate once opened as long as it's kept out of direct sunlight. Arran's distillery adds that a bottle less than half full is worth moving into a smaller one, because the air in it is what dulls the whisky.
Can an old opened bottle make you sick?
Almost never. Drinks over 10% alcohol don't even carry a best-before date in the UK, because the alcohol keeps them safe. What changes is the taste. The exception to watch is a cream liqueur that has curdled or smells sour.
How long does opened champagne or prosecco last?
About two days with a proper seal. Resealed bottles keep 90% of their pressure over two days, while open bottles, and bottles with a spoon in the neck, lose half.
Know what's open, and since when. Barello records the date you open a bottle and keeps the whole house's wine and bar in one place.
Join freeBefore it's open: how to store wine without a cellar, and in the UK.