Champagne is a wonderful sparkling drink, an invariable companion of any celebration, even for children (there are a lot of non-alcoholic analogues). The divine "nectar" requires special, "privileged" storage conditions. As usual, the interval is indicated on the bottle with champagne: the time during which your drink will meet all the taste qualities described by the manufacturer.
The shelf life of champagne depends on the proper storage conditions. In elite shops located in the basement, these conditions are most likely to be observed. If you take champagne in stores, pay attention to the bottles that were released no earlier than a month before purchase, and at home, create an “acceptable atmosphere” for it.
Why does it go bad
Carbonated alcoholic beverages are not stored for long - do not be fooled by the phrase on the label about the lack of shelf life; Asti or Abrau bottles come with such information.
High-quality vintage champagne will be exceptional and after 25 years, it all depends on the type of wine and producer. If it was kept in the wrong way, the drink may deteriorate in 3 months.
Types of champagne
These wines differ in the variety of grapes from which they are produced, and in the level of sugar content in them.
- Extra Brut. Produced without added sugar from high quality grapes.
- "Brut". A low sugar content from other fruits (watermelon) was added to this drink.
- "Extra dry." Acid grape varieties are taken as the base, due to the specific taste there is very little demand for it.
- Finally, “dry” and “semi-dry”, as well as semi-sweet and sugar-rich “sweet” species.
Does champagne have an expiration date
The shelf life of a noble drink is directly dependent on whether it is vintage or not.
The highest quality is considered vintage sparkling champagne produced from grapes of one year of ripening. This valuable "nectar" is aged up to five years in oak barrels.
Fine wine can be stored for up to 25 years.
The label of such a bottle indicates the year of production, which means that in the manufacture of the drink used grapes ripened during this particular year, the expiration date of the drink and the level of sugar must be indicated without fail.
Shelf life of champagne made from berries collected in different years does not exceed 4 years. This is not a fine wine.
The reference point when making a purchase decision should be the date of bottling. The closer it is to the day of purchase, the tastier the drink will be.
Home cellar
Subject to proper conditions, a three-year period for keeping a closed bottle is the norm, just drink wine during it, and is there a “home” shelf life for champagne? It is definitely not worth keeping it at home for longer than a month, since most likely it was stored incorrectly in the store, and this affected the quality. In addition, it is hardly possible to provide champagne with the required conditions at home.
After uncorking, it is recommended to store the bottle in the refrigerator and for no more than one day, closing it well with a stopper. Do not take risks if you have not drunk it within 24 hours, better pour it. Vintage champagne must be drunk immediately, it is not stored at all.
What rules should be followed?
How to meet deadlines
Champagne must ensure proper storage conditions.
- The temperature should not be below +5 ° C and above +15 ° C (optimally + 10-12 ° C), otherwise the gas will decompose the cork, deformed, it will most likely “shoot” into the chandelier and the bottle will foam the guests with foam .
- Keep the bottle in a dark place, noble wine does not tolerate bright light. For white champagne, twenty minutes of exposure to direct sunlight is enough to deteriorate (the smell of sulfur will appear). Due to its color, red wine “lasts” a little longer as a protective barrier against the sun.
- The humidity level must exceed 75% so that the cork does not dry out. The basement is ideal.
- The bottle should be placed, as the cork should not dry out and break into pieces when opening the bottle.
In everyday life, such conditions can only be found in the refrigerator on the top shelf, darken a separate corner from the light bulb, you can wrap the bottle with dark textile.
"Washes"
Shelf life of Russian champagne in a bottle is less than a drink of foreign origin. Champagne Moet with a strength of 12 degrees is classified as elite, the cost of one bottle of a luxury drink can reach up to 5500 rubles. Since the text on the label is not Russian, this can create inconvenience for customers. Having carefully studied it for recommendations on expiration dates, we will see that the manufacturer does not write anything on this topic, which means that we can conclude that, subject to proper storage conditions, champagne can be drunk after 25 years. On etiquette there are recommendations for use - to cool the drink to 8 degrees.
Champagne Bosco
This is the least strong drink of all such wines - only 7.5 degrees. On the etiquette of the bottle is a Russian-language text, among the written information is GOST and composition, as well as a warning about the dangers of excessive alcohol consumption.
Unlike "Washes", the manufacturer determines the clear shelf life of champagne - up to one and a half years from the date of production. Store the bottle at a temperature of 5 to 20 degrees Celsius, air humidity should not exceed 85%.
The cost of this drink is low, about 200 rubles for a standard bottle of 0.75 liters.
"Lev Golitsyn"
The shelf life of Russian Lev Golitsyn champagne, poured into stylish, elegant 0.75 liter bottles, has no limits. The price of a drink with a strength of 12 degrees is set in the middle range and varies from 230 to 250 rubles per bottle.
The label shows the nutritional value, composition, GOST, storage conditions, which imply the exposure of champagne in a dark, closed warehouse at a temperature of not lower than five and not higher than 20 degrees. 85% air humidity is the limit.
Asti
The shelf life of Asti champagne and other inexpensive wines made from semi-dry, semi-sweet and sweet wines does not exceed 1 year and 3 months. These wines are made from several grape varieties, below are a few examples with shelf life:
- Asti Martini and Mondoro - 12 months.
- In assortment - Russian champagne - 1 year.
"Soviet champagne"
In accordance with the rules of the standards established in our country, the shelf life of Soviet Champagne does not exceed 6 months from the time of bottling. It is also worth considering that a closed bottle should not be stored for longer than one year, it will be safer.
Where can one buy
You can buy a noble drink in almost any retail store. What do we observe in supermarkets, in small shops and chains? Wine bottles stand vertically on ordinary shelves, the temperature is usually close to room temperature, which means that it is far from required, the rooms are well lit, humidity is not controlled. These conditions are prerequisites for reducing the shelf life of champagne. That is why most labels are marked with a time period suitable for storing noble wine equal to one year.
If you want to buy great champagne and its shelf life is not indifferent to you, since you value and understand this drink, buy bottles either in wine boutiques or in stores from manufacturing plants and do not take much for future use.
conclusions
- Is it worth buying champagne bottled a couple of years ago and standing all this time on a store shelf? The cork is dry, the gas comes out ... There is no guarantee that the goods are not spoiled. Pay attention to the label text, carefully read the expiration date of champagne, take a drink with a "closer" date.
- Do not keep the bottle at home for longer than one month, as the storage conditions were not met in the store and champagne can deteriorate quickly.
- Store the bottle in a dark cloth on the top shelf of the refrigerator away from light.
- Drink it to the bottom! After all, if you opened the bottle, then there is reason to enjoy a luxurious drink, you should not leave it for later. It is not recommended to store an open bottle, if possible, then no more than a day. Enjoy the aroma and taste here and now, the next day a bottle of open wine as a capricious fickle beauty can become dangerous for you.