It keeps forever, if you are crazy, or if you enjoy drinking salad dressing right from the bottle. I shouldn't judge. Have you had Ken's Steakhouse-brand?
After a certain point, it turns to vinegar.
In terms of unopened wines, from what I have learned, different varietals have a different shelf life. A cab will keep for a loooong time, years, decades even; a white, not so much. Syrah, Merlot, and Petite Syrah can sit longer than a Pinot. I think. I could be completely full of shit. Screw cap wine--some of it is quite yummy--is meant be be opened and enjoyed in fairly short order. The best thing is to contact the winery and see what they recommend.
Despite a recommendation to hold onto such and such for 10 years (whatever, I need this shit today!), many wines can still be enjoyed right away, as long as you allow them to open properly.
To open, simply open the wine two to five hours prior to drinking. Just pop the cork and let it sit there. You can also get a decanter, which can speed along the "opening" process. Santa brought us a fancy-shmancy one because they were on clearance at Williams-Sonoma. Opening is basically where oxygen interacts with the wine and allows the flavors to develop and come alive.
We typically pour a little pre-decanted wine in a glass and then compare. It's fun, and a good way to start educating one's palette.
The time when I feel my wine knowledge leaps ahead the most is at wine tastings where you try several wines back to back. It's tough to judge a wine on its own, because the flavor can change depending on what you are eating. We had an opportunity to attend a wine tasting where the chef had a plate of different things: steak, salmon, fruit, and chocolate. And gave us some specific wines (they were all European varietals - that's a topic for a different day), and specific combinations. But the valuable thing was not just selling us wine, but educating us. He gave us combinations that worked and many that didn't. We took a bit of apple and tried a pinot gris that was horrible. The apple eliminated the sweetness in the wine and all you could taste was the acidity, but take a bite of the salmon instead, and the wine just came to life and was wonderful.
I'm sorry I got off topic. How long does a wine keep? Two to three days. Three is really pushing it for some wines. Some get downright hairy by day 3. I'd recommend a wine-saver, the kind that pumps the air out of the bottle. They are $10, I think. Worth it if you are the only one in your household that is interested in wine and don't want to feel that pressure to drink a whole bottle on a Tuesday night.
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