There are questions about wine that come up just as often on Google as they do around the dinner table. Almost no one asks them out loud for fear of sounding like a novice, and yet they are the right questions: answered well, they change the way you enjoy a bottle.
We have arranged them from the most practical to the most curious. No unnecessary jargon and no dogma, because with wine, almost everything comes with a “it depends.”
How long does a bottle of wine last once opened?
Less time than most people think, and it depends on the type. As a general rule, with the bottle sealed and kept in the refrigerator:
- White and rosé wines: between 3 and 4 days.
- Red wines: between 3 and 5 days. The cold does not spoil them; it slows oxidation. Take them out a little while before serving.
- Sparkling wines: 1 or 2 days at most, and with a special stopper that can withstand the pressure. The spoon placed in the neck of the bottle is a myth.
- Fortified wines (fino, manzanilla): they quickly lose their freshness, so it is best to drink them within a few days.
Oxygen is the enemy. The less wine remains in the bottle, the more air there is inside, and the sooner it loses its character. If only a little remains, transfer it to a smaller bottle.
At what temperature should wine be served?
Two classic mistakes are made here: red wine served too warm and white wine served too cold. The idea of “red wine at room temperature” originated in homes without heating; today, with the room at 22 degrees, the alcohol becomes pronounced and the wine feels heavy.
As a guide:
- Sparkling wines: 6-8 °C
- Young white and rosé wines: 8-10 °C
- Aged white wines: 10-12 °C
- Young red wines: 14-16 °C
- Aged and reserve red wines: 16-18 °C
A simple trick: if a red wine seems harsh or alcoholic, put it in the refrigerator for ten minutes. You will be surprised by the difference.
How do you taste wine step by step?
Tasting is not about making little noises or identifying “notes of graphite and wet leather” at the first attempt. It is about paying attention in three stages:
- Sight: tilt the glass against a white background. Look at the colour and intensity. A red wine with orange-tinged edges usually indicates age.
- Nose: first without moving the glass, then swirl it gently. Ask yourself whether it smells of fresh or ripe fruit, flowers, spices or wood.
- Palate: take a sip and let it travel across your tongue. Is it light or full-bodied? Acidic, sweet or bitter? How long does the flavour last after you swallow? That persistence is one of the best clues to quality.
You do not need to get the vocabulary right. You need to be honest about what you perceive.
Does wine need to be decanted?
Not always, but sometimes it makes all the difference. Decanting serves two purposes:
- Separating sediment in older wines, which deposit particles at the bottom over the years. It is done slowly, with a light behind the neck of the bottle so you can see when to stop.
- Aerating young, powerful red wines that need to open up after spending a long time closed.
By contrast, a very old and fragile wine can fall apart with too much air. When in doubt, open the bottle, taste it and decide as you go.
What should you pair red, white and rosé wines with?
The rule of “red with meat, white with fish” works as a starting point and falls apart as soon as you move beyond it. It is more useful to think in terms of balance: rich dishes call for acidity or tannin to cleanse the palate, spicy foods welcome a touch of sweetness, and delicate dishes cannot stand up to wines that overpower them.
A local example: squid in its own ink or bacalao al pil-pil with a good white wine with vibrant acidity works better than many reds. Anyone who has eaten well in the Basque Country knows this without having read a single manual.
Why does wine cause headaches?
Sulfites are often blamed, but they are rarely responsible. White wines generally contain more sulfites than reds and do not cause more headaches. The most common suspects are others:
- Alcohol and dehydration, which is the most common explanation.
- Biogenic amines, such as histamine, found mainly in red wines and affecting some people. In ours, levels fall thanks to underwater ageing...
- Pace: drinking quickly and without water eventually takes its toll.
If it always happens with the same type of wine, it is worth discussing it with your doctor rather than clinging to the sulfite theory.
How many calories does wine contain?
A glass of around 100 ml provides between 70 and 85 kcal, almost all of them from alcohol. Sweet wines add somewhat more because of their residual sugar. It is not a diet food, but neither is it the great villain of the shopping basket.
How should wine be stored before opening?
Four conditions sum it up: darkness, a stable temperature, moderate humidity and the absence of vibrations. Keep the bottle lying down if it has a cork, so the cork does not dry out. The ideal temperature is around 12–16 °C and, above all, it should remain constant, because sudden changes do more harm than a degree or two either way.
It is curious that nature provides the best storage conditions we know without any effort. At Crusoe Treasure, we have been ageing wine beneath the Cantábrico Sea, off Plentzia, since 2008, precisely because the seabed combines darkness, thermal stability and an environment that no artificial cellar can fully replicate. Underwater winemaking was born from that intuition, and we continue learning from it with every vintage.
Does wine improve with age?
This is probably the most widespread—and most mistaken—belief. The vast majority of wines sold are made to be drunk within a few years, and keeping them longer only spoils them. Only a minority, with good acidity, structure and balance, gains complexity over time.
Even so, “better” is subjective. Some people adore a twenty-year-old red, while others prefer youthful fruit. What we do know is that storage conditions matter enormously—and that is what we study every day on the seabed.
What does tannin mean in wine?
It is the dry, astringent sensation wine leaves on the gums and tongue, similar to that of strongly brewed tea. It comes from the grape skins, seeds and stems, as well as from the wood of the barrels. It is essential to the structure of a red wine and its ability to age. A wine with powerful tannins calls for food that softens them: grilled meat works wonders.
How do you read a wine label?
You do not need to decipher the whole thing. Four details give you a clear idea:
- Appellation of origin: it tells you where the wine comes from and the rules under which it is made.
- Vintage: the harvest year, especially useful for young wines.
- Alcohol content: above 14.5% it usually indicates a powerful wine.
- Ageing classification: joven, crianza, reserva or gran reserva indicate how long the wine has spent in barrel and bottle.
- And if you are looking at a wine from Crusoe Treasure, Sea Soul = single-variety, Sea Passion = blend, and Sea Legend, an extraordinary wine.
Everything else, apart from the adjectives, is usually marketing.
To finish
Learning about wine is not about memorising regions or varieties. It is about losing the fear of asking questions and tasting with curiosity. The best thing about this drink is that there will always be a bottle left to teach you something new.
If you would like to discover how we make our wines beneath the Cantábrico Sea, inside a real underwater winery, with sensors, passageways, walls and ceilings... visit underwaterwine.com or write to us at visit @ crusoetreasure.com.