Is it safe to drink a glass of wine that was left out overnight?
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Dear Dr. Vinny,
This question might sound a bit silly, but I accidentally took a sip from a glass with some sparkling wine in it that was left out overnight (I didn’t drink all of it, and forgot to clean it up in time.) It didn’t taste that great anymore. Is there a chance this could make me sick?
—Iris, Limburg, Belgium
Dear Iris,
Drinking flat, warm Champagne is probably unpleasant, but it won't make you sick. If you taste wine that's been opened and left out, you'll probably notice that the flavors have faded overnight and the wine has started to oxidize—similar to the way an apple slice will start to turn brown as it is exposed to oxygen, then will start to turn brown and the fruit flavors will start to be replaced by more nutty notes. But wine doesn't spoil the way food does, and you will be fine.
If you have any open leftover bubbly that you want to preserve, keep it in the fridge; a hinged bottle stopper will help keep the carbonation intact for at least another day or two.
—Dr. Vinny
