Does Cooking Wine Go Bad

Are you wondering if your new bottle of cooking wine is fit to use? Or are you looking for tips regarding its storage?

Here, you shall find the answers to your wine-related queries.

Usually, you can call any good wine used for cooking as a 'cooking wine.'

Most people tend to prefer using drinking wine for their own aesthetic reasons.

But, there are also specifically manufactured wines that arrive labeled as 'cooking wine.'

So how long does cooking wine last?

As for the ones made only for cooking purposes, they always have a "Best Before' date, which helps us know when the wine would go bad.

Cooking wine is made a little different compared to actual wines. It has salt and preservatives and stays in good quality for a specified period of time.

There are different cooking wines such as white wine, dry, nutty wines, fortified red wines, dry white and red wines, rice wine, etc.

All these wines can go bad at one point, and these you're not supposed to use any further.

How Long Does Cooking Wine Last? Does Cooking Wine Go Bad?

Bottled cooking wine may typically last for a year or two due to the added preservatives.

These wines are at their best quality when used within the 'Best Before' date.

According to the report by Healthline, unopened cooking wine has a shelf-life of three to five years past its labeled "Best Before' date.

Cooking wine contains a lot of salt added as preservatives along with food coloring. This added salt keeps the wine from getting spoiled even after opening it.

Even though cooking wine can be said to go bad at some stage, it may still be usable. But 'usable' does not mean 'appetizing.'

The cooking wine will have a more unwanted taste to it than anything savory.

As said before, preservatives in the wine keep it from getting spoiled too quickly, but you're always advised to use it within its best time.

And we suggest that you always store the cooking wine in a fridge after using it.

An opened bottle of cooking wine may last for a long time if kept in a fridge or stored correctly in the right sanitary conditions.

But after the wine goes past its expiration date, it will face a gradual decrease in quality and eventually reach an inedible point.

Preservatives cannot stop the wine from going wrong if the causes of spoilage are things like dust, dirt, pests, etc.

This type of spoiling is taken care of if we store the wine in good and safe places.

We should also keep it in the optimal temperatures that the manufacturer recommends.

Also, do not mistake cooking wine for original wine because the latter gets better with time while cooking wine will deteriorate over time.

How to Tell if Cooking Wine is Bad?

Despite the added preservatives like salt, an opened bottle of cooking wine will also become bad at one point or the other.

This spoilage is mainly due to the wine's contact with air for too long, causing it to oxidize, which leads to degradation of its quality.

If the cooking wine has any foul smell, followed by an abnormal appearance of the liquid, this is a signal that you need to throw it away.

If the bottle's cork has slightly pushed out, it may mean that its contents have become spoiled.

Noticing any color change can also be a sign of spoilage.

Even sniffing the wine can help you determine if it has gone bad or not because spoiled ones will have foul smells.

Cooking wine on its own has a stable shelf-life, but different factors can also spoil it.

If you notice any impurities in the liquid, it may be due to reasons such as tampering, dirt build-up, loose sealing, etc. And it is often best discarded.

If bubbles are building up into foam in the liquid and you smell anything rancid, that wine is surely fit to be thrown away.

Always avoid consuming spoiled items, as it is still better to be safe than sorry.

Conclusion

Cooking wine is made specifically for use in different types of dishes.

Although many people prefer to use drinking wine, even cooking wine has its versatile uses.

It lasts much longer than drinking wines due to it containing salt and food coloring, which preserve the liquid.

You can consider this wine to be spoiled if you notice any bad smells or visual abnormalities (molds, impurities, etc.).

Not maintaining proper storage is one of the most common causes of spoilage, followed by weather and aging.

All in all, cooking wine has a good shelf-life, and it is a handy ingredient for daily or occasional cooking. It is a manufactured wine that is not fit for direct drinking.