Does Prosecco or Champagne Expire?

You know the saying “ages like fine wine” that’s meant to mean that something or someone gets better with age, like wine that has aged. But is this actually a true statement?

Do All Wines Get Better With Age?

Technically speaking, yes all wine “ages,” but that is because it is built-in to the winemaking process. The wine goes through various stages, such as fermentation and secondary fermentation, and during these stages wine is, of course, “aging.”

Then there are also some winemakers who age the barrels that they produce wine in. The difference lies in the production process versus bottled wine. Once the wine is bottled and ready to distribute and sell, the term aging takes on a new meaning. Some wines are also specifically made to age, such as those with lots of bold tannins that will mellow out over time once bottled. These are the fine wines that make you think of deep, dark underground cellars where wines are kept in racks or special wine fridges for years and years, and opened for special occasions.

But what about sparkling wine?

Does Prosecco Have an Expiration Date?

While fine wines might benefit from aging, that isn’t always the case for Prosecco, especially if it is marked non-vintage. Non-vintage means that the grapes do not all come from one single harvest season. Non-vintage wines blend grapes from different harvests. This is a term that usually is associated with Prosecco and other sparkling wines.

An unopened bottle of a non-vintage Prosecco should really be drunk within one and half year. This isn’t to say that the Prosecco will go bad or actually expire the same way that food can go bad. It means that after that initial year, they will start to lose their main characteristics. That crisp mouthfeel and fresh taste will start to fade, and the wines may lose their bubbly effervescence.

Prosecco is known to be a young wine, and wine lovers will greatly benefit from drinking it within a year of its fill date. That is why SYLTBAR feels very strongly about always labeling the bottles with the fill date, so you know you are getting the freshest juice. As far as we know, SYLTBAR is the only brand that is really transparent in disclosing the filling date. If you don’t know when the bottle was filled, you can be sure that the Prosecco will contain a lot of sulfites to extends its shelf life, and that the Prosecco has been mass produced in large quantities to reduce the production cost. The added sulfites ensures that the Prosecco will not go bad and can stay on the shelves in retail stores and in warehouses for a extraordinary long time.

SYLTBAR is all about transparency. We always want you to know exactly what you are drinking.

How Can You Save a Bottle of Prosecco?

Since our producers never add any chemicals or sulfites to the wine, once you open a bottle of Mr Premium Prosecco, it is important that it be consumed within 3-4 days to enhance the full flavor. This is true for other Proseccos too, although they may last a little longer if they have a lot of added sulfites and the aroma is artificially anyhow.  For the most part, though, Prosecco needs to be drunk within a short period of time after opening a bottle. It will lose its bubbles and its flavor can become unpalatable.

If you do open a bottle of Mr or Mrs and know you won’t be drinking it all in one sitting, it should always be kept tightly closed with a quality bottle stopper. The SYLTBAR bottle stoppers are one of a kind! These Italian patented stoppers keep the bubbles fresh and fizzing for up to 4 days.

Another really important tip for storing your Prosecco bottles is that you should always keep your unopened bottles of bubbly on their side instead of standing straight up. This is why wine fridges and wine racks are great storage accessories to have for your wine bottles. For more tips about how to store your bottles of Prosecco, check out this blog post.

Shop for Low Sugar Prosecco

SYLTBAR is free of all added sulfites and the sugar content is very very low (here is a link to the comparison of others brands), and there are never any preservatives or chemicals added during the production process. This means that our wines are 100% naturally and pure, and yes, that also means a shorter shelf life. But when you have a product as delicious as SYLTBAR, you shouldn’t worry about shelf life because it’s so good, you’ll always want to finish it as quickly as possible!

Shop for the best low sugar Prosecco at our online store and look for local retailers near you that carry our wines. Remember, because our wines are so cleanly made and we do not mass distribute, our production is limited. That is why you won’t find SYLTBAR wines on every restaurant menu or in every store. We are selective with our customers, just as you should be selective with your choice of Prosecco!