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Mystery bottles

Tri2Cook

By Tri2Cook
in Wine

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Tri2Cook

Tri2Cook

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I found two bottles of white wine in a cabinet at a friends house. I was helping her with some repair work and there they were. All she knows about them is that they were given to the guests at one of her friends wedding in 1995 so they're not all that old. She'd forgotten she had them and they've been relabled with a simple "thank you from ... and ..." type thing. The corks look to be in good shape and they were stored in a dark, cool (basement) cabinet but otherwise I know nothing at all about them. She told me to help myself so maybe I'll be adventurous and open one.

It's kinda like wrestling a gorilla... you don't stop when you're tired, you stop when the gorilla is tired.

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Tri2Cook

Tri2Cook

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Well, I don't know if it actually goes "bad" but I've found a nasty vinegar-like mess that I wouldn't want to drink in a bottle or two in the past. Actually though, the "bad" I had in mind was just wondering out loud if it's going to be crappy wine. :biggrin:

It's kinda like wrestling a gorilla... you don't stop when you're tired, you stop when the gorilla is tired.

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Chris Hennes

Chris Hennes

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Well, I don't know if it actually goes "bad" but I've found a nasty vinegar-like mess that I wouldn't want to drink in a bottle or two in the past. Actually though, the "bad" I had in mind was just wondering out loud if it's going to be crappy wine. :biggrin:

I have yet to meet a white that really improved with age beyond maybe a couple years (actually, seems to be true of many reds as well...), but as long as it was stored well and wasn't corked to begin with I would think it would keep drinkable for the decade or so it has been. Then again, most "thank-you" wine I have received has been, er, less than drinkable to begin with... :blink:

Chris Hennes
Director of Operations
chennes@egullet.org

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pennylane

pennylane

Posted
Posted
Well, I don't know if it actually goes "bad" but I've found a nasty vinegar-like mess that I wouldn't want to drink in a bottle or two in the past. Actually though, the "bad" I had in mind was just wondering out loud if it's going to be crappy wine. :biggrin:

Oh, okay, haha! You had mentioned the shape of the corks and the storage conditions so I thought you were referring to possible spoilage.

This is kind of a revelation to me nonetheless - I had always assumed that wine just got better with age! Maybe I should break out some of those bottles on New Year's Eve (one of the rare holidays not associated with food, which thus usually passes unnoticed by me)...

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Brad Ballinger

Brad Ballinger

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I have yet to meet a white that really improved with age beyond maybe a couple years

You need to purchase some good German Riesling wines, some good Loiire Chenin Blanc, and some good White Burgundy. To start.

Of course, I need to add my disclaimer, that it all depends on taste and preference. Not everyone likes wine with age on it, no matter how much age. Others don't like wine unless it has age on it.

Edited by Brad Ballinger (log)

We cannot employ the mind to advantage when we are filled with excessive food and drink - Cicero

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