I have a bottle of wine that I've had about 15 years, and I was wondering if it was still good. ************************************************************** 07-22-04, 08:29 AM Lydia SOME wine gets better with age, not all wine. The main problem is that most people do not store wine under ideal conditions which could make that aging process a very bad thing. Wine should be stored in a stable temperature environment (around 60-65 degrees) and under pretty high humidity (so the cork doesn't dry out). It should also be kept in a dark area. The more expensive the wine, the better it typically ages...the cheaper wines are meant to drink when bottled...or within a year or two of that time.
What kind of wine is this bottle that you have? Any idea on the cost of that bottle? How was it stored for those 15 years? A little more info on the bottle and I might be able to say whether or not it might be good.
07-22-04, 09:18 AM honilov Lydia, this wine is Mogen David, and was given to me one Christmas by my neighbor. I don't know wines very well, but I'm sure it's cheap, considering my neighbor was kind of poor. It's been stored in my china cabinet, on display, all these years. I was dusting out my cabinet and when I dusted the bottle, I was wondering if it was still good. Thanks.
07-22-04, 09:36 AM methos It's not just cheaper versus more expensive wines. It's mostly about the tannins. Red wines, which have tannins are best (assuming they've been stored properly) when aged. White wines, which have few tannins, do not generally age well.
The angle the bottle is stored at is also important. The right angle keeps the cork wet, with gives a tighter seal and prevents the cork from rotting.
How long you age the wine will depend on more details, and I'm not enough of a wine expert to give you any guidelines.
As for your bottle:
If the wine is red and of decent quality, it should be fine (and perhaps even better) after 15 years. On the other hand, it sounds like it was stored upright, and perhaps at a higher than ideal temperature, so it's hard to say.
If the wine is white, no matter what the quality, it is unlikely to be very good after 15 years.
07-22-04, 11:13 AM Lydia
quote:Originally posted by methos: If the wine is white, no matter what the quality, it is unlikely to be very good after 15 years.
Not true...depends on the variety of white...if it's a Guwurtz, Reisling or a dessert wine, they age VERY well (again, if properly stored). Nothing like a perfectly aged Muscato!!
I guess the best way to tell Honi is to open it up...if it doesn't smell vinegary or musty, the cork doesn't fall apart upon opening and it doesn't seem "fizzy", you might be able to enjoy it!! Even if some of the cork ends up in the bottle, that doesn't necessarily mean it's bad...
07-22-04, 11:20 AM clarebear Mogen David wine is MD 20/20. (we used to call it Mad Dog 20/20) It is about a 5.00 bottle of wine, if that. It is a sweet wine used for passover, desserts or teenage kids who can afford a little more than the Strawberry Boonsfarm. If you aren't sure, toss it. If you are sure, it isn't very good anyway. Smile
07-22-04, 12:20 PM methos Ok, those are an exception to the general rule. Riesling, Gewurztraminer, and many dessert wines are late harvest wines and have high sugar content. Like tannins, sugar has a preserving effect.
My point was it's more about the type of wine than the quality. Red wines will typically age well (how well and how long varies by type based on the acid and tannin concentrations). Sweet white wines will generally age fairly well, though not as long as many red wines. White wines aged in barrels (which give them extra tannins) will age better than most white wines, which age poorly.
I'd agree, there's only one way to find out. A musty smell indicates mold, a vinegar smell indicates, well, vinegar Wink.
07-22-04, 02:46 PM Lydia I went off looking for something that could tell you about wines and aging (that was short and basic)...found this basic one page answer to the question of aging.
Thought you might find it a bit informative.
Loved the answer at the end:
"How long, then, does a wine need to age? How long is a piece of string?"
07-22-04, 05:56 PM honilov Thanks for the link Lydia, and thank you too, Methos and Clare. I had heard of Mad Dog, but I thought it was whiskey.
Today, I was curious, so I opened the bottle and it was a dark purplish red, and it really had a strong odor (not bad, just strong). After 15 years, I couldn't bring myself to taste it, so I poured it down the drain.
Well, I did learn a lot about wines. Thanks.
07-22-04, 08:06 PM Tree Looks to me like Lydia sure knows her wine! Smile
07-22-04, 09:29 PM DorianGreyed If it didn't say MD 20 20 on the label, it was just regular Mogen David. Unopened, it was probably as good as it was when new, which isn't saying much. You could have saved it to get road tar off your car, or remove paint or varnish, or as a ugly purplish dye. Wine like that goes well with a really bad meal; no one notices how bad the wine is. In fact, they are often grateful to have any liquid in their mouths.
07-22-04, 09:34 PM DorianGreyed A note on MD 20-20 (aka Mad Dog 20-20) - Years ago, a woman in a town just north of here sued a liquor store, the distributor, and Mogen David itself. Her statement was that her husband "ain't been the same since the Dog bit him." The suit was thrown out, but not before the quote was recorded.
This message has been edited. Last edited by: DorianGreyed,
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