Heya! Just wondering -- I was recently given a few bottles of Sherry. Each of these bottles were purchased ~25 years ago. Are these possibly still good? I think they were mostly stored upright. Any chance of getting sick drinking them, or is the alcohol content high enough to prevent anything from growing in it?
Once you open Sherry, how long does it keep? Is it like wine, or like whiskey?
Thanks!
-R
There are several types of Sherry. Some of the dryer types such as Fino need to be drunk soon. They can become stale tasting within a matter of months, but they will not harm you if you can stand the taste. Some fuller types such as Oloroso can last much longer in bottle before becoming stale tasting. Some of these are very sweet and labeled Cream Sherry. Depending on the type of Sherry, it can be fortified with brandy to bring the alcohol up to near 20%. Thus it can be nearly twice as strong as light table wine. Even if the 25 year old Sherry is stale tasting, it will not make you sick. It may have some sediment that may not look or taste very good if you stir it up, so pour the wine very carefully. So the thing to do is open a bottle and try it. It might still be good. Most Sherry is not extremely expensive and usually does not increase in value much once in bottle. Sherry ages best in cask.
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No, no chance of getting sick (unless, as with any alcoholic beverage, you drink too much of it). Open and try them. They may or may not taste good, but they won't poison you.
It's not just sherry, with it's higher alcoholic content. No wine turns into poison as it gets older. It just doesn't taste as good.
Sherry isn't *like* wine, it *is* wine, although once opened, it usually keeps longer than other wines. It does not keep like whiskey does.
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