Hi!
I had bought wines every now and then I went on trips. I probably had collected more then 40 bottles. )Un)fortunately, my mum put them all in the kitchen cupboard without refrigeration for years. I wonder if they are still consumable, or could the wine have turned toxidic over these years?
Any information from the experts and knowledgable people appreciated. Link to wine sites would also help. Thanks.
"CoffeeEnam" wrote in news:440d7db5$ snipped-for-privacy@news.starhub.net.sg:
They are probably not in the best condition, but not toxic. Wine is to be enjoyed, open a few and dee if there are any pleasant surprises. REport back and let us know, Sharing the experience is another great thing about wien.
Joseph,
Not sure you mentioned where the wines came from. Some grape types do much better than others in terms of aging-- or even withstanding incorrect stowage. For a complete list of vinifera, hybrids and really all varietals, check out Appellation America's Varietal Index here:
With regard to each bottle, the ullage is easily determined by checking the fill lines at the neck of the bottle as another poster has mentioned. I'd probably open the least full bottles as soon as possible, as these are generally the most at-risk for oxidization.
Otherwise, depending on whether the bottles saw a great deal of temperature variation, the wines may actually be drinking fine. Most wine bottles are actually much tougher than critics give credit for-- as retailers often have fine bottles of wine that site on a store shelf for lengthy periods of time (many boo-boo's by even the "experts" here: upright storage, lighted store rooms, excessive handling, etc.) and yet many of these bottles still drink well.
A useful strategy might be to pick the bottles in best shape, store them at cellar temperature for a week or two before opening and then decant for at least a half hour before drinking.
Good luck!
Best,
EQ
Joseph Coulter wrote:
Wnes vary substantially.. Some wines can age for many years, getting better all the time. Others are short-lived and go downhill rapidly after purchase. It depends on the grape varieties, where it's grown, the winemaker, the vintage, etc. To make matters worse, storing wine in a kitchen cupboard is not ideal, since it's probably too warm. This will cause the wine to age faster.
You don't say what the wines are or how many years they've been kept, but there's a fair chance that many, if not all, of them are way past their prime. However you can be assured of one thing: the wines may have oxidized, and will no longer taste good, but they won't be toxic.
All you can do is open and taste them. If you don't like them, you may have to throw them away, but don't fear tasting them. They won't poison you.
If a wine disappoints, try it again later in the day, and the next day. Sometimes it gets better with air.
Jose
And of course your stealth spamming has nothing to do with your job as Director of Marketing for them, does it, Eric?
FYI, what you're doing is a violation of SBC's Acceptable Use Policy, so if you persist in using this newsgroup for spamming your company's website, I will call you on it.
Mark Lipton
They might be corked giving a very noticeable disgusting taste. Someone else might be able to describe what a corked wine tastes like.
As I understand it, the stability in temperature is more important than the actual temperature. If daily temperature swings between night and day are high the wine will not last long.
The main characteristics that I pick up with TCA taint ("corked") wines is a wet cardboard, musty smell, higher than normal acid, and lack of fruit flavors. The mustiness can be detected as soon as the bottle has been opened, and is often noticible on the cork, as well. Some of this smell might blow off, to a degree, but the high acid and lack of fruit remain. Some are doing experiments with placing a wad of Saranwrap into the wine. The jury is still out on this.
Hunt
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