A bottle of wine from the 1940's was sold at auction for £4,000. The report said it is undrinkable, but then what is the point of vintage wines from the 1890's etc selling for these prices?
It really irked me
2007-02-18 06:16:54 · 18 answers · asked by RedSnook 5 in Food & Drink ➔ Beer, Wine & Spirits
I'll refer to the answer I just gave someone with regards to the 'Nazi wine' that recently went to auction:
Every different wine will have a different 'potential.' Whether white or red, there will be an optimum time that the wine should be matured in bottle before drinking. This can vary from no time whatsoever (eg. a light, crisp Sancerre) to hundreds of years (eg. a full, strong-vintage Sauternes).
The ageing potential of a wine depends on many factors: most notably, the grape variety and quality of the particular vintage (year of production). Take Bordeaux red wines, for example. In an excellent vintage (such as 1982) then many chateaux will produce wines which will continue to improve for decades afterwards, whereas a weaker vintage (such as 1997) will yield wines that are more suited to drinking young.
The exception to the rule above applies when the wine is not properly stored. Any still wine should be kept horizontally or very slightly inverted in order that the liquid in the bottle keeps the cork moist and, therefore, helps prevent air from reaching the wine inside. The 'Nazi wine,' according to reports, has not been stored so carefully and so is believed to have become tainted. Because the bottle was stored without any regard for its contents, it is likely that the cork will have dried out and allowed air to reach and react with the wine, rendering it undrinkable (or, at the very least, unpleasant).
The price that this bottle is expected to fetch at auction is based solely on the rarity and curiosity value of the bottle itself with the intact label.
2007-02-18 21:37:40 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Some wines, stored well, stand up for much longer. Some are best after no more than a couple of years. "Big" wines like Bordeaux and Barolos generally need more time to develop and let the tannins soften. But poor storage will ruin a bottle no matter what the wine in it. Unfortunately, one doesn't necessarily know if the wine is going to be drinkable until it's poured, so there's a risk. Some people have that kind of money to gamble. Must be nice.
2007-02-18 21:23:31 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Wine collecting has got to be the weirdest investment there is. Even bottles like you mentioned will sell depending on the name, vintage or who owned it previously. Or it's just someone who wants to brag they paid a lot of money for something...LOL
The better investments are in wines like ports. Ports get better year after year, so a one hundred year old port will be one great bottle. The problem now is...you buy the bottle, do you drink it? Is the REAL value in drinking it or keeping it?
Other wines do well. vintage reds will get a nice price.
As far as the average folks like you and me, there's different "rules". A white wine can't sit longer than 3 years before getting funky. A red can sit for 7-10 years and still be a good bottle. Vintage reds are bought and stored for 7 years before decanting...
2007-02-18 16:08:04 · answer #3 · answered by phillyvic 4 · 0⤊ 2⤋
The older a wine is the better it will taste when opened (if you are a big wine drinker)However, if i had a bottle of wine, that old, i would rather sell it than drink it!!!
2007-02-19 16:01:29 · answer #4 · answered by SexyMama 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Wine has to be botttled and stored properly. If it is not, 1 year old may be too old for wine. But, if bottled and stored like it is suppose to be, it can be 100 years or more and still be an amazing drinkable wine.
2007-02-18 14:21:11 · answer #5 · answered by peacekitty 2 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Yes I too find that annoying, but the point
here is not necessarily the drinkability but the rarity value.The oldest bottle of wine from the most famous chateau in France is quite a trophy for someone who already has everything else!
2007-02-18 15:50:17 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 2⤋
I have heard it said that sometimes wine can last for centuries and still be drinkabe! The only answer is to open it and try it. Eventually all wines turn vinegary!
2007-02-18 14:21:04 · answer #7 · answered by scrambulls 5 · 1⤊ 1⤋
there isn't a too old,some people collect wine from era's ago hence the huge prices!
2007-02-19 13:01:45 · answer #8 · answered by biggy 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Just depends on how good you want it 2 taste
2007-02-19 08:40:11 · answer #9 · answered by mbenn60 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You take your chances with old wines............I can imagine you could be paying for a very expensive bottle of vinegar.
2007-02-18 14:55:35 · answer #10 · answered by tedandgen1 2 · 1⤊ 2⤋