How long (years) is unopened Champagne good for until it goes bad?

Question

I was told by someone in the fine dining industry that unopened Champagne goes bad after so many years,however they did not specify how many or why this would be so. My Champagne has been stored in cool, dry, dark place (kitchen pantry closet) for years. How long can I keep it before it goes bad or is this not true about spoiling after time? I am worried now as I have many old bottles of expensive Champagne.

Answer 1

It's generally twice the amount of time that the wine was aged in the winery. For French Vintage Champagne, French Law dictates that it must mature for at least 3 years. For NV (French), it must mature for 18 months.

Many wineries allow their wines to mature longer (Moet & Taittenger, & I think Veuve go AT LEAST twice that), so I'd say that allowing a vintage to sit for 10 years past the *release date* would be fine. A non-vintage should be good for around 5 years. Remember that the release date is not the vintage nor is it the date you purchased it on. For specific release dates, you can probably contact the winery or search wine spectator.

Champagne will not necessarily go 'bad' after that, but the taste may change to something you don't like. I recently had 30 year old champagne and it was great for half a glass, but more than that would have been too much. They will continue to age in the bottle to a point.

I'm also concerned about where you are storing it. Is it on its side? If not, get it so right away. A Kitchen Closet isn't really great for wine. It's still has pretty strong temperature flucuations and humiditiy flucuations based on what's going on inside your house. While it's probably always cooler than you house, it's probably not as cool as it should be for cellaring and aging fine wines. Consider investing in a small wine cooler to keep the proper temperature and humidity for your expensive champagnes.

Good luck to you and I hope this helped! : )

Answer 2

Most beers and wines/champagnes (mass produced cheaper kinds) have additives that speed up the fermentation process that can negatively affect the product over long periods of time. Some of these additives may contribute to a 'hangover'.
The more expensive quality wines (champagne is a sparkling wine, specifically from the Chapagne area of France...all others are technically sparkling wines) will last longer and get better with age.
If properly stored, even the cheaper wines will have a fairly long life, but not an infinite lifespan.
Check the label, if it contains sulfites (the additive) it won't last forever.

Answer 3

Does Champagne Go Bad

Answer 4

Although I'm not sure about this answer I assume that it has something to do with the carbonation that makes it go bad. Beer has the same problem. I know that beer starts to decline in quality after three months. I'm sure that quality sparkling wines can keep in an unopened bottle for at least 5 years.

Answer 5

Most professionals will tell you that Champagne/sparkling wine is for drinking right away. But I have bottles of my favorite bubbly from 1994 and they taste just as good as they did the day I bought them.

I don't think there's any harm in storing them for special occasions.

Answer 6

did you know that the yeast is forever fermenting,even in those small amounts,as champagne is filtered. you can actually store it anywhereif it has a plastic cork. for a cork cork though you need a bottle rack to keep the cork moist and it prevents air from getting in the bottle,helping to ferment. keep that bottle in a cool dry place, neck down, and enjoy it for it,I'd rather appreciate it for its taste than its value myself.

Answer 7

Some get better with age, if they're good ones.