Is it OK to drink very old wine?

Question

My fiancé bought a house over 4 years ago and there were about 10 bottles of wine left in the cellar from the previous owners. Most are red wines with maybe 2 white wines. The years range from 1981-1994 and from what we can see they are just house wines and nothing fancy (the previous owners put "house" labels on the bottles). I've tried finding these wines on the internet but had no luck as of yet.

Neither of us knows a thing about wine, but had heard that most wines over 12 years really aren't good any more. What is the worst that could happen from drinking these old wines? I was assuming they could just taste really bad but probably would not make you ill. Am I correct in that assumption?

Answer 1

Wines with high tannin age well as long as the cellar is cool enough. So the red wine has a pretty good shot at being not just OK, but actually better than when they were new. They will have a little sediment in the bottom. That is normal. Just use a decanter.

The white wine is usually low in tannin so it probably didn't fair so well. I'm not saying I would just pitch it, but I would be very skeptical.

You will be able to tell from the smell if it is really bad. And after that the taste will tell you. If it tasts like crap, then it is.

Answer 2

Oh, honey, those are great wines! Or at least they will be a heck of a lot better than when they were young. Red wine ages gracefully, as I am surprised you did not know. A bottle 50 years old would be a treasure, and taste superb, if you had an occasion fine enough to open it for. Save the nicest few bottles to celebrate the birth of your next child.

BTW, if they have "house" labels they may be home-made wines. Those are, of course, quite an unknown. But you can trust the taste: if it tastes good, drink it!

Answer 3

You may find the wine be quite tasty. If temperature has been okay they should be fine. The first way, look inside the bottle if you can and put it to the light.If you see lots of gunk, chuck it. A little residue is found in lots of red wine, so that's fine. Then open it. If it smells foul or has an extreme vinegar smell, chuck it. Oh, almost forgot, when opening, listen and look as to how good it was sealed. With the newer rubber corks air would not likely be able to get in. If it has a nice tight seal when you open it and doesn't have a pungeant smell, enjoy your vino! As always, pour small amount in glass, twirl, look, smell and taste, gl.

Answer 4

It really depends on the wine, some wines are suited to be kept whilst others are better to drink young. The year has a lot to do with the quality.
I had a 40 year old Bordeaux last week. It was okay, however, that year was not a good year for Bordeaux wine.

Answer 5

40 Year Old Wine

Answer 6

That really depends on the wine and how you stored it. Most wines are not meant to be aged; they start going downhill after a year. Wine should be kept on its side so the cork stays wet. If not, the cork will dry out, allowing air to get into the bottle. This ruins the wine.

Answer 7

White really don't hold up long, So smell it check the color if it's dark yellow don't drink it.... And for the house red really do the same house reds are just blends of different varietal grapes, Just remember their was a reason the previous owner just left them behind,

Answer 8

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It should be, provided that it wasn't opened, it was stored in a cool, dark place, it was good in the first place. If it tastes like vinegar, then it's gone bad, it probably won't kill you, just taste like vinegar because it is vinegar.

Answer 9

Sounds interesting

Answer 10

Cabernet Sauvignon can be two hundred years old and still drinkable. That is one of its interesting qualities.