To open or not to open old bottle of wine

I have recently traded back for a bottle of peach and white grape i made in 97-98... the guy i gave it to never opened it, and it was undisturbed according to him the entire time.. He had it on top of his dresser, and it had to of been exposed to light.. the cork has pushed out 1/2" or so.. and it appears to have happened along time ago..
tipping it... it looks clear and clean... but i am unsure as to what i mught find.. when it was new it had a ABV of 16-17% if i remember correctly.. i had added nutrient and energizer, with sugar mid ferment..
what are the chances it has turned to vinager, and is there a way to test it and see without pulling the cork?? say maybe with a big hyperdermic needle? or roll the dice and see what it is?? what is your opinion??

My suggestion is make an event out of it. Invite some friends over and tell them you're going to share/sample some wine with them and it may be the worst they ever tasted or the best. Explain the situation to them and have fun doing it. Pour a small sample in each glass and smell it. If it smells good, give it a taste. If it's good you shared it with friends, if it's bad you had fun building up to the suspense of drinking wine gone bad. Have some good stuff to move on to! Have fun and let us know how it turned out.

Dan, that sounds a lot like the "Al Capoe's Vault" episode with Geraldo Rivera! I hope the outcome is better.

Rocky said:

Dan, that sounds a lot like the "Al Capoe's Vault" episode with Geraldo Rivera! I hope the outcome is better.

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That is exactly what I was thinking about as I was writing that post.

If it is vinegar, it will smell/taste like it, but it won't hurt you.
If it doesn't smell rotten, it won't hurt you to try it.

I say open it and like Dan says have a party

First, dont give this dumbarse anymore wine, second open it up with confidence, if you were making good wine back then its either going to be better or past its prime. If its really good then I hope you wrote down your recipe so you can make more, and find someone else to share it with that will appreciate it and not leave it setting around on a dresser! Crackedcork

It wont hurt you if it looks and smells fine. but being in the conditions like you state it most likely went past its prime. The only thing that may have saved it is the fact you had the abv up so high on this.

I guess i'll open it, but i'll have to find some freinds to help me drink it... I am afraid opening and then re sealing it would ruin it if it's good at all.. we'l see i suppose.. There's a small amount of ....fear..or nervousness... It's cool the way it is...once opened it's gone.. But it was made to drink so i'll let you know how it goes..thanks for the input..

go 4 it!!!!

let us know

Bobp, A lesson might just be lurking in your future. Six years ago, we and a neighbor shared a Reisling Ice Wine done at an FOP. We visited them last fall. They offered us the balance of the splits that they never consumed. The wine had definitely oxidized but I figured I would dump it and salvage the bottles. Upon opening, the wine had taken on definite Sherry odor. Taste was not too bad. What to do with it? I would up blending it into a jug wine at the rate of approximately 25%. It really changed the character of that wine. It is all gone now and what did I wind up with? Empty splits and empty 3L jugs. Your bottle might just have a future, at least short term!! Hope you enjoy yours.

I forgot to mention that they had stored the bottles standing up in a storage shed subject to the Florida sun and temperatures!!

Sounds like he made Madeira for you.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madeira_wine

Do you know if it was stored upright or laying down?

Open it!!

Brew and Wine Supply said:

Sounds like he made Madeira for you.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madeira_wine

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You beat me to it! That's what I was going to say.
Some 100 to 200 year old Madeira sells for big bucks.

Bobp said:

it was made to drink ..

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No truer words have been spoken.

As others have said, as long as it wasn't infected with anything (which I'm assuming you had no probelms with drinking the rest of the batch) you'll be fine. Worst case is its oxidized and tastes like sherry. Enjoy it for what it is! Best case is you taste the best wine you ever made and know from now on to put a few bottles away for a decade.

I will attempt to remember to report back on the condition of what remains of our share of the Ice Wine when we get back to Michigan. Those splits have been in our cellar, laying down, with pretty steady temperatures for those 6 years. But I digress from the thread!!

Still haven't found the right time yet... but i will i'm sure...So much else to drink... lol

Bobp, Hope your opening goes better than ours. Yesterday I "found a bottle of Peach Wine I made in 2008. I usually I put a few bottles away for "long term aging". Well, while opening the bottle the cork broke, actually the center of the cork was mush. It was one of those corks that were made up of a 1,000 tiny pieces & coated with something, [I stopped using that type of cork a few yrs. ago] The story continues, while struggling with the last bit of the stubborn cork the bottle lifted off the granite counter top & went CRASHING back down. OPPS, 4 yr. old Peach Wine every where! Smelled great! Roy

Have something good on deck to share in case that one is bad. And invite Geraldo.