Wines that kill

September 8, 2005 5:31 PM

Due to a strange twist of fate, I find myself in possession of a bottle of Henkell Trocken dry sparkling wine which has been stored in a fridge for two years. Is it okay to drink?
posted by DrJohnEvans to food & drink (11 comments total)

Of course.

If it is a dry sparkling wine it probably won't age well for that long, but there certainly are exceptions. I don't know this one. It may be best to find an occasion to open it and enjoy.
posted by caddis at 5:44 PM on September 8, 2005

I don't imagine anything bad could have happened to it as long as it stayed cool the whole time. I'd be careful opening it though.
posted by pwb503 at 5:46 PM on September 8, 2005

It'll probably be off flavorwise but is unlikely to be fatal to consume.
posted by shagoth at 5:53 PM on September 8, 2005

What are you guys talking about? Sparkling wine is meant to be drunk soon after purchase, but two years is nothing. It should taste fine, although not as fine as a year ago, and there should be no other issues. Fatal? Hardly. If you don't want it, email me and I take it.
posted by caddis at 6:04 PM on September 8, 2005

It will be fine. I have kept sparkling wine both in and out of the fridge for longer periods of time than this and there were no problems. I would suggest some brown bread slices topped with smoked salmon and capers with strawberries to follow.
posted by tellurian at 6:06 PM on September 8, 2005

Don't chance it.

Send it to me. I will risk a swig and then let you know if it is okay.
posted by achmorrison at 10:00 PM on September 8, 2005

Answer the question yourself - take a swig!

It's been in the frige, so nothing *bad* is going to happen if you drink it. The only argument is that it may not be as good as it "ought" to be.

Cheers!
posted by PurplePorpoise at 10:52 PM on September 8, 2005

I'll be happy to taste single-malt scotches to see if they're safe to drink. The rarer, older and more expensive it is the less y'all should chance drinking it yourself.
posted by davy at 10:57 PM on September 8, 2005

ArrogantFilter: Apparently this fizz tastes of "butterscotch, Fuji apples and fluffy marshmallow spread.". Therefore if you consider it OK to drink this hyperglycemic carbonated swill rather than a nice 96 Cristal, then go right ahead.

In all seriousness, it should be fine. Providing the cork wasn't dagamed, fizz rarely plummets in taste. until the 5-7 year mark - some are good for 20.
posted by lalochezia at 11:44 PM on September 8, 2005

I used to keep my best wines in the fridge for years, having no wine cellar. (This was back when I could afford wines that benefited from cellaring.) They were all fine when I drank them. Wines need to be away from heat and light. The fridge is a good place for that.
posted by languagehat at 11:19 AM on September 9, 2005

We opened it up last night, and things went fine. Only one of us went to hospital, and she should be out by early next week.

Just kidding. It was fine. A little more sour than I was expecting, but perfectly consumable. Thanks for the answers.

Now, on to the six-year bottle...
posted by DrJohnEvans at 1:16 PM on September 9, 2005