Comments on: Wines that kill

Question: Wines that kill

DrJohnEvans — Thu, 08 Sep 2005 17:31:34 -0800

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?

By: caddis

caddis — Thu, 08 Sep 2005 17:44:36 -0800

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.

By: pwb503

pwb503 — Thu, 08 Sep 2005 17:46:38 -0800

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.

By: shagoth

shagoth — Thu, 08 Sep 2005 17:53:32 -0800

It'll probably be off flavorwise but is unlikely to be fatal to consume.

By: caddis

caddis — Thu, 08 Sep 2005 18:04:00 -0800

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.

By: tellurian

tellurian — Thu, 08 Sep 2005 18:06:59 -0800

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.

By: achmorrison

achmorrison — Thu, 08 Sep 2005 22:00:58 -0800

Don't chance it.

Send it to me. I will risk a swig and then let you know if it is okay.

By: PurplePorpoise

PurplePorpoise — Thu, 08 Sep 2005 22:52:34 -0800

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!

By: davy

davy — Thu, 08 Sep 2005 22:57:03 -0800

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.

By: lalochezia

lalochezia — Thu, 08 Sep 2005 23:44:40 -0800

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.

By: languagehat

languagehat — Fri, 09 Sep 2005 11:19:00 -0800

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.

By: DrJohnEvans

DrJohnEvans — Fri, 09 Sep 2005 13:16:04 -0800

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...