Can we drink the bubbly from last NYE?
December 27, 2018 7:36 AM Subscribe
We have a bunch of bottles of bubbly from a year ago. Can we drink them?
Most have been in the fridge the whole time, lying on their side. A couple have been kept standing up in the fridge and a couple have been kept lying down in a room temperature cabinet. The nicest are Moët & Chandon and Veuve Clicquot, down to some that are probably on the very cheap end of the spectrum. The internet suggests that they should all be fine to drink - is this really ok? Did you try this and was it still fizzy a year later / did it taste as it should? Thanks!
Most have been in the fridge the whole time, lying on their side. A couple have been kept standing up in the fridge and a couple have been kept lying down in a room temperature cabinet. The nicest are Moët & Chandon and Veuve Clicquot, down to some that are probably on the very cheap end of the spectrum. The internet suggests that they should all be fine to drink - is this really ok? Did you try this and was it still fizzy a year later / did it taste as it should? Thanks!
Best answer: They'll be fine. I tend to pick up a bottle of fizzy wine and leave it around for many months on the off chance I might want to make mimosas some weekend morning. I've never even paid attention to how long the bottle's been there, but I know some of 'em have lasted over a year before use.
You can always pour it out after swishing some in your mouth if it doesn't taste like something you want to drink, whether that's because it's actually gone off somehow or because you just don't like it.
posted by asperity at 7:40 AM on December 27, 2018 [3 favorites]
You can always pour it out after swishing some in your mouth if it doesn't taste like something you want to drink, whether that's because it's actually gone off somehow or because you just don't like it.
posted by asperity at 7:40 AM on December 27, 2018 [3 favorites]
Response by poster: Just to clarify: having people over, so if we open all the bottles and they all taste bad, it will be pretty embarrassing... but I also don't want to buy a bunch of new bottles if it's not necessary!
posted by sunflower16 at 7:46 AM on December 27, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by sunflower16 at 7:46 AM on December 27, 2018 [1 favorite]
Best answer: My brother's godfather was the supplier of all booze in our family and gave us a bottle of champagne to be opened on his 21st birthday when my brother was a baby. It was definitely a bit flat 21 years later, but was drinkable. It lived in the basement and later in the fridge.
posted by hoyland at 7:46 AM on December 27, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by hoyland at 7:46 AM on December 27, 2018 [4 favorites]
Best answer: Happy new year! These will be fine not only this year but a decade or decades from now. Enjoy!
posted by stinkfoot at 7:47 AM on December 27, 2018 [6 favorites]
posted by stinkfoot at 7:47 AM on December 27, 2018 [6 favorites]
Best answer: Clearly the solution is to open up a test bottle and drink it.
posted by DoubleLune at 7:57 AM on December 27, 2018 [9 favorites]
posted by DoubleLune at 7:57 AM on December 27, 2018 [9 favorites]
Best answer: From Wine Spectator's Ask Dr. Vinny: How long can Champagne be stored and still be good to drink?
Dear Dr. Vinny,posted by filthy light thief at 8:11 AM on December 27, 2018 [5 favorites]
Can you please offer some advice on how long Champagne can be stored and still be OK to drink? I have some bottles that could be as old as 5 years. They have been kept in a cool, dry environment throughout.
—Chris, United Kingdom
Dear Chris,
I have a feeling your bubbly will be fine, since it’s been stored in a cool place. As I’ve written before, Champagne and other bubblies can really age well, especially the better ones. After a while, the carbonation starts to fade, the colors darken and the fresh fruit flavors evolve into toasty, nutty ones. But those changes would typically take place closer to the 10-year mark.
Plenty of bottles of bubbles are due to be purchased and enjoyed over the next few weeks, so you might also be interested in my storage tips and bubbly basics.
—Dr. Vinny
Best answer: We saved a bottle of bubbly from our wedding to drink on our first anniversary. It was stored upright in a wine bottle bag in our living room for the entire year, and it was still quite tasty on our anniversary (and way better than frozen stale leftover year-old cake).
posted by PearlRose at 8:25 AM on December 27, 2018
posted by PearlRose at 8:25 AM on December 27, 2018
Best answer: No no no, danger poison, but where are you I'd be happy to process the toxic contents. ;-)
Happy New Year!!!
posted by sammyo at 8:37 AM on December 27, 2018 [3 favorites]
Happy New Year!!!
posted by sammyo at 8:37 AM on December 27, 2018 [3 favorites]
Talk about overthinking a bottle of beans. Wine is made to preserve fruit. Drink it.
posted by fiercecupcake at 9:14 AM on December 27, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by fiercecupcake at 9:14 AM on December 27, 2018 [3 favorites]
Best answer: A rule of thumb I found while researching a bottle my parents stored for (too) many years: vintage Champagne (the kind with a year on the label) generally should bottle age well up to the same number of years it aged in casks before being bottled. In their case the vintage was twelve years old when bottled, but they stored it for another 17 or so, and it had turned pretty dark, flat, and nutty/musty. Non-vintage Champagne (without an age statement) doesn’t bottle age as well, but a couple years storage should be OK. I’d start worrying around the four year mark.
posted by fedward at 9:30 AM on December 27, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by fedward at 9:30 AM on December 27, 2018 [2 favorites]
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posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 7:40 AM on December 27, 2018 [3 favorites]