Has this Tokaji gone bad?

March 2, 2008 11:11 AM

We have this bottle of Tokaji since 1999 or so (it's vintage is 1993). According to my girlfriend, during its lifetime and travels (from Hungary to the US and then from Boston to Denver) it's turned to a much darker amber color than when she originally bought it. We're worried it may have gone bad.

I know very little about this wine so, if you think it's OK to drink (we're probably going to open it anyway just to see), any serving suggestions would be appreciated. Should it be paired like a white wine, or is it more for desert?

Here's a photo of the bottle.

posted by negatendo to food & drink (22 comments total)

It's unlikely to have gone bad, but a bottle that has been stored at room temperature for a decade isn't going to be in pristine shape either. It's more for desert, I'd probably serve it with cheese since there's no way to tell how sweet the wine will be given its storage history.
posted by foodgeek at 11:17 AM on March 2, 2008

did you keep it upright? if you didn't, it may have gone bad. the amber color is not necessarily a symptom, it is 15 years old after all. do you like prosciutto di Parma? if you do, an older Tokaji that's still drinkable is a perfect companion to it.

and again, there's no way to say, unless you open it. it won't poison you, a sip will be more than enough to know.

don't throw it away, though, use it to cook if it's not drinkable anymore.
posted by matteo at 11:18 AM on March 2, 2008

When the colour of wine turns darker, that's usually an indication of oxidisation.
posted by hot soup girl at 11:20 AM on March 2, 2008

Tokaji is a dessert wine, it's very sweet. Use it like a Sauternes. It may be bad - who knows - but you won't know until it's opened.
posted by ikkyu2 at 11:32 AM on March 2, 2008

Sauternes and Tokaji do turn a deeper amber as they get older. But "older" usually means 40+ years. Open it, and if it smells sweet and delicious it's probably safe. Note that Tokaji is a little oxidized from its barrel aging, so a bit of a sherry nose does not indicate it's gone bad.
posted by Nelson at 11:38 AM on March 2, 2008

I bought some 1995 Tokaji in around 2003, and was told (in a shop where they really did know this stuff) that it would get better for the next 40 years or so, as long as it was kept properly.

I've already opened a bottle earlier this year and it was sublime.

As long as you've not stored it upright, I'd not worry too much, although hopefully you've also kept it reasonably dark and cool. If you've stored it upright, the cork may have dried and a little oxidation could have taken place. But a colour change isn't necessarily a sign of this - Tokaji can deepen a little with age in any case.

But you'll never know until you open it.

Try with some really good, ripe, creamy blue cheese. You'll never want to eat blue cheese again without it.
posted by dowcrag at 11:39 AM on March 2, 2008

It's not getting older, it's getting better.
posted by neuron at 11:51 AM on March 2, 2008

The air space at the top of the bottle is so small I think you can be reasonably sure the cork has remained tight.

Mmmm, looks good-- take a couple of sips for me, please.
posted by jamjam at 11:55 AM on March 2, 2008

did you keep it upright? if you didn't, it may have gone bad.

As long as you've not stored it upright, I'd not worry too much

*Brain explodes.*

Okay people: which is it? Am I supposed to keep wine upright, or on its side?
posted by Deathalicious at 12:17 PM on March 2, 2008

On its side, out of the light, in a cool and vibration free environment.

That said, I've seen Tokaj turn dark with age and be delicious. Usually a bit older than what you've got, but it won't hurt you to try and it might be sublime.
posted by fourcheesemac at 12:27 PM on March 2, 2008

I think matteo may have meant to say, "if you did". Keep it on its side, and brain intact.

However. In Hugh Johnson's World Atlas of Wines, there's a picture of bottles of Tokay (Tokaji) being stored upright in a damp cellar in Hungary. There's "cellar mold" growing all over the bottles, and it says they change the corks every 25 years. Unless you've got a damp cellar, I would not go that route, however. Johnson also says the stuff is "virtually immortal" because of its high degree of sweetness. The moving around is unlikely to have damaged it in the least. The color change may be due to light, rather than any air exposure.

Also. He says 1993 was an "exceptional year". "Ten years is the minimum age for this 'Aszu Essencia.' At 30 only the cream of old Sauternes can be compared with it . . . No age is too great for it. What is is like at 200 years (some of the great Polish cellars kept it that long) only the Tsars can tell." Yours does not look like it's an estate-bottled variety, however. So I'd enjoy it now.

Serve in small glasses, strictly as a dessert wine, without further accompaniment. It will keep nicely in the fridge, you can spread the pleasure over a week if you want.
posted by beagle at 12:47 PM on March 2, 2008 [1 favorite]

1993 was actually a really good year for Tokaji. Yours is a Szamorodni which means that the grapes are picked wholesale and some are Aszu (meaning they have noble rot) and some are not. A Tokaji is more appealing if it is strictly Aszu, so Szamorodni isn't as "desirable" but it can still be very very good.

The noble rot slows the fermentation process and can intensify the sugar. (Not all Szamorodni--or Tokaji in general, for that matter--is sweet though.)

I've never had the pleasure of tasting what you have, but I think that you have something to look forward to. You can read up on Tokaji here if you'd like.
posted by cowboy_sally at 12:49 PM on March 2, 2008 [1 favorite]

missed on preview: "What it is like at 200 years"
posted by beagle at 12:49 PM on March 2, 2008

I don't think you should drink it...it might be bad. I think you should definitely send it to me and I'll taste it for you and let you know how it turns out.
posted by jeanmari at 1:12 PM on March 2, 2008

Thanks so much for the great input and information, everyone. It was indeed stored on its side, in a mostly dark place although it did get some light - so that might be all it is. It seems like the general is consensus is "try and see" which we definitely plan to do tonight. I'll be sure and leave a comment as to what happens. I hope it's still good as I'm very excited to try it now. :D
posted by negatendo at 2:19 PM on March 2, 2008

did you keep it upright? if you didn't, it may have gone bad.

Clearly matteo meant "if you did," and it's good that you didn't! Let us know how it was. I've had Tokay, but not aged; I've had aged Sauternes (which does turn that color), and it was delicious. (N.b.: For anyone who likes that sort of thing, madeira is a terrific buy—you can get century-old madeira for less than the price of a decent Bordeaux, and it's delicious. It's been out of fashion for a long time, which keeps the price down.)
posted by languagehat at 2:54 PM on March 2, 2008 [1 favorite]

That's a gorgeous bottle of wine. Drink it with some stinky blue cheese, and enjoy a beautiful night.
posted by AngerBoy at 6:19 PM on March 2, 2008

For anyone who likes that sort of thing, madeira is a terrific buy

And madeira proves the point that you can't really kill this stuff. They used to use it as ballast in sailing shapes. Sloshing around in a hot ship at the equator would pretty much finish off any wine, but actually improved the madeira. As has your Tokay in its travels.
posted by beagle at 6:34 PM on March 2, 2008

Well, I have sad news to report. With high hopes I removed the foil on the chilled Tokaji only to find that the cork was rotted. Nonetheless, I took the cork out and took a sniff ... and was hit with the scent of vinegary, sweaty socks. I couldn't believe it! I poured a glass and took a sip and yea, it wasn't good. My girlfriend did as well and said it definitely wasn't the Tokaji she remembered form her trip to Hungary, to say the least. Clearly it had oxidized. Definitely not the sweet flavor that you all described - not even close. Although, there definitely was a hint of what it could be. I am sorry this story has a sad ending but again, thanks so much for your good advice and rest assured I am now determined to have good glass of Tokaji sometime in the near future.
posted by negatendo at 7:05 PM on March 2, 2008

Corked. Another way of describing that smell is that of a musty old mop. When the cork degrades it poisons the whole bottle.

A tragedy, but Tokay can be had in a lot of places; it is widely exported.
posted by ikkyu2 at 9:36 PM on March 2, 2008

Indeed, I mourn your loss and share your grief. But it's not the world's most obscenely expensive or impossible pleasure to pursue a second time.
posted by fourcheesemac at 6:33 AM on March 3, 2008

Damn. I'm sorry to hear that!
posted by cowboy_sally at 8:49 AM on March 3, 2008