14yr old orange wine!!!!!

WaWa · Nov 15, 2009

went out to a BBQ last night and started talking about winemaking (as ya do) the host's father jumped up and hurried inside, returning with a round of shot glasses filled with what looked like golden sherry. It was an orange wine that he had made in 1995 and he didn't like it so he threw it into his shed and forgot about it. It was in a 1 gal carboy and was still holding the airlock!!!!. It tasted like cognac/port. Wine really does improve with age! My new motto: never, ever dump a bad wine, store it!

Leanne · Nov 15, 2009

Strange you should bring up this topic. Yesterday I was clearing out the home of a deceased relative and found half a dozen demi-johns of elderberry wine that must be at least twenty years old. Unfortunately they were under dry airlock and smell really bad but I'll bottle one bottle and just keep it in his name. The demi-johns will continue forward and be used in respect.

Wade E · Nov 15, 2009

Wawa, did he replace the fluid in the airlock over the years?

WaWa · Nov 16, 2009

Hi Wade,
I'm not sure but I do know that he only re-discovered it about 6 months ago. There was fluid in it when I saw it on Saturday. I'll ask next time I see him.
Cheers

arcticsid · Nov 16, 2009

Thats interesting Wa. A while back I started a thread asking everyone what the oldest bottle they had in their collection. I don't remember if anyone had any older than 10 yrs.

Maybe we are all to young, or drink it to fast to have one age that long.

Besides turning into vinegar, are there other ways wine can go "bad", besides taste? At any point can it be bad bad, like make you sick, or become toxic?

Troy

TheTooth · Nov 16, 2009

We had a bottle of Barolo that I've been saving for a while (bottled in 1990), but it was made commercially. That's about the oldest wine I've had the opportunity to try.

Some wines are able to withstand time, but others will peak and go past their prime quickly. I'm not sure if wines just start to lose flavor when they get too old or if they actually start to taste bad. Looking forward to hearing more informed answers to this question.

Leanne · Nov 16, 2009

Gad!!! This thread reminds me of a time when a whole lot of my wine became thrush infected. I spent a whole week throwing the stuff down the drain and sanitizing everything in sight, including walls and floors to get rid of it.