I am not a wine drinker at all so forgive me if this is really dumb. Apparently years ago I was given three bottles of wine that have remained untouched. I've been trying to get my bar area organized and I stumbled across them. They are all dated 2004 if that matters. One is white, one is Chardonnay, and the other is a Chianti. Are these still good? I'm not going to drink them but I'll give them to someone who will if they're drinkable.

Post pictures of the wine.

No way those are still good; they are oxidized to hell. Unless your wanna give away vinegar, those bottles are done

digging tunnels said:

---

No way those are still good; they are oxidized to hell. Unless your wanna give away vinegar, those bottles are done

---

This isn't true at all. I've had plenty of 20+ year old wines and none have turned to "vinegar" They are well past their peak, but unless they are 10 dollar bottles of wine, likely still very drinkable.

Bingo. Highly doubt OP stored the wines in a wine fridge he doesn't own

They don't have to be stored in a wine fridge. If OP keeps his house at a constant 70, wines in an interior closet could age in those conditions, it'd probably speed the aging process, though.

There's just a lot of variables to say they are absolutely oxidized to hell. I'd wager they're bad, but who knows.

And some Chardonnays are meant to age. Are we talking about a $5 one from HEB or a $100+ French white Burgundy? The oak aging and higher acidity help Chardonnays age compared to other whites.

I wouldn't gift them. But if you know someone who likes wine I'd give them to them with the full disclaimer that they're old and weren't cared for so approach with caution..

Bruce Almighty said:

---

digging tunnels said:

---

No way those are still good; they are oxidized to hell. Unless your wanna give away vinegar, those bottles are done

---

This isn't true at all. I've had plenty of 20+ year old wines and none have turned to "vinegar" They are well past their peak, but unless they are 10 dollar bottles of wine, likely still very drinkable.

---

Interested in hearing more about these 20+ year old chardonnay and chiantis you've had.

Ducks4brkfast said:

---

Bruce Almighty said:

---

digging tunnels said:

---

No way those are still good; they are oxidized to hell. Unless your wanna give away vinegar, those bottles are done

---

This isn't true at all. I've had plenty of 20+ year old wines and none have turned to "vinegar" They are well past their peak, but unless they are 10 dollar bottles of wine, likely still very drinkable.

---

Interested in hearing more about these 20+ year old chardonnay and chiantis you've had.

---

I had a 19 year old chianti a few weeks ago. No, I haven't had a 20 year old chardonnay, but I did have a 2007 a not that long ago. Neither were vinegar, which is what my comment was about.

I was genuinely curious for recommendations

Ducks4brkfast said:

---

I was genuinely curious for recommendations

---

If you're genuinely curious, Grand Cru White Burgundy's can age that long. But they started seeing issues in the mid 90's with premature browning and oxidation as the wines aged, and don't think they're really aware of why.

But, the adage you can't age white wines is really not accurate. German Riesling is another white that's among the best wines in the world in older vintages.

Honestly, you can't age most wines. I think it's something miniscule, like 1% of wines produced are meant to be aged. 99% are meant to be consumed within 5 years. Red & white included.

Ducks4brkfast said:

---

I was genuinely curious for recommendations

---

The chardonnay was Grgich Hills. I don't know what the chianti was, just something that my wife and I bought in Italy that got lost in our cellar. Neither were great, but they weren't bad either. Drinking old wine is more of a novelty, but if I find something in my cellar that's past its peak, I'm not going to throw it out unless its something really cheap.

Know Your Enemy said:

---

digging tunnels said:

---

Bingo. Highly doubt OP stored the wines in a wine fridge he doesn't own

---

Give this man a prize.

I am taking them to a friend's house and we'll open them on NYE. I will report back on the findings.

---

Nice. Post some pictures of the wine here!

That being said, you live in Texas? To me, room temp cupboard aging in Texas is way different than say Michigan. It may all be moot too if they were stored vertically.