I have several bottles of wine from the 60's, 70's that were not refrigerated, but stored in a basement & am wondering if they're any good? I live in Chicago & wonder if there's somewhere I can go and check if they're ingestible, and/or worth anything. Thank you
Answer From Expert Roger Bohmrich MW
An amazing number of questions are posted by concerned wine owners who have bottles from earlier decades which may not have been stored in, well, suitable conditions. If you have multiple bottles of the same wine, then it's very easy to check one and decide what to do with the rest. If the basement is a natural below-ground temperature, and remains fairly stable, then you may be in luck. If, on the other hand, you have a finished, heated basement which is used on a regular basis, the odds are not in your favor. You haven't identified the types of wines, which is as well a major factor in the potential longevity and currrent value. If you'd like to post another question with the names and vintages, I will be glad to offer an opinion. As to whether the wines are good drinking, you are the best judge. Start by standing a bottle upright. What is the level of liquid in the bottle? If it is close to the cork, that's a good sign; if the level is, say, at the shoulder, then there are doubts. We can take it from there once you provide the names of the wines.
