I bought a bottle of white zinfandel from a local winery a couple of years ago. Can;t say why since I don’t drink wine. But I am going to an NYE party tomorrow and I wonder if I should break it out. Do you think the stuff has gone bad sitting around for a couplr of years? I realize that good wines age well. But I know that it can and does go bad. The question is when?
I’d take it along, and take a backup bottle, too. Then tell everyone, “Let’s see if this wine is still any good”, and then y’all can sit around the rest of the night and debate it, and so you’ve provided not only wine but also a Conversation Piece, which scores you extra points with your host. 
White Zin should never be taken anywhere, for anything. It doesn’t even serve as a conversation piece, unless the conversation is about how to clean drains. Go buy a real bottle of wine to take to the party and pour the zin down the drain.
Trick question: White Zinfandel is *made * bad.
When does it go bad? As soon as you open the bottle.
Now, I was going to point out that it goes bad as it is bottled.
Come on now guys. Just because its ‘McWine’ if you will, doesn’t mean there aren’t any incarnations that are worthwhile. Beringer makes a decent one. It’s an OK wine for a nice picnic or BBQ.
I would recommend the Clod Du Val, Vin Gris de Merlot or the V. Sattui, Gamay Rouge instead though. They are wines in the same vein.
I actually like rosés quite a bit in the summer (and rosés certainly are respectable wines when done well) but I haven’t had a white zin that was any good. Do you have any suggestions besides Beringer?
No other suggestions for “white zinfandel” The other two wines I mentioned are excellent rosés that I would recommend over any other white zin.
BTW, to give the OP a serious answer… I’m not sure about White Zin, but regular Zin typically is good for 4-5 years, depending on the winery. It’s not a long lived wine like a Cabernet might be. I suspect your wine is probably OK as long as it hasn’t been stored in an excessively warm environment.
I’d second the Rose choice, too. There are lots of good ones out there, and it makes a great summer wine or any time of year when paired with the right type of food.
Zin is good stuff. White Zin…yeeeeeech. I don’t like grape juice, let alone grape juice with alcohol added.
I second the bring it along with another bottle that you know is okay and play “let’s see if this is still good.” I realize the stuff is very popular, though I can just barely stand it.
Wine snobbery aside, white zinfandel is really popular among people who don’t really drink wine and would probably be appreciated by some of the guests.
I have a similar situation. I have a bottle of Turning Leaf Chardonay from 96 that has been sitting in my mom’s cellar since I got it. I would notice it a couple of times a year and turn the bottle (just because). Does this stand a better chance of being drinkable?
Short answer: no. That wine is ready for drinking the day it is sold, and only goes downhill from there.
White wines generally don’t age well, so that '96 Chard is probably lost. In fact, most red wines don’t age that well either-- it’s only the really well made wines that do, and they tend to be the expensive ones. The idea that an older vintage means a better wine is a myth. Specific vintages for specific wines are notable because of the good wine produced that year, not because of the absolute age.
Turning Leaf isn’t drinkable at any age. IMHO all of their wines are pretty bad.
Sure it does. Any true Zinfandel fan should be very thankful for the White Zinfandel trend, since it is what saved acres and acres of the vines from being ripped out in California. If you like those ‘old vine’ zins, you’ve got White Zin to thank. And like SmackFu said, it certainly is popular with people that aren’t everyday wine drinkers.
I’ve had a couple decent White Zins, but I’m a sucker for roses anyway.
As for the OP, it’s probably *just *still drinkable. Just. I’d definitely consider bringing along another wine.
As for the 96 Turning Leaf (another Gallo product)- gag. Don’t even bother tasting it. It’s dead. Feed it to the sink ASAP.
Would it hurt someone to drink. Would a wino sitting on a park bench without a brown paper bag of Thunderbird appriciate it for its alcoholic effects or is dangerous to drink? :dubious: Not that I’m planning on actually heading down into inner city Detroit and doing this tonight . . . :eek:
lol. No it would not hurt anyone if they drank it. It would just be unpleasant tasting. A bum would probably drink it.
Bums would drink Listerine, and would probably like it more than the Turning Leaf.