# Is it a bottle of wine or a bottle of vinegar? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 29, 2002, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-a-bottle-of-wine-or-a-bottle-of-vinegar/121454 "2002-07-29T23:35:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Atreyu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5e9695/32.png) [@Atreyu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atreyu)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2002, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-a-bottle-of-wine-or-a-bottle-of-vinegar/121454/1 "2002-07-29T23:35:41Z")
Friend of mine found a bottle of wine (Torres Gran Reserva, 1959) that’s almost forty-five years old. Needs to know if it’s still drinkable, or if it has morphed into some vile vinegar-like substance. Google wasn’t helpful, so on the friend’s behalf I throw this question to the Teeming Millions. Any wine aficiandos out there know much about this label, and if it is still drinkable after all this time? Label information provided below for reference. * * * **Front label** Gran Reserva 1959 Torres Estate Bottled At the vineyards Estable 1870 Gran Coronas Produced and bottled by Miguel Torres \* Villafranca del Panadés \* Product of Spain No. 796 Reserva 1959 **Back label** Gran Coronas (red dry) This charming wine you are about to enjoy was born on the sunny vine-clad slopes of the fertile rolling hills west of Barcelona, where grapes have flourished since they were introduced by the Romans, 20 centuries ago. Every bottle of this wine has been produced and bottled in the TORRES cellars. [_More rah rah stuff_] Very faint on the bottom: Transported by Consolidated Distilled Product(s) Chicago, Illinois ---
**Author:** ![Atreyu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5e9695/32.png) [@Atreyu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atreyu)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2002, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-a-bottle-of-wine-or-a-bottle-of-vinegar/121454/2 "2002-07-29T23:44:55Z")
I swear I hit the submit button only once! :smack: Mods, if you wouldn’t mind locking up the superfluous thread, that would be great. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![truthbot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e9bcb4/32.png) [@truthbot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/truthbot)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2002, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-a-bottle-of-wine-or-a-bottle-of-vinegar/121454/3 "2002-07-30T00:56:52Z")
You didn’t mention where your friend found the bottle. Does he/she know how it was stored for the last 43+ years? That will have a great deal to do with the drinkability. Exposure to variances in temperature (especially high temps) can render a fine wine into vinegar. I wouldn’t mine tasting such a wine, if only for the experience. I tasted a 1981 Silver Oaks cab earlier this year, and it was heavenly! (With a divine price to match) ---
**Author:** ![False\_God](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ee7513/32.png) [@False\_God](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/False_God)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2002, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-a-bottle-of-wine-or-a-bottle-of-vinegar/121454/4 "2002-07-30T00:59:54Z")
You have a fairly undistinguished Spanish dry red wine. Since the bottle doesn’t say what variety grapes it was made from, I’m going to guess that it won’t necessarily have the staying power that it would need to age well over forty years. Only three to five percent of wine really improves with long aging, anyway. Crack it open, but don’t be prepared fr anything special. It’ll probably be a bit thin and musty. Hell, I’d try it just to be able to say you had it. It might surprise you. F\_G, home winemaker since '97, cork dork since '91 ---
**Author:** ![Some\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@Some\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Some_Guy)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2002, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-a-bottle-of-wine-or-a-bottle-of-vinegar/121454/5 "2002-07-30T04:08:56Z")
FWIW, vinegarization is caused by a different organism (acetobacter) than fermentation (various yeasts). What this means, in practice, is that it will depend on the continued integrity of the cork - if it has any porosity, it could have let in excessive air, which would greatly increase the risk of the wine turning to vinegar. Generally, people that store wine for long periods (collectors, businesses, etc.) should replace the cork every 25-30 years in order to minimize the risk of this occurring. Of course, there are plenty of other things that could have affected your bottle while it was being stored, but most of them will leave some visible trace (seepage around the cork, discoloration in the wine itself, sediment deposits in a filtered wine, etc.) I agree with **False\_God** - it’s probably past its peak. OTOH, drinking history has an appeal all its own.