Champagne questions

[sammy]

I am having a few guests over and I want to make 'kir royale' and 'peche royale' as a fun drink reminiscing of our fabulous trip to Paris. I hate to buy new champagne since we really don't care for it any other way. I have a few unopened bottles of champagne in my refrigerator that have been there a while (a year? maybe more!) but I cannot find any dates on them. How do I know if they are still good? How long does bottled champagne typically last?

Thank you!

 

[nicklinneh]

if the cork doesn't dry out (I can't imagine that) forever. Enjoy! Ken

 

[johnmfaeth]

If it is clear with a golden yellow tint it is fine, if it has a brownish tint, means that it has ozidized and is no good, one sip will also tell you, tastes rea nasty when it "turns".

 

[sammy]

If it is clear with a golden yellow tint it is fine, if it has a brownish tint, means that it has ozidized and is no good, one sip will also tell you, tastes rea nasty when it "turns".

Any suggestions on how to determine this thru the green bottle?

I opened the small one I had and it was flat and dark yellow. Maybe I just need to break down and buy one in case the remaining two large bottles I have are bad. Any suggestions on an inexpensive one that's decent?

 

[johnmfaeth]

If you are making royale's, Frexinet is a fine choice. Decent but affordable, comes in a black bottle.

Fine champagnes ($50+) last many years if properly stored. The cheaper stuff lasts just a few.

 

[Keitht]

If you mean genuine champagne it should last for years, as previously mentioned. If on the other hand it is simply a sparkling wine of uncertain origin i.e. not France I wouldn't hang on to it for more than a couple of years.
If it is being used in a mixed drink it certainly isn't worth spending mega bucks on a bottle. It would be like putting soda with malt scotch - a total travesty!!

 

[nicklinneh]

always rack your wines on the side, then the cork won't dry out; standing upright, at some point they might. by the way, i once had a Madeira vintage 1890 some years back, it was perfectly good! but remember that was the year it was casked, not bottled. with care they can last a long time (depends on the wine). Ken

 

[johnmfaeth]

Kudos to Keith on a interesting point. What is true champagne is fermented white wine from the Champagne region of France (a great place to visit is the town of Epernay - the cellar tours are very interesting).

Anything else is technically called sparkling wine.

The ability of a wine or champagne to age depends primarily on two things.

1) The tannic acid level (tannins) in the wine. Tannins make new red wine bitter until it ages some. It also permits better champagnes to last because it preserves them too. Cheaper sparkling wine has a low tannin level and added sugar which is needed to ferment the grape juice to the desired alcohol levels. Better sparkling wines/Champagnes use mostly/all natural sugars from the grapes to achieve it's alcohol content, that also affects the life expectancy. That added sugar is why cheap "champagne" and other inexpensive wines tend to give more of a headache than the good stuff when over-indulged.

2) Storage conditions. Storing on the side helps keep the cork moist. A dry cork will contract and let bacteria, etc. through the "seal" and thus turn the wine. Doesn't help cheap stuff much to be stored on the side as they use plastic corks which are much more prone to infiltration. Temperature extremes or sunlight are also terrible for any stored wine.

Have fun!!!

John

PS. The medieval cathedral city of Reims anchors the northern end of the Champagne region and is also a great location to visit.

 

[rkd]

Open the bottles, pour

Look. If seem ok then smell. If no moldy smell, taste.

If it is bad bottle recork and return to store. There will be no problem returning a corked bottle...even with no receipt to your wine shop. This is one of the arguments for stelvan closures, the fact that so much money is lost to corked wines.

In the mean time pick up a couple of bottles of Domaine St. Michelle Brut sparkling wine to have on hand. Under $10 a bottle and perfect for Kir Royale!

Regina

 

[sammy]

Thank you all, you have been a great help!