How do i know if a bottle of Champagne is still in good conditions?!
Answers: I received a 1985 Dom Perignon Champagne in 2000. It has been stored in a closet since then. Thanks.
I am a former chef and in a strange bit twist of fate, I gave my sister and brother-in-law a bottle for there wedding present, I got the last of the old stock in the LCBO here in Ontario, Canada in 1985.
There vintage is 1978, I paid $55.00 back then, and was royally chased for paying what my sister thought was the new $110.00, she saw 3 weeks later, one thing is the cork, but if you have kept it in a closet and cool, there is one good thing, take it out and hold it up to the light with a slight tilt, check for cloudiness (this would indicate the yeast has went off), look at the bottom of the bottle, is there an sediment again this would indicate the additional sweet wine they added after desgougement has soured, if this things have not occurred then as one person said store it back were you kept in on an old towel and on it's side.
There is no real way to tell its quality, if you do decide to drink it, chill it slowly, not in an ice bucket, when you pop the cork, give it a smell, pour a bit out and see if there is a yeasty or vinegar smell, if it is fine then enjoy, I have told my sister and her husband they may have an exceptional bottle of wine or a very expensive bottle of window cleaner???
Don't keep champagne too long. Champagne is meant to be laid on its side for aging at home and should be consumed within three years. It can also be stored upright because of the natural pressure in the bottle keeping the cork moist. Champagne that has been refrigerated does not need to remain so. As long as the bottle is stored on its side, it can be placed back in the wine rack until ready to be chilled again
Sadly you never really know till you open it . Keep it cool on its side and rotate once in a while
The only way to know is to open it and drink it.
We have numerous bottles of wine thst we've had for a very long time. Some are fabulous -- others horrible, You never know until you try.
Had a 92 Dom and 88 Moet last year whilst in France and both were still lovely... but these had been impeccably stored by Moet themselves.
As long as the storage has been out of strong light, fairly coolish and no real/sudden temperature fluctuations it should be OK
But, as others have said, you won't really know until you open that bottle.
1985 was actually a decent year for Dom, and it should still be in good condition, especially since it has been stored in a dark place. Users on Cellar Tracker are giving a "Drink Window" of 1996-2010, and are rating the wine very high right now. Drink and enjoy!!