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[Varche]

In 1981 the Varches went to Corsica. We so liked a bottle of (cheap) local sweet dessert (Moscatel)wine that we brought one home with us. It has survived loads of house moves to the point where we saved it for a special occasion.

Today was the day as my Dad is staying with us. Opened it and had a glass each with home made home grown fig tart. It is delicious. Colour has changed from white to a light brown. No one was more surprised than me.

Before anyone asks, No we don't make a habit of drinking dessert wines!

[dbug]

I recently opened a bottle of 1970 port that I bought in Portugal in 1970 - it was so good we had to drink the bottle (my excuse was that it wouldn't keep!!)

I still have a 72 bottle to drink plus a dessert wine probaly bought late 70s.

Glad you enjoyed your's mate - gives me some confidence to try mine - as yours, its slightly darker than when first bought.

[tunnie]

I recently opened a bottle of 1970 port that I bought in Portugal in 1970 - it was so good we had to drink the bottle (my excuse was that it wouldn't keep!!)

I bought a cheap bottle of Port in Portugal, when MrsT and I went on our first Villa holiday.

Bloody good stuff, better than what we get here.

[Gaffers]

The browning is actually a good sign with an old bottle of wine.  It means that very little or no oxygen made it in to the wine when it was made

[Rods2]

The three things I have found to how good an old wine is are:

1. Where it is kept, cellar is best, my wine is in my garage. This in not ideal, but is much better than inside the house as it is cool for most of the year.

2. It is laid down in a wine rack as this keeps the corks moist.

3. How strong the wine is, the stronger the better it will keep.

Sweet wine will keep better than dry wine where the sugar helps to preserve it.

I had quite an extensive collection of malt whiskies and a full 300 bottle wine rack. These I have been using up for the last few years, where I can't easily take them to the Ukraine. My wine rack has about 20 bottles left. the oldest I have drunk is a 1986 red and two bottles of vintage port, both dating from the 1970's. I have kept a few bottles of whiskey including an unopened 'Chivas Century', which is a blend of 100 malt whiskeys, a couple of other rare ones which I know that are going up in value and two bottles of Milburn where the distillery closed in 1982 and was pulled down in 1986. The are a heirloom for my two daughters and are appreciating nicely.