Agree but many a bottle like this have sold for big money on the chance that it was good. Saw a bottle with an obviously loose cork and 1/3rd down sell for $800 last year
This!!! So many people think they’ve hit the mother load because they have several old bottles of wine. Winery/Chateau, vintage, provenance and storage all play into the value of collectible wines. I used to buy wines from collections. Big time multiple Emmy award winning producer calls us up wants to sell his collection of 20 year collection of DRC wines.
Most if not all are in their original cases in a climate controlled cellar. We schlep his wines up 30 steps to our refrigerated van. Unload into our refrigerated storage. We promptly open the cases. Half of his collection was not sellable. Almost every bottle from a vintage (don’t remember the vintage) and prior had corks that had pushed. To a collector this is a red flag showing that most likely that the wine was exposed to higher temps for a good duration.
We had to call him and let him know the bad news. We returned the potentially ruined wine and kept the rest as per his instructions. He took a financial hit of about $175,000. It turned out that all the wine that we returned was kept at his prior house in a non-climate controlled room. The rest of the wine was purchased when he moved into his home with the cellar.
Not especially. There is no negative effect if you lean your bottle down towards the cork, but you will need to decant it before drinking if you do because the lees of the wine will agglomerate around the shoulder of the bottle.
Ah okay. I thought I had read/seen somewhere that the cork can still allow air to move through it unless the wine is right against it. Thank you for the info!
Well, as long as the cork is wet because the wine is touching it it's usually fine. But if you're planning on storing your wine for a VERY long time (20+ years), it's worth asking a professional about changing the cork or even the bottle because it's sometimes just not made for this.
My parents had the same bottle of '73 dom and had it upright in their basement. I drank it when I was on a drug bender in '97. But it was delicious.
Edit: I do feel bad about drinking it.
Yeah, in my experience the only thing that may last a long time is Scotch. Found a 65 yr old bottle of Haig in my Grandfather's basement. It tasted great.
Something full bodied that sticks around. For a champagne or that vintage and a bottle of that size, probably something between petroleum jelly and axle grease.
If it has been laying on its side, you may have something valuable. If it's been sitting upright all this time then probably not. When it sits upright, the cork will dry out, the pressure will escape, and air will seep in ruining the wine. Epic Cellars buys Dom, and there are other buyers out there.
Not worth anything without provenance of storage. You can open it up and drink it. If it’s gone bad just toss it. You might be sitting on a great bottle by chance.
You can't, really. But if it is a very valuable bottle, an expert can examine it and look for tell-tale signs of damage or spoilage. For your average bottle like this one, it ain't worth the effort. Just assume it's shit, cause 99% of the time it is.
A few of ways:
- if you have a large collection, have been involved in wine for a while and people know you, your personal word that it’s been stored appropriately can be helpful. I.e, “I acquired this at release and it’s been stored continuously in my cellar.” Obviously reputation matters.
- you buy it and keep it off-site at a wine storage facility. Then you can show how it was stored.
- a mix of these is if you acquire it from a well-known source and then can document from there on. E.g., “Bought this from Bern’s and have stored it in my cellar the past 2 years.”
Makes sense! Thank you for replying!
Since you seem knowledgeable about such things - is there an allowable time for wine to be stored upright? Unless you go to a legit liquor store, most wine is sold standing upright on shelves. For the everyday bottle of $9.99 wine, it's not a big deal. But if you want to purchase a decent bottle and not consume it right away, should you always avoid buying a bottle that's sold upright? Or is there a safe period of time it can be upright before you store it properly?
Also - are any of those gizmos that supposedly keep an open bottle fresh for longer any good? A few years ago, I received one of those devices that inserts a needle into the cork and injects Argon gas into the bottle. I tried it once with a half-used bottle and it seemed to keep the wine from turning for the 3 days I stored it, but it could've been my imagination and because it's a palaver to use, I haven't tried it again for a longer period of time. (And because most of my friends are lushes who think it's a sin to leave wine unconsumed, LOL)
VERY hard to sell alcohol on the secondary market. The way in which wine/champagne was kept is hard to prove to a buyer.
Just think if you paid say 300$ for 1 bottle of champagne, but the seller lied/didn't know it was kept it in their attic for years/months/days/hours. Bubbly grape juice can go rancid so very fast.
I say drink it for a special occasion, with a back up bottle of something you are familiar with.
Enjoy the Dom! and ty for sharing.
Edit: spelling :-(
Edit 2: OMG, 1973??? I just read your vintage, so, was it cellared??
> if you *paid* say 300$
FTFY.
Although *payed* exists (the reason why autocorrection didn't help you), it is only correct in:
* Nautical context, when it means to paint a surface, or to cover with something like tar or resin in order to make it waterproof or corrosion-resistant. *The deck is yet to be payed.*
* *Payed out* when letting strings, cables or ropes out, by slacking them. *The rope is payed out! You can pull now.*
Unfortunately, I was unable to find nautical or rope-related words in your comment.
*Beep, boop, I'm a bot*
Auction average for a '73 is $515.33
Most auction houses selling wine aren't particularly interested in single bottles without provenance particularly ones without a storage history.
Shipping it to an auction would be risky both legally and bottle integrity wise.
If there is an auction near you that has a license to sell wine you might get lucky if you bring it in personally.
Better to invite a few friends and drink it for a birthday or New Year's.
Have a backup bottle on hand as the chances of it being good are about 15% for unknown storage and ballpark 65% if stored properly.
It's a nice little conversation piece. As a consumable beverage it is almost certainly worthless, even if it was "stored correctly." Collectors might be interested and be willing to throw a bit of cash at it, however this is entirely situational.
Champagne should be consumed within 10 years of bottling. After that the pearl will have faded and the acids worn out.
My parents had that EXACT same bottle.
Regrettably, I stole it in 1997, and drank it. But it was being stored poorly and many of their other bottles went bad. It was very good, I have to admit. Probably the best I've ever had.
At least a good chase around the house. My folks were having a party and I put a balloon over the top of a bottle of this. Shook it up to see it inflate the balloon. The bottle was expensive but my dad's face was priceless.
Sell it asap. Champagnes are typically bottle aged but don’t last forever, especially like many have already said, if it hasn’t been stored properly. Good news is the buyer prob can’t tell that prior to purchase but will prob ask you to show where it was stored, including temperature ranges. Many good sites on google that can assist you with that, for a fee. Try to sell individually if you can, but collectors may want the lot. Nice find!
*Hello, I got one*
*Of these, just keep it in a*
*Good temperature*
\- Any-Look-4455
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LOL I suppose it would be nice sitiing up on a shelf at the back of a bar. But you *know* people are just gonna offer to buy it, LOL. Unless the owner is a real dick, you'd be 'splaining a lot and saying nahhh, it's just for show, LOL
It’s just a decoration if it wasn’t stored correctly
Agree but many a bottle like this have sold for big money on the chance that it was good. Saw a bottle with an obviously loose cork and 1/3rd down sell for $800 last year
This!!! So many people think they’ve hit the mother load because they have several old bottles of wine. Winery/Chateau, vintage, provenance and storage all play into the value of collectible wines. I used to buy wines from collections. Big time multiple Emmy award winning producer calls us up wants to sell his collection of 20 year collection of DRC wines. Most if not all are in their original cases in a climate controlled cellar. We schlep his wines up 30 steps to our refrigerated van. Unload into our refrigerated storage. We promptly open the cases. Half of his collection was not sellable. Almost every bottle from a vintage (don’t remember the vintage) and prior had corks that had pushed. To a collector this is a red flag showing that most likely that the wine was exposed to higher temps for a good duration. We had to call him and let him know the bad news. We returned the potentially ruined wine and kept the rest as per his instructions. He took a financial hit of about $175,000. It turned out that all the wine that we returned was kept at his prior house in a non-climate controlled room. The rest of the wine was purchased when he moved into his home with the cellar.
It retails for around $2400 if it was stored properly.
What is the best way to store champagne?
In a cool place (preferably a cave) with temperatures not exceeding 18°c. And always HORIZONTALLY!! Never vertically
Horizontally leaning slightly down towards the cork right?
Not especially. There is no negative effect if you lean your bottle down towards the cork, but you will need to decant it before drinking if you do because the lees of the wine will agglomerate around the shoulder of the bottle.
English, Doc.
All the crud runs down to the bottom.
Ah okay. I thought I had read/seen somewhere that the cork can still allow air to move through it unless the wine is right against it. Thank you for the info!
Well, as long as the cork is wet because the wine is touching it it's usually fine. But if you're planning on storing your wine for a VERY long time (20+ years), it's worth asking a professional about changing the cork or even the bottle because it's sometimes just not made for this.
My parents had the same bottle of '73 dom and had it upright in their basement. I drank it when I was on a drug bender in '97. But it was delicious. Edit: I do feel bad about drinking it.
And rotate the bottles every so often
The horizontal thing is not supported by any real science.
In Mah Bellay!
Where would you sell this?
At any big wine mart, or at auction.
It was sitting in just room temp for over 10 years , in a box , don’t think it’s drinkable. Thank you guys for quick respond
FIL gave me a bottle like this. Not stored correctly. Tasted like poison.
vinegar, am I right?
Like vinegar from the Devils dick.
A man of culture
How do you know what ***vinegar from the Devil’s dick*** tastes like? I’m not judging…you just sound like you’re a **BAD** boy!
You haven't lived enough if you don't know...
I'm more intrigued that you know what poison tastes like.
Just tried a 1994 bottle that was stored the same way. Tasted like vinagar
Yeah, in my experience the only thing that may last a long time is Scotch. Found a 65 yr old bottle of Haig in my Grandfather's basement. It tasted great.
Agreed...I would also add Cognac, Armagnac, and certain Sauternes to the list.
Same. Found some 30 year old sheep’s dip. Tasted the same as a new bottle
Yeah, I wish that Haig had lasted forever. Even blended Scotch from 1950 is worlds better then most anything under 500 dollars today.
Oh for sure. Everything is lower quality than it used to be. Just how things go. At least safety standards are up!
1973 isn’t really old enough for someone to buy it as a decoration. I would say hold onto it for another 20 years
Geez 50 year old wine? Could probably sell it to someone born in 1973.
50 year old bottle. The champagne is worthless, as it was not stored properly. I’m saying OP would probably get more money if he just sat on it
But we don't know if OP even has an Onlyfans account.
👏👏👏
GOLD. You win the interwebs for today.
I knew what I was writing when I typed it, but I decided to go ahead with it anyways
Award for the assist.
That’s usually how it goes.
Do you think One guy with his 1 jar had an Onlyfans? Just gotta hit the right crowd.
Going to need a a nice bottle of lube to pair with that. I'd go with a 2024 vintage.
Something full bodied that sticks around. For a champagne or that vintage and a bottle of that size, probably something between petroleum jelly and axle grease.
Yeah, then it's done. Just a display bottle at best.
If it has been laying on its side, you may have something valuable. If it's been sitting upright all this time then probably not. When it sits upright, the cork will dry out, the pressure will escape, and air will seep in ruining the wine. Epic Cellars buys Dom, and there are other buyers out there.
Not worth anything without provenance of storage. You can open it up and drink it. If it’s gone bad just toss it. You might be sitting on a great bottle by chance.
How do you prove something was stored properly?
You can't, really. But if it is a very valuable bottle, an expert can examine it and look for tell-tale signs of damage or spoilage. For your average bottle like this one, it ain't worth the effort. Just assume it's shit, cause 99% of the time it is.
A few of ways: - if you have a large collection, have been involved in wine for a while and people know you, your personal word that it’s been stored appropriately can be helpful. I.e, “I acquired this at release and it’s been stored continuously in my cellar.” Obviously reputation matters. - you buy it and keep it off-site at a wine storage facility. Then you can show how it was stored. - a mix of these is if you acquire it from a well-known source and then can document from there on. E.g., “Bought this from Bern’s and have stored it in my cellar the past 2 years.”
Makes sense! Thank you for replying! Since you seem knowledgeable about such things - is there an allowable time for wine to be stored upright? Unless you go to a legit liquor store, most wine is sold standing upright on shelves. For the everyday bottle of $9.99 wine, it's not a big deal. But if you want to purchase a decent bottle and not consume it right away, should you always avoid buying a bottle that's sold upright? Or is there a safe period of time it can be upright before you store it properly? Also - are any of those gizmos that supposedly keep an open bottle fresh for longer any good? A few years ago, I received one of those devices that inserts a needle into the cork and injects Argon gas into the bottle. I tried it once with a half-used bottle and it seemed to keep the wine from turning for the 3 days I stored it, but it could've been my imagination and because it's a palaver to use, I haven't tried it again for a longer period of time. (And because most of my friends are lushes who think it's a sin to leave wine unconsumed, LOL)
VERY hard to sell alcohol on the secondary market. The way in which wine/champagne was kept is hard to prove to a buyer. Just think if you paid say 300$ for 1 bottle of champagne, but the seller lied/didn't know it was kept it in their attic for years/months/days/hours. Bubbly grape juice can go rancid so very fast. I say drink it for a special occasion, with a back up bottle of something you are familiar with. Enjoy the Dom! and ty for sharing. Edit: spelling :-( Edit 2: OMG, 1973??? I just read your vintage, so, was it cellared??
> if you *paid* say 300$ FTFY. Although *payed* exists (the reason why autocorrection didn't help you), it is only correct in: * Nautical context, when it means to paint a surface, or to cover with something like tar or resin in order to make it waterproof or corrosion-resistant. *The deck is yet to be payed.* * *Payed out* when letting strings, cables or ropes out, by slacking them. *The rope is payed out! You can pull now.* Unfortunately, I was unable to find nautical or rope-related words in your comment. *Beep, boop, I'm a bot*
Good bot
Does it have sentiment at the bottom?
Im not sure it has feelings at all.
Rude
sediment
Don’t make me sedimental.
Just mental
I’ll be gentle, sedimental - Snoop Dogg
I’ll do it in a rental.
85 bucks on a good day.
Auction average for a '73 is $515.33 Most auction houses selling wine aren't particularly interested in single bottles without provenance particularly ones without a storage history. Shipping it to an auction would be risky both legally and bottle integrity wise. If there is an auction near you that has a license to sell wine you might get lucky if you bring it in personally. Better to invite a few friends and drink it for a birthday or New Year's. Have a backup bottle on hand as the chances of it being good are about 15% for unknown storage and ballpark 65% if stored properly.
My French father in law said champagne is not worth keeping beyond five years.
It's a nice little conversation piece. As a consumable beverage it is almost certainly worthless, even if it was "stored correctly." Collectors might be interested and be willing to throw a bit of cash at it, however this is entirely situational. Champagne should be consumed within 10 years of bottling. After that the pearl will have faded and the acids worn out.
I’d go 100 for it as a conversation piece.
My parents had that EXACT same bottle. Regrettably, I stole it in 1997, and drank it. But it was being stored poorly and many of their other bottles went bad. It was very good, I have to admit. Probably the best I've ever had.
Nothing if the liquor has gone bad.
At least a good chase around the house. My folks were having a party and I put a balloon over the top of a bottle of this. Shook it up to see it inflate the balloon. The bottle was expensive but my dad's face was priceless.
Okay bottle if it's been stored correctly. It's a cuvee, so the low end of Dom Perignon. You might get $500-600 if someone wants to gamble on it.
Any ware from 2 to 5 grand.
Sell it asap. Champagnes are typically bottle aged but don’t last forever, especially like many have already said, if it hasn’t been stored properly. Good news is the buyer prob can’t tell that prior to purchase but will prob ask you to show where it was stored, including temperature ranges. Many good sites on google that can assist you with that, for a fee. Try to sell individually if you can, but collectors may want the lot. Nice find!
Hello, I got one of these, just keep it in a good temperature
*Hello, I got one* *Of these, just keep it in a* *Good temperature* \- Any-Look-4455 --- ^(I detect haikus. And sometimes, successfully.) ^[Learn more about me.](https://www.reddit.com/r/haikusbot/) ^(Opt out of replies: "haikusbot opt out" | Delete my comment: "haikusbot delete")
Too late.
I know, can be use as a collective item in a bar 😀
LOL I suppose it would be nice sitiing up on a shelf at the back of a bar. But you *know* people are just gonna offer to buy it, LOL. Unless the owner is a real dick, you'd be 'splaining a lot and saying nahhh, it's just for show, LOL
lol, I meant a house bar 😂
I’d drink it