Q&A: Wine & Food Questions
I am wondering if the wine I have is drinkable?
I have a Chateau Larmonthe de Haux Bordeaux. The top of the label says vin sec. Below Bordeaux it reads Appellation Bordeaux Controlee, 1989. I am wondering if this wine is drinkable? Has it aged to long and turned to vinegar? Thank you for your imput.
Answer From Expert Roger C. Bohmrich, MW
I believe the wine is Chateau Lamothe de Haux Bordeaux, which produces both red and white wine. According to the property's website, it is the white that comes from the Bordeaux appellation (and might say "vin sec") whereas the red is a Premieres Cotes de Bordeaux...but this may have changed over the years. In any event, this type of wine - either red or white - is not intended to be cellared for more than a few years after release; in other words, the early 1990s in this case. So the odds are not in your favor, but you certainly don't want to wait another day to pull the cork!
About The Expert
Roger has enjoyed a lengthy career in the wine trade as an importer and retailer, and at present he is an educator, speaker and consultant. He set up and managed Millesima USA, a New York merchant affiliated with Europe's leader in direct sales of fine wines to consumers. Previously, he served as senior executive of Frederick Wildman & Sons, traveling regularly around the world to visit wineries and taste the new vintage from barrel. Roger became one of America's first Masters of Wine in 1993.
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