30 Year Old Home Brew Wine

[BrotherMalice]

While clearing out her garage my mother in law discovered a box of wine that she assumed her late husband had ordered, on closer inspection yesterday she discovered that is was home brewed wine! - the writing on the bottles indicates that it was bottled at latest in 1983!! (there are several different types in there, bottled at different times...)

Opened a bottle of rhubarb wine, beautifully clear and smelt OK so we gave it a try, it tasted rather like sherry so we finished our glasses and went about our day, me & my brother in law decided to have another glass a bit later and noticed that it was much darker, this time sadly it was un-drinkable, by the time it was in the glass it was almost black!

Any ideas what happened to it?

 

[Mark1964]

sounds like it oxidized on opening other than that i dont have a clue

 

[bobsbeer]

Surprised it oxidised so quickly. But obviously some sort of chemical reaction on exposure to air.

 

[EskiBrew]

:shock: I wonder what colour it turned in your stomach :sick: :lol:
Oh well - no harm done :thumb:

 

[asd]

I understand that very old vintage Port has to be consumed within a few hours of opening, as it becomes undrinkable within a matter of hours.

Simon.

 

[BarnsleyBrewer]

Where's Mr. Mole??? :wha:

 

[oldbloke]

Tasted like sherry immediately - partly oxidised. And went the rest of the way straight after that. Probably bottled without sulphites, though after all that time they may not have helped anyway. Not much wine can stand being left for 30 years, even that fancy stuff made of grapes.

 

[Moley]

Where's Mr. Mole??? :wha:

Here, but I can't add anything to the answers already given.

 

[BrotherMalice]

Well we didnt open any more bottles but maybe next time we visit we will open another bottle (and drink it quicker...)