Sign up or log in to customize your list. Here's how it works: Anybody can ask a question The best answers are voted up and rise to the top During my move to a new place, I found a bottle of wine that I had kept in my refrigerator that was dated 2004. It was still sealed; it didn't look like anything was floating around inside, and to all intents and purposes, it looked to be an average bottle of red wine that you'd find at your typical liquor store. However, I'm wondering if it's still any good or not, and if there was a way to check outside of opening it and taking a swig. If you want to make sure your wine is still good without opening the bottle (wine, vinegar or broth), there are some things you can check. This doesn't give you 100% guarantee that the wine is actually any good. Did the bottle lay horizontally (good) or was it standing up (bad). The wine must be in contact with the cork to hydrate it. This way the seal stays intact and the wine doesn't spoil.

How 'aged' was the wine? Normally a young wine will last about one year (maybe two in the fridge), a reserve or great reserve can last longer. Some wines will mature for 25 years or more.If it's in good state (no 'dirty' spots), that's good. Check the cork (without opening the seal). If the cork is pushing the seal out, then your wine may have suffered from heat (the air in the bottle pushes the cork out). This may cause your wine to taste of cork (broth).best california wine list in nyc Remove the seal and check the cork. top red wines under 30 dollarsIf the cork is clean, that's good. food and wine 10 best new chefsIf it has red spots (see point 4). best snack food with wine

If it looks dry... you may have a nice vinegar. Substances floating in the wine doesn't mean the wine is bad, but you'll need to decant the wine carefully. But anyway, open the bottle soon. Waiting any longer won't make the wine any better. That's the thing about wine. You never know until you taste it. It might be a pleasant surprise or it might be swill. That's actually part of the fun of trying wine. But generally speaking, if it was nothing special 2004 it won't be better now. the best wine tours san franciscoWines that are worth "waiting for" are noticeably outstanding even when they're new (they might need more decanting early in their life).best way to package wine for shipping Just try it... but have a back-up bottle! Until you are ready to "take a swig" it doesn't really matter what state it is in "Now".

At present it is a perfectly fine mantel piece. When you are ready to actually drink it, it is either wine or vinegar, but you are going to have to pop the cork (or open the twist top...) to find out. If it is for an important occasion, have a back up bottle in the wine rack. You need all the information on the label to assess a wine. the vintage in only part of it. The fridge is not a good wine cellar. wines deteriorate quickly there. ultimately, it is all educated guess work anyway. It might not have been good in 2004. if you like it, serve it. if not, flush it. Sign up or log in Sign up using Google Sign up using Email and Password Post as a guest By posting your answer, you agree to the privacy policy and terms of service. Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged storage-lifetime wine or ask your own question.Editor's note: Are you there? Share your images if you can safely. (CNN) -- The strongest earthquake in 25 years in Northern California's Bay Area struck early Sunday, injuring dozens of people, damaging historic buildings in downtown Napa and turning fireplaces into rubble.

The 6.0-magnitude quake struck just six miles southwest of Napa, California's famed wine country. "Everything and everyone in Napa was affected by the quake. My house, along with everybody else's, is a disaster. It looks like somebody broke in and ravaged the place, room by room," said CNN iReporter Malissa Koven, who was awakened by the shaking at about 3:20 a.m. "Anything and everything that could fall, did," she said. One child was hurt when a fireplace collapsed and was airlifted to UC Davis Medical Center, hospital spokeswoman Vanessa deGier told CNN. Nearly 160 were treated for minor injuries at the emergency room at Queen of the Valley Hospital, though hospital CEO Walt Mickens could not confirm that all of those patients were injured in the earthquake. Thirteen people were admitted for orthopedic issues and medical conditions, according to Mickens. By Sunday night, only one patient was still in critical condition. The damage in Napa is "fairly significant," said Glenn Pomeroy, the CEO of the California Earthquake Authority, who surveyed the area Sunday afternoon.

At least 15,000 customers in and around Sonoma, Napa and Santa Rosa lost power, according to Pacific Gas and Electric Company. Roughly 7,300 were still without power as of Sunday evening. In historic downtown Napa, the bricks and beams that once made up buildings' facades lay splayed in the street. Shattered glassware covered the floor of a local restaurant. One home had visible charring from a fire that occurred in the aftermath of the quake. Gas leaks and downed power lines were also reported. "The post office building had cracked, the local hardware store was destroyed with layers of shelves that had fallen over and busted the windows, multiple buildings had fallen apart, and all the local businesses looked trashed on the inside and out," Koven said. Pomeroy said that downtown was particularly hard hit "probably because of the age of construction." However, the damage "is not as bad as it could have been," Mark Ghilarducci, the director of the California Office of Emergency Services, said at a news conference Sunday.

To help with the recovery Gov. Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency. "We're here for the long run," Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom told CNN. "Not just when we're putting out fires -- literally." The earthquake triggered six major fires that destroyed several mobile homes, said Napa Division Fire Chief John Callanan. Napa Public Works Director Jack Rochelle said it might take up to a week to get the water system back to normal after dozens of water main breaks were reported. The water that is still flowing is safe to drink, he said. How did it feel? Sunday's earthquake struck four miles northwest of American Canyon, six miles southwest of Napa and nine miles southeast of Sonoma, according to the USGS. The USGS estimated that based on their locations, 15,000 people experienced severe shaking, 106,000 people felt very strong shaking, 176,000 felt strong shaking and 738,000 felt moderate shaking. For those in Napa, close to the epicenter, the quake jolted downtown residents such as Karen Lynch.

"It was not like other quakes we have felt," Lynch told CNN. "This was a violent quake." Although the quake has not resulted in any deaths so far, many residents were surprised by how strong it was. "Honestly it felt much worse than the '89 earthquake," CNN iReporter Garret Gauer said. "The refrigerator relocated itself to the other side of the kitchen" Farther south of the epicenter in San Francisco, CNN producer Augie Martin felt the quake differently. "It was a fairly good shake, about 25 or 30 seconds. It was a softer rolling type earthquake," he said. The quake struck about seven miles deep and was considered "strong" by the USGS. Major quakes start at a 7.0 magnitude, according to the USGS scale. More than 60 aftershocks struck in the hours following the quake, according to the USGS, ranging from 0.6 to 3.6 magnitude. The economic loss is likely to be more than $1 billion, according to USGS pager data. "I've got a lot of broken wine, being here in Napa," said Emily Massimi, who was woken up by the quake.

"We tend to collect wine, so I have wine all over my kitchen, and glass, and pictures off the wall and books off of bookshelves," she told CNN. At Silver Oak Winery, owner David Duncan spent the morning cleaning up hundreds of broken wine bottles that fell off the shelves. "Those bottles were very unique," he said. They were part of his private collection and worth hundreds of dollars. Duncan said he plans to open the winery today. But it's not just the wine economy that will feel the pain. "There's a mythology about Napa, that it's all fancy wineries," Newsom said. "But underneath that there are a lot of folks here -- very low income -- that are going to need support." The quake was the strongest to hit the Bay Area since 1989, when a 6.9-magnitude one struck during the World Series. The Loma Prieta earthquake caused 63 deaths, 3,757 injuries and an estimated $6 billion in property damage, according to the USGS. The damage from Sunday's earthquake was relatively minor compared with the buckled highways and destroyed homes that scattered the Bay area in the aftermath of the quake 25 years ago.