How do you know if wine is bad?

Question

Iv'e had some homemade wine in my fridge for about a month I drink it last week I didn't get sick.

I tasted it today I can't tell if it's bad or not I just taste the alcohol. Can old wine make you sick?

Iv'e never have before but I don't want to die or something.

Answer 1

trust me you'll no it smells like old apple juice . it's a nasty little stank. thats hard to get rid of.

Answer 2

well... if wine tastes good and it is not like a very light pink see through color it is good to drink and if it doesnt taste good that is another sign of it is bad

Answer 3

When wine goes bad it turns to vinegar.  anyone can tell wine from vinegar.  If it tastes like vinegar, don't drink it.

Answer 4

If it's gone off, it will taste like vinegar, & white wines will go a dark yellow shade.Not all wine ages gracefully.My neice owns a vineyard/winery & she says you never store white wine in brightly lit areas. Always choose whites in green bottles where possible and store your reds on a slanted level so that the wine is touching the cork.

Answer 5

When wine goes bad, it turns sour.  It will taste more like vinegar than wine.

It isn't going to hurt you, but it doesn't taste good at all.  You could still use a soured wine in place of vinegar in recipes, for example.  It would be safe to do that.

Since you said you've had it in the fridge opened for a week, it's going to depend how well it was sealed and how much was left (or rather, how much was used before).  The more that was used, the more air was in the bottle and the quicker it will sour.  If it was sealed loosely then there could be a circulation of air, which will sour it much quicker over a tight seal.  The refrigerator is a good place for opened wines, as it will reduce the rate of souring over a counter or cabinet where its warm, but a week is still on the long side.  I usually try to use leftover refrigerated wines within 2 days of opening.

Here's a tip for next time, though: If you have a 375mL wine bottle (easiest to find a champagne bottle in this size), when you open a bottle try to use about half of it.  The leftovers will be about 375mL, and you can use a funnel to put the leftovers in your small bottle.  Once you cork that, it's like a new bottle of wine and should last you a good amount of time, even if you don't refrigerate it.

Also, while its true that wine when first produced will be the harshest, this is NEVER released by wineries.  I'm talking right after fermentation, so about 4 weeks after harvest.  Every wine is allowed to age for atleast 2 years (pinot noirs get 2 years, cabernet sauvignon get 4+ years, with some of the more expensive ones not being released until about 7 years).  It takes away the harshness.  For the vast majority of wines, they do not benefit from substantial aging.  It would be best to use any purchased wine within a year.  You can age cabernet sauvignon, but beyond 5 years you run a higher chance of it spoiling than you get benefits from further aging.  It's almost a myth that wine aged 25 years is better, as odds are its undrinkable.  It takes a lot of dedication to age something that long, and its pretty easy to mess it up.

Answer 6

ARE U JOKING? its wine! the older the better!!! people keep bottles of wine thats 100 years old. havent you heard the expression 'aged like fine wine' ...wine doesn't go bad. in fact when its first made is when it tates the worst!

Answer 7

One can usually tell if a wine has gone bad.  General rule of thumb is that it tastes and smells like vinegar.  But a fine wine is one that ages and has a smooth taste.

Answer 8

Look at it. If it is "ropey", toss it out. Smell it. If it smells "off", toss it out. Taste it. If it tastes OK, drink it.

Answer 9

Homemade wines taste different from the commercially made wines. Homemade will have a stronger alcohol taste, and will resemble vinegar, no matter what.

After a week, any wine will be more like vinegar, and is best used for salad dressings and for deglazing a pan. It won't hurt you to drink it, but the taste of it might make you want to hurl.

Answer 10

If you go blind, it was definitely bad.