How long does wine last?

Question

I bought a Peruvian wine in Peru (on the pacific coast) in 2006. It's been on my counter for 2 years (exactly) it is a sweet white wine. Will it still taste ok?

Answer 1

brian is correct, inari is wrong here. I'm no expert on wine but i know a few things. As brian stated bottled wine is sensitive to things like lite and humidity. if it is better than a table wine or if its just about any red wine the bottle is usually a colored one to help keep out light. cellars always made the best storage spots because the temp naturally is more steady and usually cooler. bottles were stored on their side not just for the ease of finding the bottle but the liquid needs to stay in contact with the cork, or over a long period of time it can dry up, break the seal and cause the lose of the bottle. Alot of brands use a sythetic cork now and thats not a problem for them, I'm rusty on the why of it but i think the bottle on the rack gets a quarter turn every 3 mths to help it age and help prevent the change to vinegar. your wine should be fine tho, i would find a reason to drink it soon tho.its prob not getting any better with age

Answer 2

Wine dosen't go bad it last forever. That is what vintage is called. People are still drinking wine from 40 years ago and calling it the best year ever. Good wines are supposed to get better with age.  

Answer 3

The older it is the better. It's not going to go bad.

Answer 4

Depends.

Your counter probably has everything going against it as a wine storage location. Changes in temperature, humidity, light, and vibration are the issues that cause wine to lose flavor fastest, plus you likely have the bottle sitting upright. Whites also don't age or sit as well as reds, usually.

So worst case is that it's going to be flavorless or unpleasant. There's probably nothing wrong with drinking it, you're just not likely to enjoy it.