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I have access to 14x cases of Petaluma 1998 Merlot ($70 AUD/bottle when it was available). In short, the boss's brother bought heaps a long time ago and forgot he stored it in our warehouse. It is supposedly not drinkable as wine anymore, way past prime. I've never drank expired wine before, doesn't last that long around my house, so not sure exactly what it tastes like now. I can get it very cheap or maybe free.

Can I chuck this in my bubble plate still (4x plates, skip the packing) and make a nice brandy? I know brandy is distilled wine, but what about old expired wine? Despite it not being drinkable as is now, I don't want to be responsible for taking $10,000 of wine and making it into something nasty. Remember: It belongs to my boss's family! Not a good way to assure job security....

If its not vinegar, run it.

If someone thinks it's still worth $10,000, don't do it, it won't be worth anywhere near that after you've distilled it.

Have you tasted it?

NZChris wrote:If someone thinks it's still worth $10,000, don't do it, it won't be worth anywhere near that after you've distilled it.

Have you tasted it?

no shit. I think pulling a cork for a taste is in order. big difference between undrinkable and "past it's best before date" hell i didn't know wine had such a thing...whats with all the vintage spendy ones?
HDNB=notawineo

HDNB wrote:

NZChris wrote:If someone thinks it's still worth $10,000, don't do it, it won't be worth anywhere near that after you've distilled it.

Have you tasted it?

no shit. I think pulling a cork for a taste is in order. big difference between undrinkable and "past it's best before date" hell i didn't know wine had such a thing...whats with all the vintage spendy ones?
HDNB=notawineo

I haven't tasted it yet. And although it was worth $10K at one point, now much less as it supposedly is "not great anymore". His wine and if he says not drinkable anymore, I'll take his word....

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How it has aged will depend to some degree on how well it has been cellared. If it's been in a stinking hot warehouse every summer for fifteen years, it may be well past it's prime. There's only one way to find out.

It's been stored in an area that is moderately climate controlled. High 70's on a hot summer day, low 50's on a winter night. Not prime cellaring conditions, but not crazy swings. Guess I should do the responsible thing and ask to drink a few bottles, for scientific purposes only! If it doesn't taste of vinegar and the owner accepts the risk, I'll let her rip...

Yeah Merlot lasts about 5 years before going backwards as a rule, it might not be undrinkable but it might not be as good as it was. As far as brandy with plates it should be just fine or maybe better than fine. What is the ABV of it?

If it does taste of vinegar, which is highly unlikely, it's worth nothing as wine, but distilling should take out the vinegar.

Regardless of it's condition now, if it found it's way into my shed, some would be drunk quickly if it was still worth drinking, some would be put back on oak and turned into red wine vinegar, the rest double pot distilled, Cognac style, with copper in the boiler and vapor path. I would be very surprised if it was impossible to cut a decent brandy out of it.

NZChris wrote:If it does taste of vinegar, which is highly unlikely, it's worth nothing as wine, but distilling should take out the vinegar.

Yeah I was gonna say the same thing. Even if it tastes like shit I'd still run it and see what happens. If the distillate doesn't make a good Brandy I'd double run it through the flute and make neutral

Not long after I built my still, I did a deal with a group that had made a wine they weren't happy with. I did the distilling in exchange for half of the product. The product was new make white 'grappa' for want of a better description. I got the cuts right and everyone was very happy with the product and the deal.

is it in those cool pine crates?