Identifying Wine ...

[NotQuiteCockney]

Another thread has inspired me to work out what wine we have, and what's good for regifting.

First, does wine go off? I mean, I know it can be corked, but this stuff has been stored at quite stable temperatures, I think. Does champagne go off?

Second, what wines of these are worth giving to teachers, family, whatever. Are any of them really naff?

Ok, and here's the list (almost everything said appelation controlee, and bottled on site or in the chateau or whatever. didn't bother writing that bit down):

(fancy wine box)
Diszoko Tokaji 2003 (I think we'll drink that, but is it nice?)
Francois Raquillet Mercurey Veilles Vignes 2003
Chateau Tour St Brumet Medoc
Chablis Domaine Sainte Claire Jean-Marie Broard 2002
Pol Roger Champagne Reserve

(bits and bobs)
Hardys Merlot
Cotes du Rhone 2002 Rhodaniere
Calvet Reserve Bordeau 1992
Champagne Oudinet
Champagne Pommery

(Virgin wine box)
Valle Benta, 2002 Gavu Piemonte Araldica
2003 Chardonnay Delle Venezie
2001 Sainte Emilion Grand Cru
Grozes Hermitage Cave des Clairmonts 2003
Julienas 2001 Pierre Chavau
Mercurey 1999 Pierre Chavau
Tasmanian Pinot Noir 2003, Wave Crest
Mille + Une Pierres Correze 1998 Vignerons de Brancoilles
Nuits Saint George Louis Jadot

I know not a lot but Pol Roger and Pommery Champagnes are fine. Not Moet but above supermarket etc.

Wine can go off, yes. Some is not meant to be kept, it's meant to be drunk.

The Tokaji is not a partic. special one (I looked it up!) but will be yummy with your xmas pud (or foie gras if you eat it)

2002 was a crap year in the vast majority of the Rhone so I wouldn't give that to anyone!

The Crozes Herminage should be fine, you can buy it in Waitrose I think for £7ish

what year is the Jadot Nuits St Georges? or is it NV?
I think Oudinet is the M&S cheapie champagne IIRC

The St Emilion will keep. Hope you are storing them cool and lying down....I'd give away the cote de rhone and the calvet

The Jadot is 1998.

I'm trying to pull out the stuff I would give to teachers, which I guess should be nice, but maybe not absolutely incredible?

The wooden box stuff is still in the fancy lined wooden case. The Virgin stuff is, um, sitting in the cardboard box it came in, last year.

So the Virgin box is actually nice wine? I assumed it wouldn't be.

I don't even remember who gave DH that, he's forever getting big boxes of wine, meaning to share them with colleagues, and leaving them in our house.

Oh, I should add, we don't really drink, hence the large collection. We can't get through a bottle of wine between the two of us. And frankly, we really like Rose d'Anjou, so "nice" wine isn't worth wasting on us.

any more info?

CD, about which? The Jadot? I can go check. I'm just guessing at which bits of information are relevant, you know. At least I speak French.

Hmm, nothing else really. Is Nuits-Saint-Georges a type of grape? I don't see a grape type here. Or a region, come to think of it. Louis Jadot, 1998. Eleve et Mis en bouteilles par, appelation controlee, fondee en 1859.

It's red. Slopey-shouldered bottle - does that really indicate anything? I remember hearing it meant something, but I forget what, now.

No it's a village!

Oh, of course. That's a sensible name for a village.

So no grape type. There normally is one, isn't there? (But then, I can only recognise a few grape types, like Merlot etc. Is Mercurey a grape type?)

it is a village in Burgundy (as is Mercurey)

The grape will be Pinot Noir (predominantly)

Ah. We really are philistines. And we struggle to get through 250ml of wine in an evening.

Must buy another box of Rose d'Anjou.

So most of this stuff is fine for regifting, do you think? Nothing embarassing, except for M+S champagne?

And the Jadot, the St Emilion, and Crozes Hermitages are reasonably nice, even?

The only thing I can contribute here is that the Julienas is a Beaujolais appellation (a very nice one too!) and I think that means drink it up soon - it's not a long-lived red.

Louis Jadot is a very respectable label AFAIK. You see it in Oddbins and Waitrose

Keep the Jadot, the Pommery and Julienas for home consumption NQC.

If it's nice, we should give it away! We really really don't drink. And when we do, we're real wusses about it - we often share a small bottle of Stella.

NQC "a small bottle of stella!"
Well, I think you will have some grateful recipients

I know, it's outrageous.

And as you know, it's not like DH and I are tiny little people.

But even pre-kids, a full normal bottle of wine was too much for the two of us.