Closet treasures. Really?

[Mark D]

I originally posted this on WS forum...

Now and then, we're asked by someone on our site to divulge the approximate value of an old bottle of port found in a closet. Or garage. Or safe deposit box.

Usually, the query goes like this: "I found an old bottle of old Salty Dog Port in my recently deceased grandfather's closet. Label says 1909 but it was never opened. Do you know how much it could be worth?"

Now, I'm all for finding treasures but I have a hard time believing anything that old was properly stored or handled correctly. For a one hundred year old bottle, it had to have been tossed around. Literally. Seepage, cork erosion, fluctuations of temperatures - these are some things that come to mind right off the bat.

And some brands are a total mystery to me.

But it got me to thinking.

Has anyone here ever found a treasure like this and opened it? Tried it? How'd it turn out?

[uncle tom]

Many people buy, or get given; bottles that they keep for a special occasion. More often than not, I suspect, these bottles get left in less than ideal places, such as kitchen cupboards, and are frequently stored upright.

Sometimes that 'special occasion' never arises, and clutches of bottles from house clearances routinely appear at auction, especially the provincial sales.

- Bit sad, really...

Whilst one has a much lower performance expectation from such stock (and table wines frequently end up going down the sink..) there are also plenty of pleasant surprises to be found, especially amongst fortified wines, which are much more resilient in the face of poor storage.

You do encounter people from time to time who assume that the bottle that's been stood upright in their well lit, centrally heated living room for the last thirty years must now be worth a fortune.

For them, there is just one word of advice:

eBay!

Tom

[Portman]

It's funny, because I just was renovating this old cellar on my property here in Virginia and I found some dusty old bottles. The front is engraved "Laffite 1787" and in smaller letters "Th. J". Any idea what this is worth?

The closest I have ever come to a diamond in the rough situation was when I picked up a bottle of 1942 Lopez de Herrida Rioja at the Rastro market in Madrid for 20 Euro. God knows what it tastes like or its provenence but it has a top shoulder fill, is from one of Rioja's proven wineries, and when those grapes were on the vine the world was on fire.

[Alex Bridgeman]

It's funny, because I just was renovating this old cellar on my property here in Virginia and I found some dusty old bottles. The front is engraved "Laffite 1787" and in smaller letters "Th. J". Any idea what this is worth?

You should find yourself a good attorney and sue the guy who wrote "The Billionaire's Vinegar". Before his book, these were worth squillions. Sadly, since his book you had best use them to cook with.

Or you could ebay them. I wonder how much they would fetch on ebay?

PS - I know this wasn't serious