Did winery change the flavor?

[mj1]

Is it at all common for a winery to radically change the flavor of their wines? I was given a bottle of wine called Grannys Arbor which is made by Habersham Winery. It sat around here for several years (6-12 years) before I just recently opened it and have now consumed about 3/4 of the bottle. I checked out the website for this wine and it says that this wine is now back by popular demand and that it tastes like blackberries. The picture of the bottle looks very dark. Maybe they've changed the bottle but my wine was light colored, like a light goldish color and the bottle was clear. The wine tasted nothing like blackberries. I haven't had many wines but it was the worst one I've ever tasted. It has no flavor except for that distinct alcohol flavor. Is this normal? Or did the company change the flavor so that it now tastes like blackberries? Here's the website if you want to check it out - North East Georgia Vineyards and Georgia Winery and the wine is called Grannys Arbor.

[Andy M.]

First of all, your wine is 6-12 years old. That alone will change the flavor of a wine.

Second, not all wines improve with age.

Third, this wine, according to the website is made with grapes and fruit flavors. It's possible the formulation changed in the past 6-12 years.

[JamesS]

Although it's often not a radical change, wines do change from year to year. Grapes are living things. Sunlight, rain, time and a host of other variables shape what they taste like from day to day and play a major role in what a wine made from them ultimately tastes like.

[mj1]

What is the average shelf life of unopened wine? What about opened wine? Does the way unopened wine is stored make a difference? This one was stored upright, but that was probably the wrong thing to do, right? It was also stored in my kitchen which typically gets no hotter than 78 degrees Fahrenheit.

[CharlieD]

If it tasted like alcohol, that, in my mindm means only one thing it went bad. As Andy said already not all wines are ment to be store for long time. Some are not meant to be stored at all. For sure the conditions were not the best. Normally yo want to store wine in a cool, dark, room. And bottle should be stored horisontaly not up right.

[Andy M.]

Originally Posted by mj1

What is the average shelf life of unopened wine? What about opened wine? Does the way unopened wine is stored make a difference? This one was stored upright, but that was probably the wrong thing to do, right? It was also stored in my kitchen which typically gets no hotter than 78 degrees Fahrenheit.

Proper long-term storage should be at a temperature in the 55F-65F range. Temps in the mid 70s for years would not be a good thing.

Typically, wine bottles are stored on their side so the wine keeps the cork wet. If the cork dries out, air can get into the bottle and spoil the wine.

Opened bottles should last a couple of days.