What to do with a lot of nice wine?

[Anonymous]

We recently bought a house and it has a small wine cellar (more like a wine closet really). The sellers left us their wine—about 125 bottles. We don’t drink wine, or much alcohol at all, and the bottles appear to be “fancy” (lol, forgive my ignorance but think “1984 Chateux Fancy French Name”).

Can I sell it? If so how/where? If it is really good stuff, which I suspect it is, I want someone to enjoy it.

[Anonymous]

It might be vinegar by now.

[Anonymous]

Give it as gifts, offer it up in your local buy nothing/free group...

[Anonymous]

Yes, you can get it appraised and have a wine seller auction it off for you.

Or you could google each bottle for price and drinkability (https://www.veranda.com/food-recipes/a44819922/how-long-to-save-wine/), compost the one not likely to be good anymore (it happens -- and given that they left it ....), and use the others as gifts when you go to people's houses, holidays, birthdays, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It might be vinegar by now.

This. I would open a bottle and see how it tastes.

[Anonymous]

Bring to this place and see what they can offer you.
Wine Junction Shop and Bar in McLean, VA

[Anonymous]

Use as gifts every time you go to people's houses. I'd also donate some to an organization you like that's running a silent auction--you can write it off on your taxes.

[Anonymous]

11:10, why would we want a giant AI response? How dull. If she wanted to paste her question into ChatGPT, OP could have done that herself.

[Anonymous]

I'd also open a bottle or 2 and make sure it's still good before trying to give it away or sell it.

But if it was good, I'd just slowly drink it myself.

[Anonymous]

Wow!! That was lucky!
I’d drink some, price some, and give some away. First step is to create an inventory.

[Anonymous]

It is hard to believe that someone who went to the trouble of having a wine cellar/closet would leave behind bottles that are actually valuable. There’s probably a reason the previous owner left them, OP.

[Anonymous]

Might find some valuable bottles in there. Probably not, but check each one out carefully.

1982 was a very desirable year for European wines. Some bottles go into the 5 digits. Many bottles from the 1980s sell for around 1K give or take.

[Anonymous]

I maybe in the minority here, but you say you drink alcohol, but not wine — why not? If it’s a lack of enjoyment or understanding, inheriting a collection that big certainly is enough of an impetus to look into it. You can achieve your first level sommelier certification through the WSET program within a few days of study. Wine is a fascinating field as is wine and food pairing, and even if you only drank a bottle a week, you would still be through your collection (assuming everything within it is still good, and you don’t give any away or sell it) in two years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Might find some valuable bottles in there. Probably not, but check each one out carefully.

1982 was a very desirable year for European wines. Some bottles go into the 5 digits. Many bottles from the 1980s sell for around 1K give or take.

A DRC that old would go into the 6 digits.

[Anonymous]

Go online and look. Or post names here. Anything worth anything will have tons of info online.