Unopened wine can be consumed past its printed expiration date if it smells and tastes OK. Red wine: 2–3 years past the printed expiration date. Cooking wine: 3–5 years past the printed expiration date. Fine wine: 10–20 years, stored properly in a wine cellar.

What does the date on a bottle of wine mean?

Youre at your wine shop, grocery store or local restaurant, and there right in front of you on the bottles label or next to the wines name on the menu is a date, a year to be specific. A wines vintage represents the year in which the grapes that were used to make that wine were grown and harvested.

Is there an expiration date on alcohol?

Does Liquor Expire? Unopened liquor has an indefinite shelf life. Opened liquor lasts about a year or two before it goes bad—meaning it starts losing its color and flavor. Dont use a liquor for well drinks if you wont use the whole bottle within two years.

How do you read the expiration date on alcohol?

First line has 3 digits followed by a space, then one more digit. The first three digits represent the day of the year, last digit is the last number of the year.

What happens if you drink expired alcohol?

Expired alcohol doesnt make you sick. If you drink liquor after its been open for more than a year, you generally only risk a duller taste. Flat beer typically tastes off and may upset your stomach, whereas spoiled wine usually tastes vinegary or nutty but isnt harmful.

Can you drink old unopened wine?

How long does unopened wine last? Though unopened wine has a longer shelf life than opened wine, it can go bad. Unopened wine can be consumed past its printed expiration date if it smells and tastes OK.

Can drinking out of date alcohol make you sick?

Does alcohol have an expiration date? Alcohol has a best before date rather than a use by date, meaning it is safe to drink past the date on the container. As a general rule, the taste will start to change gradually over time once the drink has passed its best before date.