Wine sediments

[Randy Caparoso]

I cannot tell you about the specific wine you have, since I have no experience it. But I do know German wine, and they tend to be a lot more durable than a politician on the presidential trail.

If, when you open your bottle, it is still a bright golden color (and not a dirty brown), chances are you're doing fine. If it smells fruity, honeyish, or even slightly petrol-like, you're doing better -- that's how old German whites smell. Chances are, it will taste just fine -- a little tired, perhaps ('79 was considered an average year), but fine. But just in case, I'd have a backup bottle of a younger wine ready just in case (if you're waiting for an occasion) the wine comes out tasting flat as a Republican at a tree huggers' rally.

Those little floating things you see in the bottle, by the way, are not sediment, but crystalized tartaric acid deposits. Totally harmless, virtually tasteless. They might look gnarly, of course, so you might want to stand the bottle up in the refrigerator for about a day just before serving, so that they stay at the bottom of the bottle while you're pouring it. I can't say drinking them down is quite as exciting as eating the worm in a tequila bottle, but what the heck -- sometimes you gotta live dangerously!