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ive got a bottle of champagne i got from an old liqour cabinet and i dont know how old it is and i cant figure out where the date is. it is a bottle of great western and theres no real numbers indicating anything on it. i need some help figuring this out.

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  1. It is very possible that there is no date on the label. Many sparkling wines are categorized as NV or non-vintage which usually means that the base wine is a blend of two or more vintages where there is no distinctly predominant vintage. I'm guessing this bottle you're referring to is made by Pleasant Valley Wine Co. in the Finger Lakes. If that's correct, then they seem to produce three different styles of sparkling wines, none of which hold a vintage designation.

    If you're still fairly concerned about figuring out the approximate age of the bottle, you can try taking a picture of the label and sending it to the winery. A lot of times wineries change their labels and this can give you an idea of when the bottle was produced. Good luck!

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      1. http://www.pleasantvalleywine.com/

        Great Western "Champagne" is produced in the Finger Lakes region of New York State. Of course, it isn't really true Champagne -- it isn't even made, IIRC, according to the "methode champenoise" -- but they persist in the use of that term. Current prices at the winery are $10.45 per 750ml bottle for any of their sparkling wines, regardless of which one of the three types you buy: Brut (1.6% r.s.), Extra Dry (2.0% r.s.), or Chardonnay (which appears to lack any sort of designation of sweetness, but is in fact advertised at 1.3% r.s.). The latter is, of course, produced from Chardonnay grapes; the Brut and Extra Dry are made from a blend of Aurore, Delaware, Chardonnay and Catawba -- in that order. All three are indeed non-vintage wines, meaning that the wine is a blend of different vintages.

        These are not wines that benefit from additional bottle age after release.

        1. imho the best way to figure out if it's any good is to chill it and open it. But be prepared for vinegar. 8>0