I don’t know a lot about fine wines, I am trying to find an anniversary gift and my wife asked for a Du Val Cabernet Sauvignon wine. I found one online at a really good price where most were several hundred dollars. However the seller can not guarantee the wine, is there any risk in buying a vintage wine online where it has gone bad? The bottle I found was here

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Oh I apologize, I thought I responded when I cleared out the URL.

Absolutely many wines found online are already bad. They were stored improperly. They were exposed to heat. There's all sorts of things that can destroy a wine.

I would be extremely hesitant to buy any vintage wine online, unless the seller had a top notch reputation and could back it up with a guarantee of some sort. Or at least some sort of proof that the wine was properly cared for.

According to reviews on CellarTracker this wine is drinking well and at its peak.

What this particular bottle is like depends -- as Lisa said -- on its provenance. How has it been stored the past 30 years?

The seller won't guarantee it - that's not unusual -- but unless they offer some convincing evidence of its provenance I suggest you pass on it.

Another factor is that this is a very old wine and even in perfect condition it will taste like an aged wine. Many wine lovers know and appreciate the changed taste profile but if the recipient isn't used to drinking old wine they may be very disappointed.

If you use the money to buy a case of good wine then you can open a bottle now and on the anniversary over the next 11 years.