We don’t drink champagne. Neither of us like it. In the early days of living here we entertained (networked?) and people who did not know us well used to bring champagne as a gift.
We have an entire row of champagne bottles on their side on the top of our wine rack and I suggested we got them down and looked at them. They are all at least 11 years old.
Bearing in mind they are nothing special, are they still drinkable? Given that Christmas is coming and the photo club is having a party in 3 weeks, could I get away with serving the champagne in a kir?
What do you reckon?
Otherwise the bottles will just be opened, contents pooured down sink and bottles in the bottle bank.
These guys:
How to Store and Serve Champagne: The Dos and Don'ts l Grape Escapes.
say 3-4 years for non-vintage fizz so they are probably past their best.
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After clearing my mother’s house , we played champagne roulette when we each first predicted pop or no-pop then opened a bottle. If it popped and still tasted ok we drank it, if no-pop we tried the next. No- pop went into sauces and casseroles with no ill effect and very acceptable results!
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Yep… I’d say that provided they’ve been stored in reasonable conditions… they’ll be OK as Kir and possibly on their own (but I wouldn’t risk being disappointed/embarrassed)
so, chill well and blend with whatever flavour to enjoy as KIR
and check each bottle as you open em… odd or nasty niff… chuck away… 
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We’d try them for kir, with something else on standby. But you’ll need someone who likes champagne to taste as you open them!
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perhaps try one bottle “now” rather than wait for the day itself…
look for dates on the bottles and choose the oldest one.
if 1 bottle is OK the others probably will be 
If they’re not corked or obviously unpleasant, they’ll be ok if not exactly delicious. Personally I’d up the offering to a French 75 or champagne cocktail though.
what’s a French 75? ah just seen… it’s with gin… (makes me cry so that’s a no-no)
and Kir is the local “cocktail” in my experience… we’re a simple lot… until/unless the eau de vie flows… then all bets are off 
and I’ll probably burst into song…
Maybe it won’t make SuePJ or her guests cry…
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@SuePJ I’d have no qualms “off-loading” unwanted alcohol to my fellow Club members…
It hasn’t cost you anything and it might well turn out OK… seems a shame to tip it down the sink.
I’d gamble on it being OK and splash out on a tin of Peach syrup and Blackcurrant syrup (you know the stuff I mean)… that way you can offer a choice.
or you can do the more expensive gamble… with a bottle of gin.
whatever, best of luck.
Kir made with champagne is called Kir Royale. Never tried it myself as Fran didn’t like champagne. 
Eau de Vie is just a distant memory here. Jean-Pierre who made it died suddenly a couple of years ago and, as there was no son to inherit, his rusty old still in its ramshackle corrugated iron shelter down by the river, was dismantled bit by bit and is sadly, no more.
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sounds very posh… and our locals love it… it’s served at most public functions.
Make a champagne jello - it works even without the fizz…
made with gelatine and some small pieces of fruit in individual
small glasses or the version below minus the gold leaf
Quite posh but very easy to do.
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It is likely to be madérisé i.e. to resemble Madeira but not really in a good way. Sniff taste and see. You don’t want to use anything in cooking that you wouldn’t be ok with drinking.
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If you want any help testing/drinking bottles, ‘I’m Your Man’.
My favourite producer can only class their produce as Crement, he is only 100m form “the border” and hence I pay 16€ a bottle.
Agree! Always a good idea to look just outside the AOC area - some great wines at great prices.
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Don’t disagree, it’s what one would expect, However, sometime in the late Eighties, I finally opened a 1943 vintage champagne that hadn’t been stored properly for quite some time. Was pleasantly astonished by the contents - no longer champagne as we know it Jim - but a gloriously rich, honeyed drink whose cépage was still instantly identifiable as chardonnay. One or two bubbles remained and would slowly drift up through the glass. We savoured it because it was unlikely we’d ever taste anything like it again - ambrosial!
Should add a photo of the empty, but at the moment, there’s a match to watch…
OK, it’s half-time -
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Good things can happen, which is why I really think look/sniff/taste is a better idea than pour down the sink.
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When we bought our house here, we found a few old bottles of Champagne in the garage. The contents tasted very slightly oxidised (to my taste so does some expensive white wine) but we enjoyed them immensely. I agree with the ‘sniff and taste’ methods recommended above.
Many years ago my late father worked in the licensed trade. He was given the task of pouring away ‘old’ bottles of Champagne in the hotel where he worked. After opening a few he reckoned he could tell which were ok. He took several home (with permission, of course) and they were consumed at a family dinner . By the pint. 
Story goes, my uncle got up from the table , stating that it was just like lemonade, took one step and fell to the floor.
I like Champagne but I consider it vastly overpriced and find the various ‘Cremants’ to be perfectly acceptable if fizz is called for.
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As, I assume you are part of the photo club, how about a few photos of the bottles, some of us could give you a better steer on the potential condition.