&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve been holding these wines for years,&rdquo; my dad tells me excitedly as we hurry toward the basement to grab some liquid goodies for our Christmas dinner. &ldquo;1995. French,&rdquo; he assures me. Sounds promising. Images of Burgundy Corton or Bordeaux Latour dance like sugar plums in my head. He reaches into the bar and pulls out a bottle. It&rsquo;s a 1995&hellip; Beaujolais. My heart sinks. I know it won&rsquo;t be good but I humor him hoping for a Christmas miracle. Instead, we got Christmas vinegar.

You may be asking yourself, &ldquo;Why? Don&rsquo;t all wines get better with age?&rdquo; The answer, alas, is no. Only one percent (yes I said it, only one percent!) of wines age. The rest are made to drink in the first 3-5 years. And as producers scramble more and more to cater to consumer tastes, because who has patience anymore these days, the number could become even less. Don&rsquo;t worry, you and my father are not the only ones who didn&rsquo;t know this. I didn&rsquo;t know it myself until I began studying for my sommelier exams, where it was one of the first things they taught us because so few people do. So how do you avoid your own wine disaster and vinegar puckered face in the scene I described above? Read the following tips.

&nbsp;

Red Wines that Age

The skins of grapes contain tannins. Tannins cause a dry, astringent quality that sucks all the moisture out of your mouth when you drink certain wines. They are also the reason red wine often pairs with fatty meats. The fat makes the tannins feel less harsh, and the tannins make the fat feel less greasy. Tannins also contain natural preservatives so wines with a very high level of tannin age longer.

Cabernet Sauvignon is a very small grape so the skin to fruit ratio is much higher than other varieties. Therefore, it&rsquo;s a great grape to age. Merlot, Syrah, Nebbiolo, Sangiovese, and Pinot Noir are other grapes that can age if (and this is a big IF) the winemakers choose to make the wine in a style of higher tannin. They can do this by picking the grapes earlier and letting the juice sit on the skins for prolonged periods.

The regions that usually have wines that age are: Bordeaux, Burgundy, Rhone, Barolo, Chianti Classico, Super Tuscans, California Cabs from Napa, Sonoma, or Santa Cruz Mountains, and Australian Shiraz.

High end producers in these regions make wines that are extremely tight and tannic upon release. You do not want to drink them right away. If you taste a bunch of new release Bordeaux your tongue quickly feels like sand paper. Take my word for it, it is not a pleasant experience. These producers make wines specifically to age. The fascination is that only old wines develop tertiary notes of mushroom, cigar smoke, leather and deep earth. I know these may not sound intriguing on the page but in the glass an old Bordeaux is so beautiful it can make you cry. After tasting a 1982 Chateau Mouton Rothschild, I literally did.

High end producers chase this experience of beauty in a bottle. To do this, they buy the best land, pick only the best grapes, and use the most expensive oak barrels. Oak also contains its own tannins that help wine age. All of these things are expensive, however, so a good rule of thumb if you&rsquo;re aging a wine is to first check the region, then the price. If the region is correct, but the price is $25, it&rsquo;s not going to age. Stick to wines that are $50 and up when it comes to purchasing to age. $100 is even better.

White Wines that Age

Much fewer white wines age. This is because the wines are pressed right away and have less skin contact with tannins. The most likely white grape to age is Chardonnay, and a lot of this has to do with the fact it&rsquo;s often aged in oak. White Burgundies and California Chards often age well, or wines from the Jura in France because they are made in an oxidative style. This means they are intentionally exposed to oxygen during fermentation, something that is usually a huge no-no. Oxygen gives wines a nutty flavor that can be interesting and, when made in this manner are able to withstand the oxygen encountered over years of aging. Roussanne and Marsanne from the Rhone in France are other possible aging contenders, or Greco de Tufo from Italy.

Usually, whites will not age as long as reds, however. On average, I wouldn&rsquo;t let a white age for more than 20 years. There are, of course, exceptions to this rule but it&rsquo;s a gamble. I once had a 1972 Greco de Tufo by Mastroberardino that blew my socks off, but it tasted more sherry-like and nutty so be prepared. A lot of people like to experiment with very old Chardonnays from the 1970&rsquo;s. This is always interesting because some wines are still kicking, but a lot are nearing the grave. Hold these wines at your own risk.

&nbsp;

Price Point

I&rsquo;m going to hit this one more time. Wines at the grocery store do not age. This is what happened in the story at the top with my father. Someone probably picked him up a decent Beaujolais for $25, and if they had drunk it that night it would&rsquo;ve been great. But it&rsquo;s made from the Gamay grape that has very little skin contact or oak and is fashioned to be drunk young. (They even make a category called Beaujolais Nouveau that is meant to drink immediately after harvest).

A $40 Bordeaux will not age, either. In this case, the producer made a choice to cater to the crowd that wants to drink now, and made a lighter fruitier style with less oak or skin contact. There is nothing wrong with drinking these wines, they just can&rsquo;t age.

Here is a list of producers I recommend for aging. This is not an all-inclusive list, just a few I recommend.

<ul>
	<li>Bordeaux: Chateau Mouton Rothschild, Calon Segur, Cos d&rsquo;Estournal, Chateau Palmer, Chateau Haut Brion, Phelan Segur, Leoville Las Cases, Lynch Bages</li>
	<li>Burgundy: Domaine de la Romanee Conti, l&rsquo;Enfant Jesus by Bouchard Pere &amp; Fils, Hospices de Beaune, Georges Latour</li>
	<li>Rhone: Jean-Louis Chave, E. Guigal, Jaboulet, Beaucastel</li>
	<li>Super Tuscans: Sassicaia, Tignanello, Brancaia, Ornellaia, Le Macchiole, Luce</li>
	<li>Cabs from California: Bond, Harlan Estate, Diamond Creek, Mount Eden, Ridge Montebello, Stag&rsquo;s Leap</li>
	<li>Cabernet from Lebanon: Chateau Musar (a personal favorite of mine)</li>
	<li>Australian Shiraz: Penfold&rsquo;s Grange, d&rsquo;Arenberg</li>
</ul>

Not all wines are meant to age. Deciding on when to enjoy a wine often comes down to the region, varietal and price point.

Aging Wine: The Little Known Truth

Wines from grapes grown in higher altitude areas with cooler climate has become quite the trend recently. This specific growing environment gives intense flavor but elegance and freshness to the final wines. To highlight and champion these conditions more and more winemakers are starting to use alto as a marketing and labelling term to show their grapes were grown in high altitude vineyards.

Decoding the wine label: Alto

Brut is a word often seen on labels for different kinds of sparkling wine. As you may have discovered when drinking these wines, it indicates that the wine is dry, meaning there is no perceived sweetness in the wine. But how about Extra Brut or Dry, what do they mean and are they the same as Brut?

Decoding the wine label: Brut

Semi-sweet Riesling, a type of wine falling out of style. It’s a shame, since these wines are perfect to pair with flavorful cuisines like Asian or Mexican, or simply drink as they come under the summer sun. The higher level of sugar left in the wine also means that the alcoholic fermentation was stopped before finishing, providing a wine with lower alcohol level and therefor easier grabbing a second glass of.

Decoding the wine label: Spätlese

Have you ever heard the word Xinomavro? Most have not. It is however a word on many sommeliers’ lips today, as it happens to be considered the grape variety with the highest quality in Greece, and one that is trending at the moment. The fact that Greece have been making wine for a long time comes as no surprise, but they have never exported an amount to make sure wine lovers around the globe tried it. With the growing wine tourism many have discovered these wines and are serving them in wine bars and restaurants in many countries today.

Decoding the wine label: Xinomavro

Chianti Classico, Valpolicella Classico, Soave Classico… Why do all these Italian wine regions have the Classico addendum and what does it mean? What is the difference for wines labeled as Classico?

Classico is a wine term in Italy seen on a few wine labels and it indicates that the wine’s from the historic center of the region, the heart. Using Chianti and Chianti Classico and their Sangiovese-based red wines as an example, Chianti is a rather large wine district within the Tuscany region. Chianti Classico is located withing Chianti as the central part and the one that originally existed. Back then this smaller region was actually called Chianti, but as the region grew the quality of the wine plummeted and the well-known characteristics of these red wines were watered down. The reputation took a hit and sales diminished. Eventually this led to the creation of Chianti Classico, which would be drawn from the original Chianti borders to recover the typicity of these wines. Today the quality of both Chianti and Chianti Classico have risen a lot due to modern techniques and knowledge about pruning, planting and temperature control in the winery.

Decoding the wine label: Classico

In the rarefied world of fine wine, where bottles can command prices equivalent to luxury cars, authenticity is everything. Laurent Ponsot's gripping memoir "FBI: Fake Bottle Investigation" reads more like a high-stakes thriller than a traditional wine book, chronicling his relentless pursuit of one of the wine world's most infamous counterfeiters, Rudy Kurniawan.

From Burgundy's Vineyards to the FBI's Most Wanted: A Winemaker's Quest for Justice

Chablis – one of the more popular styles of wine today and a region known by many. Most are familiar with the word Chablis and the light, fresh white wine with a touch of minerality it brings. Even though it’s a renowned wine, few knows what it really is.

Decoding the wine label: Chablis

Many grape varieties around the world of wine have names local to the region or country they’re grown in, even though they’re exactly the same. The most famous example would be Syrah in France where the same grape is named Shiraz in Australia. Another variety with two names is Pinot Grigio, or Pinot Gris.

Decoding the wine label: Pinot Grigio

Have you ever seen the term sur lie on a wine label? It’s not a grape and not a wine region, but a winemaking method used to give certain styles of white wine a rounder texture and a more complex flavor profile.

Decoding the wine label: Sur lie

Carbone

Maria Valetta, wine educator, and certified sommelier, and Robert Tas review the wine list at Carbone, a high-end Italian restaurant that retains the glamor of mid-20th-century Italian restaurants. 

Wine List Review of Carbone, 

Maria Valetta

Carbone Las Vegas 

&nbsp;

RT): Hi Everyone, welcome back to CorkRules! The wine podcast that&rsquo;s here to help YOU navigate all your favorite restaurant wine lists so you can order wine with confidence!

I&rsquo;m Robert Tas, along with Maria Valetta, wine educator, and certified sommelier, also known as Maria The Wine Blonde on Instagram. Welcome back Maria

MV: Hi Robert, it&rsquo;s great to be here for another episode today we are talking about Carbone Las Vegas a spot we go to often for celebrations!

RT: Laughs&hellip; that&rsquo;s right.. Carbone&rsquo;s Las vegas outpost is known for its HEFTY portions of Italian-American favorites, served in a swanky setting. Located within the Aria Casino and Resort, this restaurant is such a hot spot you can often see crowds of people waiting outside to get in for their reservation. Timeless Italian classics are elevated with table-side presentations in the glamorous dining room that takes its d&eacute;cor inspiration from the rat pack era. Maria I can&rsquo;t wait to see what you think of their extensive wine list.

MV: I really love how well Carbone does elevated Italian-American cuisine..- it reminds me of the way I grew up and the kind of food we ate&hellip; especially for our early Sunday suppers with Nonna. Now I thought the NYC wine list was all that&hellip; but the Vegas location &hellip; just as impressive! Lots of Italian of course but also some great French finds, and California is just as well represented&hellip;I mean,&nbsp; it is an Italian American restaurant after all.

RT: Well of course.. so walk us through your favorites starting with the by-the-glass list.. something we didn&rsquo;t have access to for our NY episode

MV: That&rsquo;s right&hellip; Okay so definitely start with their negroni&hellip; it&rsquo;s the best! And then order a glass of the Lunae, Colli di Luni, Liguria&nbsp;2021&nbsp;Vermentino. For me, the vermentinos from Liguria have a little more floral essence that I find really lovely. Try it with the baked clams, Ceasar salad..veggie dishes, and fresh fish

If you want a fuller-bodied white try the Brewer-Clifton, Chardonnay, Sta. Rita Hills&nbsp;2019&nbsp;

$25 but this is not an oaky chard as winemaker Greg brewer uses only neutral barrels here.

Red standouts for me are the Barbaresco, Musso, Rio Sordo, Piedmont&nbsp;2018&nbsp;

$29 which is full of Ripe cherry black tar, and dark plums. And the&nbsp; , Masi, Costasera&nbsp;Amarone della Valpolicella 2017&nbsp; $33 which has coffee and cocoa notes along with red and black fruit and a higher alcohol level. (15%!!!) But both are great options for richly flavored meat dishes.

RT: Beautiful wines.. Given how great the wines by the glass are I can&rsquo;t wait to see your selections for bottles. Does anything stand out that&rsquo;s on the more affordable side?

MV: If you like Pinot noir, then try the Tornatore, Pietrarizzo, Etna Rosso&nbsp;2019&nbsp;[Bin - 33513]

$102 made from the nerelo mascallese grape, this Sicilian red has a delicate structure and a spiced herbal fruit flavor. If you like Sangiovese but not the price tag that sometimes comes with it at times,, try this one.. the Badia a Coltibuono, Sangioveto&nbsp;2015&nbsp;a smaller production release that&#39;s only made in select years and Aged in French oak for about 12-16 months

RT: How about if I&rsquo;m having the dover sole Picatta?

MV: Ah yes..so I went with value reds first because it&rsquo;s so fitting here, but the dover sole is spectacular the picatta is butter on butter plus capers and lemon&hellip;they have this funky little gem that I think is priced reasonably because no one is going to know what it is -But I would go for it&hellip; the Clos Uroulat&nbsp;2017&nbsp;Jurancon sec&nbsp; this French estate is run by a father-daughter team and they practice biodynamic farming It is a blend of two local grape varieties - Gros Manseng and Courbu aged 10 months in oak, giving it a rich golden color. Big and fleshy they say it&rsquo;s an intense wine.. I like intense don&rsquo;t you?

RT: I do&hellip; and Hey I&rsquo;m always up for trying new wines. Especially with a fair price tag! Now you said this is your celebration spot, so which wines do we order for special occasions here?

MV: So if you love a good Pinot.. hands down the Cirq, Russian River Valley&nbsp;Pinot Noir 2018&nbsp;[Bin - 35378] is going to one you&rsquo;ll fall in love with!&nbsp; $581 Cirq is the new project from Michel Browne.. ya know the co-founder of the famed Kosta Brown estate so you now you know this is going to be a good bottle. We are actually on their mailing list! The wines although expensive, are fantastic!

MV: Another beauty, the Antinori, Guado Al Tasso, Bolgheri&nbsp;2019&nbsp;[Bin - 35287] a super Tuscan maybe not as recognizable as some of the others but I&rsquo;ve been drinking this one since before it was famous&hellip; before the hefty price tag. Cab sauv dominated with some merlot and an increasing amount of more Cab franc every year due to global warming in the vineyard.

$338

And 2 more Tuscan gems, the Fontodi, Flaccianello della Pieve&nbsp;2007&nbsp;[Bin - 18917] the old world grape Sangiovese&nbsp; is the star here but handled with new world winemaking techniques.

$468 2007 is great older vintage but if you prefer your wines with less age on them try the Biondi Santi&nbsp;2016 Brunello di Montalcino. Iconic producer.. this could easily steal the attention of everyone at the table. [Bin - 35187]

RT: Any celebratory white that we should take note of?

MV: HA! there I go again right to red.. let me see ah yes&hellip; the Gaja, Gaia &amp; Rey&nbsp;2017 a gorgeous chardonnay from Gaja the italian producer that consistently has the highest priced wines..but the quality matches the price tag.&nbsp; I&rsquo;d love a chance to try this knock-out white with the whole Bronzino or even the Veal parmesan at Carbone..

RT: And there you go! The wine list at Carbone a la Maria! Thank you everyone for joining us today you can find more wine tips from Maria on Instagram @Mariathewineblonde. Remember the only rule in wine is &ldquo;drink what you LOVE&rdquo;.

MV: Have a favorite wine List? Let us review it here. Send us your requests at <a href="mailto:info@corkrules.com">info@CorkRules.com</a> You can find previous episodes on your favorite podcast platform and on

The CorkRules website. Be sure to follow @CorkRules on Instagram for episode and app updates. Prices and selections subject to change, please drink responsibly.

&nbsp;

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Matteos Ristorante Italiano

Matteo's

Vintage Crush is a family-owned winery located in the heart of Ontario's wine country. Founded in 1995 by John Smith, the winery produces a range of premium wines that reflect the unique character of the region.

Contemporary, upmarket choice for aged steaks, fish entrees, wine & outdoor seating.

Meson

Brasserie Mon Chou Chou

BondST

Buenos Aires Restaurant

Buenos Aires

Meadowsweet

Casa Mono

Atera

La Cava

LAVO Italian Restaurant

Lavo

Quality Italian

homepage

CorkRules application allows you to discover wines at your favorite restaurants, learn with friends and be confident with price transparency. Order wine with confidence at restaurants and retailers. Get personalized recommendations. #DrinkWhatYouLove

Ellwood Steak And Fish House

Alverdi

Pinot Grigio NV

Pinot Gris

Molise, Italy

Catena

Malbec NV

Malbec

Mendoza, Argentina

Santa Cristina

Pinot Grigio delle Venezie NV

Pinot Grigio

Delle Venezie, Italy

Tosti

Moscato d'Asti NV

Moscato

Moscato d'Asti, Piedmont, Italy

Château La Freynelle

Bordeaux (Merlot - Cabernet Sauvignon) NV

Cabernet Sauvignon

Bordeaux, France

J. Lohr Vineyards & Wines

Estates Falcon's Perch Pinot Noir NV

Pinot Noir

Monterey County, USA

Marietta

Christo (Estate Grown) NV

Shiraz/Syrah

California, USA

Duckhorn

Napa Valley Merlot NV

Merlot

Napa Valley, USA

Duckhorn Vineyards

Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley NV

California, USA

Caymus

Cabernet Sauvignon NV

Cabernet Sauvignon

California, USA

Silver Oak

Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon NV

Cabernet Sauvignon

Alexander Valley, USA

Darioush

Cabernet Sauvignon (Signature) NV

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Napa Valley, USA

Caymus

Special Selection Cabernet Sauvignon NV

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Napa Valley, USA

Opus One

Opus One NV

Blend

California, USA