&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

Osteria Delbianco

Maria Valetta, certified sommelier and wine educator, and Robert Tas explore the wine list at Osteria Delbianco. 

Wine Review of Osteria Delbianco, 

Maria Valetta

Osteria Delbianco NYC

RT: Hello and welcome back to CorkRules! The wine podcast that&rsquo;s here to help YOU navigate all your FAVORITE restaurant wine lists!

I&rsquo;m, Robert Tas along with Maria Valetta, Certified Sommelier and Wine educator also known as Maria the Wine Blonde

Hello Maria

MV: Buongiorno Robert I love a good Osteria&hellip;

RT: Yes me too Maria&hellip; and today we are reviewing the wine list from the midtown Manhattan gem, Osteria Delbianco.&nbsp; Chef Diego Bigucci honed his culinary passion in his homeland of Italy specifically in the region he was born, Emilia-Romagna, which is often referred to as the FOOD capital of Italy. His love of cooking all things flavorful, came from the influence of his Nonna, Maria Delbianco so it makes perfect sense that when he opened his own restaurant in NY in 2020, he named it after his grandmother. You will find traditional refined northern Italian fare featuring his family&rsquo;s time-tested recipes at this warm and inviting, elegant upscale eatery.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

RT: Maria tell us what you think of Osteria Delbianco&rsquo;s wine list.

&nbsp;

MV:&nbsp; I think it&rsquo;s a fairly easy wine list to navigate. There&rsquo;s new world California and old-world selections from Italy which makes sense given the menu&hellip; eeeehhh lacking in selections of other regions but I do love that there are lots of options in the $50-$60 dollar range

RT: That&rsquo;s a really great price point to be in &hellip;So would you start us with an old world or new world wine Maria:

MV: well, I don&rsquo;t have a by-the-glass list here to choose from (That&rsquo;s why we all need some CorkRules in our life so we can find all of the wine options online)

RT: Comment and throw.. (so true. Good plug maria!&nbsp; Lol)

MV: Given that, I would start out with the old world, something a little lighter like one of the pinot grigios listed&hellip; not all PG is equally interesting. in fact some can taste like watered-down wine&hellip; but here they have a producer that I just love: The JERMANN (yher Mahn) Pinot Grigio $65, This is from the Friuli region of Italy, up in the northeast corner it has a lot more flavor than probably any pinot grigio you have EVER tasted. a rounded palate with ripe orchard fruit, pears and peaches, and a little honeydew and a tangy bright finish. a lovely compliment to the fritto misto or the Prosciutto di parma and Burrata. Fun fact the famous salty-sweet aged ham Proscuitto di parma hails from Chef Diego&rsquo;s hometown region of Emilia-Romagna.

RT: That&rsquo;s great what vintage is that?

MV: actually, Robert they don&rsquo;t have the vintages for white wines only the reds. often that is because they change so quickly&hellip;

RT: That&rsquo;s unusual. maybe it&rsquo;s just the online version?

MV: you live close by you&rsquo;ll just have to make a night of it for dinner and let us know!

RT: I can do that&hellip;challenge accepted! Haha! So As you peruse the wine list anything else that is a must-try? Something fun? Or funky?

MV: a fun wine that&rsquo;s different and worth checking out is this reasonably priced Sella e Mosca Cannonau Rsv , a wine from the island of Sardinia, here they call the grenache grape cannonau.&nbsp; it&rsquo;s a fresh lighter bodied ruby red that&rsquo;s really delicious. Cherries and plums, medium tannins, salted herbs and earthy notes surrounded by spices, I even like this wine with a little chill on it so don&rsquo;t be afraid to ask them to cool it down a notch&hellip;try it with the cured meat plate, or the mushroom risotto. I love risotto!

RT: me too .&nbsp; so that wine is a good value. as I see it&rsquo;s under $60 any other tips for us for value wines to try?

MV: Yes here&rsquo;s another option under the $60 mark: The Tommasi Ripasso Valpolicella Classico Superiore 2015 $58 Ripasso in Italian literally means &ldquo;repassed&rdquo; and that describes the winemaking process here perfectly. This wine develops its rich concentrated flavors and softer profile by going through a second fermentation on the warm grape skins used to make their Amarone. Therefore, we will often refer to a Ripasso Valpolicella Classico as a &ldquo;baby Amarone&rdquo; because you get a lot of the complexity and depth with a tad less alcohol and a much better everyday drinking price point than an Amarone, Try it with one of Strozzapreti sausage and mushroom pasta plate which should bring out the bing cherry, candied dried figs and leathery flavors.&nbsp;

RT: You know where we are heading next. we want to get to entrees and are ready for something special to go with them, what do you suggest Maria?

Tommasi &quot;Ripasso&quot; is the unique result of refermenting Valpolicella Classico Superiore on the warm grape skins from which Amarone has been fermented. This process, used only in rare vintage years, imparts the richness of character and personality of a great wine to an already superior wine.

MV: There&rsquo;s a really intriguing wine worth seeking out and spending a little extra money on. the Tenuta San Leonardo San Leonardo 2014. This is a family-run estate in the Trentino-Alto Adige region in Italy ALL the way up north, protected by the Alps. Their winemaking is Steeped in tradition and this is their flagship wine, a Bordeaux blend, 60% Cab Sauv, 30% Carmenere &amp; 10% merlot. This wine has layers of wild berries, mountain-top herbs, vanilla-coated cassis, and green pepper. (most likely that last note from the Carmenere grape) This bottle is for the wine drinker that likes to THOUGHTFULLY drink their wine. it is incredibly complex and there&rsquo;s so much to discover in the glass.

RT: Is there a new world option you like worth spending the money on?

MV: I would steer you to the Groth Cabernet Sauvignon 2016. I love the Groth estate wines. Groth is based in napa valley in the Oakville AVA they always get rave reviews, everyone is going to love this wine it is a real palate-pleaser. Think ripe mulberry fruit, blackberries and juicy plums plus those integrated oak tannins that give it standout structure, you are going to love this wine! Try it with the spicy roasted chicken entr&eacute;e or the roasted Porchetta (the pork chop).

RT: That&rsquo;s a great wine and food pairing for our listeners to try as we wrap up today&rsquo;s episode. Maria, thank you for ALL of your helpful wine information and suggestions from Osteria Delbianco&rsquo;s wine list. You can find Maria on instagram @Mariathewineblonde.

Thank you EVERYONE for joining us on CorkRules, 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> and be sure to Check out all of our episodes on CorkRules.com; Please drink responsibly.

&nbsp;

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