&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

Grant Wood

SPQR

SPQR

RT: Hello and welcome to CorkRules!&nbsp;

A podcast where we review a wine list from your favorite restaurants. I&rsquo;m your host Robert Tas along with Grant Wood, wine educator and certified sommelier

Hello Grant, great to have you back for another great wine list.

GW: Hello Robert!

RT: Before we jump in, let&rsquo;s talk about CorkRules.

We created CorkRules to demystify wine list&rsquo;s because we know from experience, that sometimes wine lists can be intimidating, and even a little daunting.

Our aim is to help prepare you to navigate that list, find those hidden gems, value wines or that special bottle that will take your dining experience over the top.

RT:&nbsp;So, sit back and listen as we review your favorite wine list.

RT: Here we have another Michelin-starred Italian eatery located on Fillmore st in SF by famed chef, Mathew Accarino who is creating so much buzz with his modern Italian-inspired meals. They have an extensive menu and a wonderful wine list to match. Let&rsquo;s dive in and see what excites us today.

SO by the glass I&rsquo;d start with the Ca di Rajo, Prosecco di Valdobbiadine, extra dry from the Veneto which is my favorite sub-region of Prosecco and always delivers.

For a great white, I&rsquo;d go for the &ldquo;Monte Grande&rsquo; Soave Classico by Pra which is made from the garganega grape and I think is a really underappreciated region for Italian whites.

For a solid red, I&rsquo;d go for the 2018 Prunotto &lsquo;Occhetti&rsquo; Nebbiolo from the Langhe which is delicious and a great value.

Moving things on to the wines by the bottle let&rsquo;s start with the Ferrari Brut from Trento which is 100% Chardonnay made in the Metodo Classico as is a great value on their list as well but the Malvira &lsquo;Rive Guache&rsquo; brut rose Metodo Charmat which is sparkling Nebbiolo which is very uncommon.

Time for whites, I&rsquo;d go for the E. Walch &lsquo;Kristallberg&rsquo; Pinot Bianco from Alto Adige which is always fun and easy to match with food. Heading further south, I like the 2018 La Staffa &lsquo;Rincrocca&rsquo; Verdicchio from the Marche but I also wouldn&rsquo;t pass on the 2019 Ciro Biondi &lsquo;Pianta&rsquo;&nbsp; Etna Bianco which is a blend of Carricante/Cataratto/Minnella in Sichilia which is another fun banger to get things going. If you&rsquo;re feeling rose then definitely try the 2017 Cirelli Cerasuolo d&rsquo;Abruzzo is a great wine for summer.

Moving on to reds, we have a lot to choose from so let&rsquo;s start from the North and work our way south. Starting strong I&rsquo;d go for the 2012 Giuseppe Quintarelli Valpolicella which is always a favorite of mine from the Veneto.

A great classic and also a great value is the 2015 Ronchi di Cialla Refosco from Colli Orientali in Friuli which is earthy and food friendly.

Robert, I know you like Barolo so let me suggest the 2018 Oddero from La Morra which is a classic but if you really wanna ball out the go for the 2010 Conterno &lsquo;Monfortino&rsquo; Monforte d&rsquo;Alba if you really want to turn some heads.

Heading further south, I always love the Paolo Bea &lsquo;Cerrete&rsquo; Sagrantino di Montalcino coming out of Umbria which I just love this producer who is making honest, meaningful wines of pure personality.

If you want a solid Chianti then the 2017 Pomona Chianti Classico is a great wine for the table. Now looking at Sichilia, try the 2018 Girolano Russo &lsquo;San Lorenzo&rsquo; Etna Rosso from Catania which is classic Nerello Mascalese.

If you want something local then I have to recommend the 2017 Enfield &ldquo;Haynes Vineyard&rsquo; Syrah which is a favorite of mine since I grew up down the street from the vineyard but I also love the 2018 Hirsch Vineyards &lsquo;San Andreas Fault&rsquo; Sonoma coast Pinot Noir. 

Lastly, let&rsquo;s finish with something sweet. I think the 2015 Bussola Recioto della Valpolicella Classico would the perfect close to a fabulous meal at SPQR.

Cheers!

Grant, thank you so much for all your great suggestions and helping us navigate spqr&rsquo;s wine list. I can&rsquo;t wait to go try your great suggestions.&nbsp; &nbsp;

To our audience, thank you all for joining us here on CorkRules.

If you would like us to review one of your favorite restaurants, please send us email to: <a href="mailto:Info@CorkRules.com">Info@CorkRules.com</a> or visit our web website where we have a request form available and we will do our best to get it in the queue as quickly as possible.

We are looking forward to being with you on another CorkRules episode soon. In the meantime, please check out our website for other episodes of your favorite restaurant wine lists.&nbsp;

And finally, drink what you love and please make sure you drink responsibly.

Thank you.

&nbsp;

BRAT

Bocca di Lupe

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Alba Restaurant

Alba

10 Greek Street

L'Auberge Chez Francois

Andrew Edmunds

Salt Seafood and Oyster Bar

Matteos Ristorante Italiano

Matteo's

Grgich Hills Estate is a family-owned winery located in the Napa Valley of California. Founded in 1977 by Croatian-born winemaker Mike Grgich, the winery is known for producing premium wines using sustainable and organic farming practices.

A glamorous fine-dining & wine venue from the Spruce team that presents American continental fare.

Mandolin Aegean Bistro

The Surf Club

Itamae

Itamae Miami

Veranda

Boia De

Huertas

Kesté Pizza & Vino

Keste Pizzeria

Taverna di Bacco

Tavern on the Green

Leyland Brooklyn

Junoon

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

Selby's

Foucher Lebrun

Le Mont Sancerre Blanc 2021

Sauvignon Blanc

Loire, France

Hartford Court

Chardonnay 2021

Chardonnay

California, USA

Familia Torres

Salmos 2017

Grenache

Priorat, Spain

Gosset

Grande Reserve Brut Champagne NV

Blend

Champagne, France

Château Meyney

La Chapelle de Meyney Saint-Estephe 2015

Cabernet Sauvignon

Bordeaux, France

Château Saint-André Corbin

Saint-Georges-Saint-Emilion 2020

Blend

Saint-Georges-Saint-Émilion, France

La Spinetta

Ca' di Pian Barbera d'Asti 2018

Barbera

Barbera d'Asti, Piedmont, Italy

Graville

Chateau, Lacoste Blanc 2021

Graves, France

Caprili

Brunello di Montalcino 2017

Sangiovese

Brunello di Montalcino, Tuscany, Italy

Vietti

Moscato d'Asti 2021

Moscato Bianco

Moscato d'Asti, Piedmont, Italy

Vincent & Sophie Morey

Santenay 1er Cru 'Beaurepaire' 2020

Pinot Noir

Santenay, France

Seghesio Family Vineyards Vermentino, Russian River Valley 2021

Russian River Valley, USA

Weingut Bründlmayer

Gruner Veltliner Landwein 2020

Gruner Veltliner

Niederosterreich

Redtree

Pinot Noir NV

Pinot Noir

California, USA

Weingut Walter Glatzer Gruner Veltliner 2021

Carnuntum, Austria