TIPS FOR FINDING A BOTTLE WITH LEGS

Knowing which wines to age is not always intuitive, but with a little experience (and a modest bit of research), you can identify good candidates.

Historically great wines: Burgundy, Barolo and Bordeaux are obviously age-worthy, but not equally so. Vintage conditions are crucial, and so is the style of each producer. The internet and guides like Hugh Johnson’s annual Pocket Wine Book offer good general estimates by vintage of aging capabilities. Carefully produced wines: As a general rule, the more processing a wine receives in production, the less sinew it has to age and evolve. As is so often the case, a good wine merchant with an attentive staff can offer guidance about particular bottles. Whites: Rieslings, both dry and sweet, often age beautifully. So do many Chenin Blancs and Chardonnays. It depends on the intent and methods of the producers.

Alcohol content: Alcohol levels are sometimes meaningful, but not always. An unusually high level might indicate a wine out of balance. A pinot noir, for example, with 15 per cent alcohol rather than the more typical 12 to 14 per cent, might indicate a wine made from overripe grapes. But a different wine, like a zinfandel, might be more balanced at 14.5 per cent.

Price: It is sometimes a good indicator, but only when you are comparing a bottle within its genre. A $25 Chianti Classico is likely to age better than a $10 bottle. But the price equation does not always work. I’ve had $100 Napa Cabernets that aged far better than more extravagantly priced Napa cult wines.

Wines that shouldn’t be aged: Mass-produced, processed wines are made to drink as is. Similarly, artisanally produced, thirst-quenching wines, sometimes called by the French phrase vins de soif, are made to offer immediate pleasure. They, too, will not get better with age.