Oak??

[wineguruchgo]

SuzieQ,

The bad news here is that you are a novice. The good news here is that you are a novice! hehe!

Almost all red wines are aged in oak and unless you have a really refined palate you won't be able to tell if it is "new or old", "French or American". So I really wouldn't worry about it.

As mentioned above, it is with white wines that you will really be able to tell the difference.

So long as you are enjoying what you are drinking, I wouldn't worry about being able to tell the difference.