Wines for keeping.

[Randy Caparoso]

It doesn't take an expert to figure out if a wine is good for "aging." In fact, as Curmudgeon pointed out, so-called experts are often surprised by how well wines like Louis Martini Cabernet Sauvignon age (because their wines never seem to be all that intense or earth-shattering); and are often dead-wrong about other Cabernet Sauvignons, which seem so powerful and promising in their youth, but fall apart after a few short years.

Generally, there are two things you need to train yourself to look for in determining for yourself whether you want to lay down a bottle:

1. Balance (smoothness, harmony of elements, fineness of texture, etc.)

2. Intensity (impressions of depth, layers of flavor, fruity aromas, etc.).

The best wines for aging have both qualities, not just one or the other. If anything, the trickiest wines are usually the ones that seem the most intense in youth (like big California Zinfandels and Chardonnays), because they don't always actually improve with age. And other wines -- like Louis Martini Cabernet Sauvignon, and white Burgundies from France -- often seem rather lean, even weak, in youth, but are balanced enough to get better and better at 5, 10, even over 15 years old.

Practice, practice, practice.