In 1995, it was a very good year. I gained a lot that year, bought my first car and received my first tailored suit. I lost some things, too.

It was a very good year indeed.

That year was also an excellent vintage for the Bordeaux wine region, along with Champagne, Tuscany and Napa Valley. Whereas my good vintage can be easily reduced to the acquisition of material possessions and a woman named Carrie, vintage quality in wine is one of the most confusing aspects of an already perplexing genre. Understanding a few key concepts can, however, remove the mystery from the number on the bottle.

The first major misconception to overthrow is that "wine improves with age." Even the edited "fine wines improve with age," is often incorrect. In reality, less than 5 percent of wines have the capability to be age-worthy. After 20 years, that figure plummets to less than 1 percent. In my experience, most wines of such severe age disappoint. The chances of a fragile agricultural product being stored correctly at an ideal temperature and humidity are slim. Unfortunately, when drinking an expensive wine from the '60s, very few individuals want to admit the wine is no good. There is simply too much money, hype and celebration surrounding the removal of the cork.

The short list of red wines that are capable of cellaring is filled with famous regions: Bordeaux, Burgundy, Piedmont, Tuscany, Rioja and Napa Valley. For white wines, the list is as small as Burgundy, Mosel-Saar-Ruwer and the occasional chardonnay from California. Translation: if you have been saving that 2002 California sauvignon blanc in your refrigerator for a special occasion, set this newspaper down, pop the cork and drink it as you read.

Another important aspect to consider with respect to vintage is the "California effect." With wine consumption in the United States skyrocketing over the past two decades, most wine drinkers began tasting wines at an extreme young age. Despite the fact that many quality California winemakers were creating cabernet sauvignons designed for aging, most bottles were consumed within three years due to market demand. As a result, U.S. wine drinkers have now come to expect tight, tannic flavors in fine wine and are disappointed when they taste an older vintage.

Discovering which vintages are excellent is a different process depending upon whether you are in Europe or California. In Europe, the vintage charts provided by national wine publications are quite useful. These periodicals measure the influence of rainfall, sunlight, temperature and other climate factors and reduce them to one easy-to-understand number. Without dedicating a significant amount of time touring wineries, this is the best way to purchase vintage Europe, a place severely impacted by weather with respect to winemaking. Check out www.robertparker.com for an easy-to-read vintage chart.

California, on the other hand, has been blessed with some of the most favorable weather conditions on the planet for grape growing. The vintage ratings for the past 20 years have been superb nearly every year. Even a lackluster vintage in Napa Valley would be considered a good vintage in Bordeaux. Ken Bernards, owner and winemaker for California's Ancien Winery, sums it up more succinctly: "California, from vintage to vintage, regularly achieves the level of ripeness necessary to reflect the terroir (essence of the vineyard) ... so they choose their hand. Regions like Burgundy, France, however, are often forced to play the hands they are dealt, and sometimes lose the ideal expression of that all-important terroir."

When considering vintage quality in California, other key factors must be weighed. Unlike Europe, where winemakers seem to stay put and wine-making styles rarely change in a given winery, California represents a Ferris wheel of constant change. You might love the 2002 from Joe Schmo Winery but hate the 2003, never knowing that there was a major winemaker change, which resulted in different oak usage, vineyard selection and blend. In short, a completely different wine. Generalizing, the secret with California is to assume quality vintage among top producers but follow their winery decisions via the Internet. Sommeliers and wine retailers often possess this information as well; all you have to do is ask.

Once you taste a great vintage for a given wine region or winery you can use that knowledge to discover further fantastic bottles. Knowing that someone loves '01 burgundies but does not appreciate those from '02 can point a wine professional in the right direction to finding the perfect bottle for your evening's meal. Just don't be the guy who shouts in a crowded restaurant, "Oh, I hate the '85, what kind of restaurant doesn't carry the '86? This is an outrage."

No one likes that guy.

The advantage of discovering a great vintage is that you can always return. The price may increase over time, often significantly, but the opportunity to relive the memory is ever-present. Unfortunately in our personal lives, great years are less available for recapture. Carrie probably didn't age as well as the 1995 Château Cos d'Estournel.

Vintage recommendations for special nights: