Aged wine is better than young wine.

Not all wines need aging. Generally speaking, red wines — particularly those high in tannins — require more aging than whites.

Red wine should never be chilled.

Some light reds, like Beaujolais, benefit from chilling.

“Reserve” wines are top of the line.

“Reserve” on American wine labels has no legal meaning. Winemakers can use the term at their whim.

Wines with sulfites will give you a headache.

Sulfites are the cause of headaches in only about 1 percent of the population — mostly asthmatics.

All German wines are sweet.

German wines come in all degrees of sweetness — from dry to very, very sweet. “Trocken” on a German wine label means “dry.”

Screw tops are a sign of cheap wine.

Au contraire! Increasingly, top winemakers are using screw tops to avoid cork contamination of their wines.

Wines should always breathe.

In general, breathing is only necessary for wines that need further aging.

All wines have the same amount of alcohol.

The level of alcohol depends on the amount of sugar that has been converted during fermentation.

The more a wine costs, the better it is.

Price is related to many factors: the cost of the vineyard land, the type of grapes used, whether it's aged in oak barrels, and — most of all — the reputation of the winery or winemaker.

Zinfandel is a pink wine.

Zinfandel is a red grape, but it can be made into a red wine or a blush wine.