"Pray!" was the response that almost escaped my lips; instead I paused thoughtfully and countered with a question of my own. "Do you want to sell them or drink them? It's one or the other, because you can't keep them."

"Why?"

"Because they are old, much like thee. Possibly infirm, almost certainly doddering, of uncertain provenance and subject to the miseries of time. So, pop 'em or shop 'em."

"Let's do it, then. We'll drink them," he decided. And so the adventure began.

J.T.'s dilemma is, I suspect, a fairly common one. Charity wine auctions like PONCHO's have proliferated dramatically over the years. Patrons bid on unique lots of wine, occasionally returning home with bottles that may be older than they are.

Maybe you, too, have an ancient bottle or two tucked away; something acquired at such a sale, received as a gift, or saved from some memorable swing through wine country. Whether it's a well-aged Napa cabernet, a rarity from the early days of Washington winemaking, or some snooty Bordeaux worth more than your car, you're wondering what the heck to do with it.

Any wine that predates 1985 should be drunk up, unless you're saving it for your 50th anniversary or plan to donate it to another auction. Many wines from the latter half of the 1980s are also ready to be consumed, especially domestic wines, which by and large do not age as well as European vintages.

J.T. had assembled an intriguing lineup of seven well-aged Robert Mondavi cabernets. Together we planned a tasting built around the Mondavi Seven, taking into consideration such matters as decanting, tasting conditions, technical information, food and ambiance. The result? "It was the greatest wine experience I've ever had," he told me recently. "The thing that I liked so much was learning about wine and how to do it right, so that each wine was tasted as the vintner intended it to be."

The following guidelines will help you get the best out of your special bottles, remembering that aged wines, like old cars and in-laws, require a loving touch.

• Storage. Old wines have probably done a fair bit of traveling, and might have been damaged. If the capsule is sticky, the level of wine in the bottle (called ullage) noticeably low, or the label discolored, your wine may be kaput. On the other hand, wines have a cat-like ability to cheat death; I once drank a 15-year-old cabernet that had been stored next to a wood-burning fireplace, and it was excellent.

Make certain your wines are kept in a cool, dark, vibration-free environment, with minimal temperature fluctuation (never cooler than 50 degrees or warmer than 70). Next, do some research. Check winery Web sites for interesting tasting notes, or try phoning the wineries directly. Ask them to send "tech sheets" for your wine. These will provide information about the vintage, winemaking techniques, pricing, etc.

• Preparation. Stand the bottles up a day or two before you open them, so the sediments can settle. Next, make an honest appraisal of your glassware. If you don't own good glasses, buy some. Wine shops and retailers offer excellent choices these days for as little as $4 or $5 a stem. Glassware should be clean and not smelling of dishwasher detergent. If it is dishwasher safe, run it through a cycle without using soap.

Allow two glasses per guest so wines can be compared in tandem. Have very light food or just breads and crackers for the "formal" part of the tasting; if dinner is part of the program, save it till after. One last caution: Do not rinse your glasses with water between wines. That just dilutes them.

OK, now here's the really geeky stuff. But it's important!

• Come Clean. No perfume, after shave or cologne of any kind can be worn by anyone at your wine tasting. The wines didn't sit in the bottle for 30 years so you could sniff Chanel No. 5!

• Easy on the Extraction. Pull the corks very gently; they are old and can easily crumble. It's best to use a waiter's corkscrew with a Teflon "worm" and keep a two-pronged one on hand for emergencies. Do not insert the screw all the way through the cork or you will push bits of it into the wine. Work the cork carefully up until about three quarters is showing. Then grasp it with your fingers and rock it carefully out; you'll feel a light suction as it reaches the end, and a soft "whoosh" as it pulls out. If the bottle is sound you might instantly detect scents of dried fruit, pipe tobacco, cedar and mushrooms.

• Decant by Candlelight. This is essential for older wines, which throw a lot of sediment. You will need one clean, clear, scent-free decanter for each bottle. Dim the lights and light a candle (a flashlight will do). Gently tilt the bottle and pour slowly into the decanter, placing the candle flame directly behind the bottle's shoulder. You will see clear red wine until the bottle is about four-fifths empty; then a smoky, dark smear will begin filtering in, followed by heavier sediment. Stop decanting as soon as this "smoke" appears.

Older wines often (not always) reward all this care and attention with wonderful aromas and flavors that evolve literally from moment to moment. Pay close attention, because the older the wine, the faster it may run through its bell curve of flavor, sometimes in as little as 15 or 20 minutes. So give the wine its due as it gives you its all. Note the bouquet, the layers of scent. "Listen" to the flavors as you would listen to fine music, to see the interplay of notes and themes.

Congratulations! You made it.

Paul Gregutt is the author of "Northwest Wines" and a contributing editor to Wine Enthusiast magazine. His e-mail address is indelible@aol.com. Susan Jouflas is a Seattle Times news artist.