1. Ask for Advise. Wine is one of the easiest items to get advise on before buying. If you’re buying from a wine shop then be sure to ask for help. At any good wine shop they will generally ask you for a few of your favorite tastes and smells or a few other similar questions and then begin to recommend some wines. Don’t be embarrassed to give a price range either. They will appreciate knowing where to start. Also, a lot of grocery stores with good wine sections are also getting into the game and hiring good help for the wine isle. Look for these people and ask them for advise. Sometimes these guys are just as knowledgeable and even more helpful than the wine store guys because they have less riding on each sale. As a last resort just do some online searching. A quick google search or a few minutes on a wine review site could be all you need. However, even though we want to become a great resource for you the personal attention of a local can go a long way.

2. Buy One Bottle at a Time. Hold back the temptation to buy a case to save some money or from buying one of every variety on your first few visits. As a new wine drinker you are just now introducing your palatte to a whole new world of taste and flavors. You are destined to have a few sharp turns as you figure out what you like. Then what are you going to do with the rest of the case or that pile of bottles that you have now determined you will never enjoy? Eventually you will get to the point where you are developing your palette but wait until you know where your headed to stock the cellar.

3. Buy Inexpensive Wine. You can’t impress your taste buds with a high dollar wine, they just don’t care. The reality is that at first you will probably not be able to distinguish the difference anyway. Even experieced wine drinkers can enjoy a solid $10-$25 wine so why waste your money if you don’t have to.

4. Buy Foreign Wine. You may be tempted to buy a wine just because you can understand the label. It’s not a bad thing but think of items such as fine watches, Hi-Fi stereo equipment and luxury sports cars. Yes, the US can make these items very well but they are known best for their connections to other countries. Wine is somewhat like that. Don’t avoid US wines but if you don’t look at wines from around the world you will be missing a large portion of the best wines available.

5. Go to Wine Tastings. There are far fewer and cheaper ways of finding wines you like then going to wine tastings. In alot of areas you can find low-cost or even free wine tastings at local wine shops, cultural and arts centers or resturants. Use these tastings as opportunities to eliminate wines from the buy list and add others. These events a lot of times can also be very educational and a great way to meet new people.