Buying Wine

In many areas you can find specialty wine shops that carry a wide range of wines. Also, most supermarkets carry wine but the selection and quality is often not as good as a specialty wine shop.

Supermarkets

Wine sold in supermarkets is usually fairly inexpensive. However, the selection is usually fairly limited and often only includes choices from large commercial mega-wineries. Also, you're not as likely to find someone in a supermarket or bulk store who knows much about wine. Often, you'll find that the bottles are not stored properly (keeping bottles upright or refrigerated), which decreases the length of time a bottle can be kept.

Choosing a Wine Store

A quality wine store will have all of the following:

Good selection - A good selection of wine will range across types of wine, regions of origin, and price. Note that as you become a more dedicated drinker of wine you may "outgrow" a selection that once seemed perfectly adequate.
Expertise - Expertise means two different things. It means that the wine seller has firsthand knowledge of the wines int he store (he or she knows its tastes and qualities). If you ask a wine seller about a wine and receive an answer about its "ratings" rather than its qualities, then that wine seller has no expertise. Another sort of expertise is the ability to recommend wines based on your preferences for taste, structure, or texture, or simply based on other wines that you've liked. If a wine seller consistently recommends wines you don't like, you may want to find another wine seller.
Proper Storage - Wine should be stored in cool, dry, dark, constant conditions. It should not be placed in direct sunlight, or near a cooling or heating source. In addition, wine should be stored lying down as opposed to upright. If the wine you buy from a wine seller consistently tastes bad, move on to a different wine store.
Good prices - A happy fact for most food wine store owners is that wine buyers tend to care less about price than selection, expertise, service, and storage. Of course, you should do some comparison shopping and avoid wine stores that sell at exorbitant prices. But many wine lovers are willing to spend an extra dollar or two out of loyalty and appreciation for a wine seller who really knows and cares about wine and customers.

Wine Ratings

Over the years the wine industry has developed a rating system that scores wines on their quality. Some wine stores will post the ratings next to the wines it sells. It can help to have a sense of what the different ratings mean. Most wine rating systems use a scale of 100, with the following general ratings:

95-100 - Extraordinary
90-94 - Excellent
85-89 - Very Good
80-84 - Above Average
75-79 - Average
70-74 - Below Average
below 69 - Poor

Just remember that these ratings are a reflection of someone's taste and preference. You may not always love the highest rated wines the most, and there are often gems that are rated poorly that you will love.

Price Limits

If you know your spending limit, it will always help your wine seller in making a recommendation to you by cutting down the number of choices.

Expanding Your Horizons

There are several ways to develop your taste in wine:

Tasting Rooms - When you're in the California wine country, visit several wineries and sample a variety of wines. There are many areas of the United States that grow wine, so if you're near a winery, pay them a visit and see what they have to offer.
Wine Shops - In addition to an expert staff, most wine shops will offer tasting nights or seminars where you have the opportunity to taste various wines. These tasting sessions are often themed (for example, there may be a night dedicated to New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs) and will often include food.
Ask a friend - One of the easiest ways to expand your wine horizons. If you have a friend who enjoys wine, ask them to recommend some of their favorites. Or, go even further and have a tasting party with a group of friends and ask them to each bring a favorite bottle.
Wine Clubs - Many vineyards in California and other areas have wine clubs. Membership in these clubs often includes monthly or quarterly shipments of wine, as well as newsletters. These are a great way to keep your wine rack stocked with quality wine and also give you a good sampling of the wines a vineyard produces.

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