When you are choosing wine in a store or a wine shop, the most correct thing is to seek help from professionals: a cavist or sommelier. Having listened to your request, they will surely select from their assortment what you need right now. Of course, you can also use various applications, like Vivino, but you should understand that in this case you trust your choice to a housewife from Voronezh and a plumber from Oklahoma. No one can guarantee that your tastes match.

If there are no people with a wine diploma in the area, feel free to choose wine yourself. In this case, you can be guided by the following simple rules.

Focus primarily on the grape variety. Of course, varieties give different results on different lands, but Gewurztraminer will always have a bright aroma of fruits and spices, malbec – juicy and berry, and dry riesling will almost always give refreshing acidity and minerality.

Pay attention to the regions. The area where the grapes grow is one of the most important factors in determining the style of a wine. The farther north the wine-making area, the more freshness and acidity in the wine, the lighter its body and lower alcohol content. Wine from hot regions will be denser, tannin, richer, alcoholic and less acidic. Another hint may be the shape of the bottle. In Bordeaux, where rich tannin wines are made from Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, they use a straight bottle with angular shoulders, while Burgundians bottle their silky light pinot noirs in sloping bottles. The legal form of bottles is not regulated anywhere, however, winemakers often use one that would reflect their style of wine. Therefore, you will be more likely to get more tannins from a Bordeaux bottle than from a Burgundy bottle.

Don’t be guided by price alone. Of course, the price is an important criterion, but you shouldn’t think that the more expensive the wine, the better. It is still not worth buying wine from a five-liter paper bag for dinner, but giving a chance to Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon for 500 rubles or aromatic Argentine torrontes for 400 is a must. It should be understood that such popular regions as Chablis, Bordeaux or Barolo are not cheap. And if you came across such a wine for 500 rubles on a store shelf, I would not expect something good. If you want something more serious, contact a specialized store or wine store.