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Red or White, Dry or Sweet?

Selecting the Right Wine for You

By Felicia Hodges

Carr suggests that the best way to buy wine is to decide what you like (brut, off-dry, etc.) and look for wines types that match those tastes. Once you find a type you like, try different brand names to see which one you enjoy more.

"Prices range by the manufacturer, so that often is not the best guide," she says. "Experiment to find what you like. If you taste something at a friend's or at a restaurant that you enjoy, remember the name and try it again."

Once you take the wine home, however, it is important to remember that red wines are best when served at room temperature (between 60 and 68 degrees Fahrenheit) while white wines should be served chilled (between 45 and 50 degrees Fahrenheit). Most wines need to breathe before they are served, which basically means that they need some contact with the air for a few minutes before they are consumed. Tall, thin glasses (champagne flutes) are best for sparkling wines and champagnes because their smaller surface area near the top helps keep the bubbles from going flat.

All wines should be stored between 40 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Storing them on their sides helps keep the corks from drying out, which protects the flavor.

If you have a few wines in mind that you think might be right up your alley, but haven't narrowed it down to less than a couple, three- or four-bottle wine samplers are available at Wines.com