1. Choose your wine. There are two main types; red or white. Wine is broken down into categories. For example, Riesling is a sweeter, fruitier white wine, while Shiraz is a tangy, full-bodied red. Remember, wine should come from a bottle, not a box-that’s just tacky.

2. Although you can basically drink wine out of anything, even a paper cup, drinking it out of anything not made of glass looks cheap. White wine should be placed in a glass with a smaller bowl on it, while red wine should be served in a glass with a bigger bowl.

3. Before drinking, take a good look at the wine. Tilt it away from you and notice the color. Red wines vary in color from a bright red to nearly brown, and whites can go from clear to a light brown. Swirl it to make sure there is no sediment or pieces of cork in the wine.

4. To get a sense of what the wine will taste like, smell it. Swirl it around in the glass, then take a quick sniff. When you do this, you can smell the other factors contributing to the taste of its intrinsic grape aroma.

5. Now it’s time to taste it. Take a sip and let it roll around your tongue. Swoosh it around for about 20 seconds before savoring it.

6. Whether you liked it or not, write down the name and maker of the wine. If you did like it, you can try different wines from the same maker. If you didn’t like it, you know not to buy that type again.