Finding your way through dusty aisles, stacked shelves and a blur of labels to choose that perfect bottle with the ideal price tag has to be one of the more challenging shopping experiences. Ah yes, navigating the wine shop. Picking a wine can be intimidating and daunting. It’s right up there with painting on new jeans or examining the “fit” of a potential bikini in the change room.

And even if you know a little bit about wine and have been in the same wine shop a hundred times, we’ve all wandered the aisles aimlessly trying to find a sign of inspiration.

Shopping for wine is supposed to be a fun event, not an overwhelming one. There are a few things to do and consider in conquering this wine store conundrum. First things first: find your people. Take some time to visit all of the wine stores near your work and home. It will be evident which ones you prefer just based on the vibe. Once you get to know these stores, and the wine, and the prices of course, chances are you’ll go with the location that has the best selection and valued wines for you. And like any kind of store, you’ll return to the place you want to give your business to because of how it makes you feel.

Quick Checklist

Before heading out to buy wine, ask yourself a few questions:

• What’s the wine for: easy drinking or paired with a meal?
• What’s on the menu?
• Is the wine for yourself, a generic gift or are you buying for a wine aficionado?
• And most importantly, what is your budget?

If you know the answers to these questions, you’re ahead of the game before crossing the doorstep.

“Can I Help You?”

We spend so much of our days on the phone and emailing – communicating online and on mobiles has taken over 24-7. So when we walk into any store, a lot of the time we just want to be left to our own devices. However in a wine shop, you most definitely should speak with the people that work there. Typically they are extremely helpful, they have a wide range of knowledge and chances are they love wine more most (they are working in a wine shop after all). Ask for help. Tell them how much you want to spend and for what or whom the wine is intended. They will point you in the right direction and a lot of the time will introduce you to a wine you have yet to try.

My Region, My Country

Most wine stores are organized by country and region, with some form of signage. Occasionally you will wander into a store that has chosen to display their wines in another fashion, such as by grape varietal, which can be helpful but comes with its own challenges. Have a look around to see if the organized creative chaos suits your style. Generally speaking it’s much easier to scan for wine when it’s organized by country, which most stores are. Wines are often shelved based on price as well with the higher price points at eye level. Pay attention to those small labels on some wines called “shelf talkers” – they give you the Coles’ Notes on the wine; things like what’s in the wine, what it best pairs with, a rating and discount information. Every store varies but once you find the store you enjoy, you’ll get to know what’s what soon enough.

You’ll likely find both red and white under most countries. Know what you like or don’t like. Reading and understanding wine labels from every wine region of the world takes time and effort (and drinking!). Again, talk to a staff member. If you need a ready-to-drink chilled white or sparkling, there are normally a few gems to choose from in the cooler section. Some specialty stores have a “staff’s picks” section – definitely check this out. It often means good wine at great value, chosen by the experts. And if you really want to spend the bucks, there’s always a few Barolos and Brunellos behind lock and key!

What Was The Name Of That Wine…?

How many times have you stumbled around a wine store hunting for that label you know you will recognize when you see it? When you find a good wine, record it. There’s an app for that. Or get a Moleskine. Whatever your preference, start to take notes. This way you’ll have your favourite go-to wines right at your fingertips. I use an iPhone and I like to snap the labels of the wines I like (or don’t like) wherever I am – this makes it easy when shopping for wine. Check out Wine Snob which allows you to record the image of the label and the details of a wine, plus your own tasting note, in less than a minute. The Wine Guide is an app of reviews and ratings from Wine Enthusiast Magazine’s editors – literally a wine expert in your hands. I also use an app for tracking and storing wine called Cor.kz powered by CellarTracker – easy and excellent.

In short, being surrounded by hundreds of bottles of wine has to be a good thing. The real trick to feeling comfortable and confident in a wine store is quite simple: buy and drink more wine!

Update: Great tip from Madeline re a new Moleskine wine journal – it’s about time! Get it via Amazon here.