The best way to buy wine is with someone else’s money. Sadly, that option is not often available. So you want to get good value for your money and enjoy each sip.

There are a lot of different places and ways to buy wine. Specialty wine shops offer broad variety and excellent advice. Nothing beats the local supermarket or corner liquor store for convenience. Warehouse clubs offer great pricing. Depending on your state, you may be able to order wines online from shops with huge catalogs. You can pick up special wines at auctions, just don’t let adrenalin overcome your wallet. You can splurge on a special bottle at a nice restaurant. Perhaps the most fun and interesting way to buy is in a winery’s tasting room. No matter where you buy though, there are some basics principles that you will want to keep in mind. Here are our thoughts on being a good shopper.

Nobody else has your palate. Friends and experts can tell you what is good... to them. Their opinions are probably very sound, but they don’t necessarily know what you like. Something that they think is excellent may be too oaky for you, or too mild. Over time, you should try a lot of different wines and learn how to express what it is you like. That way, when you’re looking for something new to try, you’ll be able to better guide the store clerk toward a wine you will probably like.

Not all critics have the same palate. There are a lot of excellent and well-meaning wine writers assigning points, stars, or golden corks to wine in magazines, newspapers and on the web. Most of these people have a lot of experience and are expert tasters. And many of them disagree with each other’s reviews quite vehemently. Points systems can be a useful guide to consumers who can’t possibly taste every single wine before they buy it. However, before you put your hard-earned dollars behind somebody else’s points rating, make sure that their palate is at least similar to yours. Look at their reviews of wines that you’ve tasted and loved, or hated. Do they agree with you?

Experiment. One of the things that is most fun about wine is the variety. There are so many different types of grapes, styles of wine and regions from which they come. If there is one thing that all wine experts agree on, it’s that consumers should try as many different things as they can. You never know when you might discover a new favorite wine.

Try to taste wines before you buy. A lot of wine shops have regular tastings that allow you to try a number of wines without actually buying a bottle. Many wineries also have tasting rooms. These are great ways to educate yourself and get a better understanding for what you like. If the tasting is free, it’s nice to buy at least one bottle afterward though it isn’t absolutely essential. If there is a charge for the tasting, then feel free not to buy unless you find something you really want.

Build a relationship with one or more resellers. Find a store, and a clerk, that you feel comfortable with. It should be someplace you enjoy shopping and encourages you to browse without pressure. Their personnel should be helpful and suggest new things for you to try without pushing their preferences, or slow-moving inventory, on you. Over time, they will get to know your tastes and will be able to make even better recommendations for you. And, if you’re a regular, you may get the opportunity to participate in special deals or find out in advance about a great event or the upcoming availability of a hard-to-get wine. Some resellers have specialties. You may find that working with a few different shops is the best option for you.

Quality and price do not always have a direct relationship. It is tempting to think that the more a wine costs, the better it will be. Or that, since you once had a great $7 bottle of wine, all wine at that price may be just as good. Unfortunately, neither of these things is true. There are a lot of elements that go into determining the price of a wine. They include the region the wine comes from, the type of grapes used, the style of the wine, the amount made of that wine, the weather in the year the grapes were grown, the demand for the wine, the vineyard and winemaking practices, the use of oak barrels, the brand and many other things.

It is possible to find very good wine for less than $15. And, occasionally, you might find a bad one for more than $100. Or at least one that you don’t like. In general, making very good wine costs more than making average wine. So, in general, good wines tend to be more expensive than those that are merely acceptable. Your odds of getting something good may be somewhat better at higher price points, but not enough so for you to make purchase decisions that way. This is why it’s important to understand your palate, try a lot of different wines, and do some research. You are bound to find wines that you love that are reasonably priced. And you may also discover a high-end winery that you know will make you happy with every vintage.

Don’t buy too much. Wine has a limited life span and so do humans. It’s easy to get excited by a great wine and wind up with so much that you can’t reasonably drink it. Or so much of a few wines that you have to drink the same wine all of the time. It’s also common for wine club memberships to get out of hand. Look carefully at how much you drink, what kind of wine storage you have, and what kind of selection you want on hand. Before you buy wine “to hold for 10 years,” make sure that you have tasted and enjoy aged wines. Not everyone does. And don’t rush to fill a new wine cellar. There’s a lot of great wine out there. Take your time and explore it.

Buy enough. On the other hand, if you are buying some wine to age, consider buying multiple bottles of the same thing. For a fine red wine or Riesling, having three or four bottles that you can open over a period of time will help you see how the wine changes. That can be a lot of fun and very interesting.

Look for volume discounts. Once you have a good idea what you like and have some favorite wines, you might be able to save a bit of money. Many resellers and wineries offer discounts if you buy six bottles or a case at a time. Sometimes, they will give you the discount for mixed cases as well. The discounts typically range from 10% to 20%.

Join the club. If you’ve found a winery that makes a number of wines that you love, or a wine shop that has a club run by someone whose palate is similar to yours, consider joining. You will get wine delivered to you on a regular basis. The time between shipments and number of bottles or value of the shipments depends on the club. However, buying wine in this way typically lets you get the wine at a good discount, sometimes as much as 25%. Just don’t join too many or you will by tripping over bottles before you know it.

Consider large format bottles. If you are buying wine that you want to hold for a long time, having it in a magnum or double magnum will extend its life substantially. And don’t worry that you can’t finish a whole magnum in one sitting. When you open the large bottle, immediately pour half of it (using a funnel) into a reguiar-size bottle. Put a stopper in that and put it in the fridge. That wine will still be good for at least a couple of days. (This also works for 750 ml bottles. You can pour half into a 375.)

Go small. A lot of wines are now offered in half bottle sizes. If you want to get something to try soon, but aren’t sure if you will like it, see if you can get a half bottle. Buying the small bottles is a little bit more expensive by volume than buying a 750 ml bottle. However, it is less in actual dollars and gives you the opportunity to try something without worrying that you will feel you wasted money on a whole bottle of something you didn’t enjoy. Small bottles are also great for picnics, or for opening at the start of a meal before moving on to the main attractions.

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