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When you purchase wine, avoid bottles that have wine residue near the opening. If the wine level is not within an inch to the cork, do not purchase the wine. These are signs that the cork is not doing its job -- to keep air out -- and that the wine itself could be spoiled.
As you sample wine, if it tastes unusually sour or smells or tastes musty, it may be due to a bad cork. Do not drink the wine -- take it back to the dealer or, if you are at a restaurant, send it back.
In order to have an enjoyable wine, do you need to spend more money on the bottle than you do on the dinner? No. Geographical location, the quality of grapes used and supply and demand are just a few variables that are considered that dictate the price of a bottle of wine.
For example, a winery in Napa Valley, Calif., a reputable location, could have a very large vineyard and therefore a large harvest of quality grapes. The company does not need to sell its product for high prices in order to make up for costs. A smaller vineyard in a less-reputable location -- and perhaps a lesser-quality harvest -- would.
There is a variety of information on the label of a bottle of wine that can help you to decide which bottle to buy. Some of the information can be confusing, so check out these explanations:
Appellation is the area at which the grapes were harvested. The appellation may only name the country and it may go so far as to name the country, region and vinyard. A few safe bets are wines from Napa Valley, Martha's Vineyard and, for reds, Bordeaux.
The variety explains which type of grape was used in the wine.
The vintage tells which year the grapes were harvested for this wine.
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