Hello there, I’m Sarah Petz and each week I’ll be helping you impress your friends, colleagues, relatives and prospective or current romantic partners in a short, sweet informative blog.

I’ve been made fun of more times than I care to say for always having a wine glass in my hand when everyone around me is double-fisting cheap beer. Sometimes I’ll get particular and want something a little higher end, but then there are times when, especially after a long day of work and classes, if it’s red and wet, I’ll take it!

There’s always a fine line when talking about wine (no rhyme scheme intended). You don’t want to look or sound pretentious (like my relatives, doing the classic twirl and sniff at… Moxies. So embarrassing!) You don’t want to sound stupid, either (“OMG I like, love wine… What kind? Oh, like red wine, white wine…”). There’s no need to take a class, which leads me to another phrase that irks me: “I know a lot about wine, I’ve taken a class.” Cue eye roll.

A lot of people never become wine lovers because they find the whole process a little intimidating. No one’s expecting you to become a wine connoisseur. To be honest, I’ve been regularly drinking wine since I was about 15, and I still don’t have the greatest vocabulary in wine lingo.

When you’re taking that plunge into wine appreciation, what’s more important is figuring out what you like and what you don’t like. Figuring out wine is like figuring out sex: it takes experience and experimentation, and you’re not going to like everything you try. If you’ve never bought wine before, here are a few labels to get you started:

Peter Leberman (Australia), a Cabernet- Shiraz – Merlot Blend

Rosemont (Australia) – Chardonnay

Any Wolf Blass wines are excellent and not too pricey; they’re also found in the Australia section.

For white wines I would also try Two Colours (found in the German section).

As you may have noticed, I personally love Australian wines, they usually tend to be more full bodied, but this is just my personally preference.

Don’t be afraid to try new bottles! I myself have stuck to a label I know is dependable out of fear of buying a shitty bottle that tastes like vinegar and wasting my money.

Okay, so maybe I broke my promise. You probably won’t be able to impress everyone with your knowledge of wine after reading this first blog, but what I want to drive at is the need to take your time and enjoy yourself. Start with the basics and you’ll impress the snootiest of wine snobs in no time.