They are often found at grocery stores, liquor stores, and by the glass or bottle at restaurants and in the homes of many Americans. Grapes Novice wine consumers may not realize that chardonnay refers to a type of grape, not a type of wine. The same is true for merlot and cabernet sauvignon. A Bordeaux is a type of wine that can be made from a blend of five grapes, Zaher said. Vintage Vintage on a wine label refers to the year the grapes were harvested.
Vintages are important for connoisseurs who want to store and collect wines.
The amount each person is willing to pay for a bottle varies depending on the value an individual attaches to the wine. Establish a baseline for pricing. Ratings Some magazines, such as the Wine Advocate, issue ratings for wines, a useful tool for the collector, but not very practical for the everyday drinker. Ratings tend to span a 100-point scale. In most cases, wines scoring 90 points or higher are age-worthy, meaning they won't taste their best right away.