Many of us walk into a wine store not really sure what we’re looking for and end up a little overwhelmed with the choices. The Fat City blog offers up 10 wine buying tips. Here are a few good ones:

Tip number 4: “Natural human behavior is to look at the first thing that catches your eye. That’s why producers display their ratings so prominently. Don’t be a slave to ratings. Especially watch out for wines advertising ratings in the low 80s. Ask yourself why a producer would be advertising their mediocrity.”

Tip number 6: “Look at the vintages. You don’t have to know good years or bad years just know that white over three years old, especially under $20, are getting long in the tooth. On the other end, reds can be too young. Watch out for ones that are only a year old.”

Tip number 7: “Pick up the damn bottle and look at the back. If a wine has a whole paragraph with an ebullient description about the wine, they’re probably completely full of shit. It means they’re specifically dumbing down the wine and pandering to a certain demographic. Move on to something that the producer is confident enough in to let speak for itself.”

Lost in the Liquor Store: Part I [Fat City]