Wine is a complicated subject and often an expensive investment, and figuring out what to buy can leave many people feeling overwhelmed. The nightmare is spending your hard-earned money on a bottle and hating it once you get it home. Luckily, there are a few tried and true methods to hedging your bets that will leave you feeling satisfied with your purchases more often than not.

The first piece of advice is to find a shop or a restaurant with a knowledgeable wine staff. Better yet, find a member of the staff who will take the time to listen to what you want, no matter the vocabulary you are using to describe it. A great Sommelier or salesperson is one who won’t try to push their own taste on you and will do what it takes to get you what you want. It’s what keeps you coming back for more.

Some people choose to take wine classes, whether through certified schools like the Wine & Spirits Education Trust or the Court of Master Sommeliers, or more informally at local wine shops. Yet not everyone has the time or the money for such pursuits. 

Alternatively, self study can be a rewarding way to go. Pick out a bottle randomly or start with a few from a single region to get you focused. Taking the time to look up information online or through wine books gives space to contemplate and understand what is in your glass. “The Wine Bible,” by Karen MacNeil, “The Oxford Companion to Wine,” by Jancis Robinson, and “The World Atlas of Wine,” by Hugh Johnson and Jancis Robinson, are all excellent resources to have on hand.

Travel is also a great teacher. There is no better way to understand a wine or a region than having your feet on the ground and connecting with the people who live there. Of course, the cost involved, especially when the destinations are in Europe or Australia, can put this out of reach for a lot of people. It is worth remembering, though, that wine is now made in every U.S. state, so getting to a vineyard might not be as far-fetched an idea as you think.

Here’s one more secret that industry professionals and aficionados use all the time: Look at the back label. This one is for slightly more advanced purchasers, but can often lead to some new and exciting finds. Every time you taste from a bottle of wine, ask to look at the back; you will find the importer printed there. Sometimes it is obvious, and comes with a big, recognizable logo; sometimes it will be in tiny type. Either way, every time you like a wine, make a mental note or add it to a written list of notable importers.

You will quickly realize which importers are bringing in the wines you most enjoy. Importers are real people with their own taste preferences, and so it follows that they are going to bring in wines they like and that hit certain profiles. Taking note of the importers you don’t align with can be almost as important, to avoid repeated disappointments.

I used the trick just recently at a tiny wine shop where I didn’t recognize almost any of the producers. I turned around the bottles and ended up walking out with four easy drinking wines — 3 reds and a sparkling, enjoyed by everyone at the dinner I attended.

Although we might have different tastes, here are some of my favorite importers to watch out for: Kermit Lynch, Polaner, Becky Wasserman, David Bowler, Louis Dressner, Rosenthal, Thomas Calder Selections, Rare Wine Co, Sussex/Petit Pois, Skurnik, Massanois, Black Lamb, Coeur, Corkhoarder, DNS, Grand Cru, Jose Pastor, Jenny & Francois, Little Peacock Company, NLC, Palinkerie, T Edward, Transatlantic Bubbles, Vision, Volker Wine Co, Vom Boden, VOS, Weygandt, and Winemonger.