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[Randy Caparoso]

Although there are hundreds upon hundreds of wine grape varieties grown all over the world, there are only about a dozen major ones. Simply going to the store and examining the shelves will familiarize you with the actual names. Most American grown wines are sold by the "varietal" names. It gets a little more complicated with European wines, which largely are sold by the names of the places they come from (although they generally are made from the dozen or so major varieties).

It doesn't hurt to ask questions; which is a good reason to go to a store with a rep for knowledgeable salespeople. A visit to the library or bookstore doesn't take much effort either. But if you really cannot move beyond your computer chair, a number of Web sites have basic consumer friendly pages. Check out winespectator.com or wine-lovers-page.com for starters.