If you aren't a connoisseur of vineyards and their produce and you haven't taken hundreds of Rome apartments to improve your knowledge, then, chances are, you could use some help picking up a bottle for the next dinner party you are invited to.
Buying wine can be daunting if you don't know what you're looking for, but getting hold of a good one is not impossible. If you follow a few, straightforward guidelines, you'll find it surprisingly easy to make a good choice.
To begin with, you should do your shopping at a small wine shop rather than at a large supermarket or vast chain store. The reason for this is simply that little retailers haven't the room to stock rubbish so their shelves are more likely to be full of reasonably good products.
Secondly, it is a good idea to accept any assistance proffered by the employees of the store. These people will know about wine and you can use their skills. Be straight with them – don't pretend you're a wine expert –but also make it clear that you're working on a budget: you don't want to be taken advantage of.
In short, getting hold of a great wine is certainly not difficult. It is just a matter of finding the right retailer and of using his or her knowledge to your benefit.
