One of a host of extremely obnoxious things my husband has to deal with since marrying me is that compulsory Simpson’s quote that comes flying out of my mouth each time I take a first sip of wine or when I pick up a bottle to bring home. Fancy or folksy, it doesn’t matter what the atmosphere, I conjure that nasally old French cartoon man for a moment and always laugh at myself. (I figure if you can’t make yourself laugh you’ve got a long road ahead of you.)

Obviously, I wouldn’t call myself a wine expert. Although I do have a propensity for imbibing in grown-up grape juice, so I only see it fitting that I try to learn a little more about the heavenly liquid. I asked the folks over at St. Louis Cellars, one of my favorite local wine shops, to give me some of their best advice to share with wine novices to help build our oenophilial vocabulary. And here’s what they had to say:

1. Ask questions. There is no stupid question, so don’t be shy!
2. Sign up for a class. This is the most straightforward way to learn about wine, and you get to do it with other people who have the same interest as you.
3. Step outside of your comfort zone. The staff members at a wine store know a lot about wine and they’ll know if you like Riesling, you may also like Gewürztraminer. Trust them to steer you in the right direction. And if they make a recommendation that you do not like, let them know. The more you know about what you like/don’t like, the better equipped they will be able to guide you towards the right wines for you.
4. Keep a wine journal. They make apps for smart phones now where you can take a photo of the wine label, and make notes as you drink it.
5. The best way to learn about wine is to try it!
6. And most importantly…At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter what the experts like, it’s about what you like. If you like dry wines, drink dry wines. If you like sweet wine, drink sweet wine!

I love me a wine bar, my local favorite being Robust since their friendly staff and menu layout makes it the perfect place to spread your palatial wings! However, when it comes to stocking the wine fridge St. Louis Cellars is definitely a go-to for our house, especially since all of their wines are under $20, and it is a little less likely someone behind the counter will sneer at my Simpson’s quote…

This weekend that I plan to stop by St. Louis Cellars to try a whole bevy of wines from around the world for their annual Fall Fling event. I attended last year’s event, and it was a great chance to expand my wine-horizons. I tasted and fell in love with a fantastic red and a great desert wine.

Here are the details of if anyone interested in stopping by:

What: St. Louis Cellars Fall Fling
When: Saturday September 24 from 12:00pm until 5:00pm
Where: St. Louis Cellars, 2640 S Big Bend

Hope to see you there!

Melody Meiners is the Founder and Managing Editor of Girls Guide. A freelance writer by trade and passion, she writes for Girls Guide, STLFamilyLife.com, and on her personal blog, Mrs SmartyPants.com as well as a variety of other locations on the web and beyond. You can email her at melody [at] girlsguidetothegalaxy [dot] com, and you can follow her on Twitter- @cosmosgirl.