Just like the French language, French wine feels menacingly full of mysteries to those who are just beginning to learn about it. But knowing the basics about French wine isn’t as hard as you think. Fortunately, we've compiled some tips to help out, courtesy of Stephen Cronk, a Londoner who opened Mirabeau vineyards in the south of France, and Frenchman Laurent Richet, a master sommelier of the twin Michelin star Restaurant Sat Bains in Nottingham, UK. Screwcaps: For many beginners, the screwcap might seem like a dead giveaway for the bottle to avoid. Not so fast, says Cronk, who noted that if you have two bottles at the same price you should go for the one without a cork. The screwcaps keep white wine fresher, longer and prevent the bottle from being fouled by bacteria in the cork. “The culture of the cork is nice, pulling the cork out and making that pop is what makes peoples' juices flow. But if you have an €8 bottle of wine in front of you and one was in a screw cap and one was corked, I’d definitely choose the screwcap,” he said.

Confusing labels: French bottles generally say which region the wine is from, but not the type of grape it's made with. So for those of us used to grabbing a bottle of Pinot Noir off the shelf, the French system can be tricky. Here are some equivalents: Wines labelled Bordeaux are made with Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and some Cabernet Franc grapes. What’s called Syrah back home will generally be a Rhone region wine here. Burgundy wines are made entirely of Pinot Noir varieties. best italian wine townsAnd if you are looking for a glass of Chardonnay, you’ll want one of the Burgundy whites like a Chablis.best italian wine towns Medals and awards: French winemakers like to advertise on their bottles the awards they’ve won in tasting competitions. best wine vintages in australia

They’re helpful, but sometimes the judges get it wrong or just loved something you can’t stand. Some awards are more meaningful than others, though. “The Concours Général, the one in Paris, that’s the best one in France,” said Cronk. “They are all moneymaking ventures. Everyone wants to get a medal on their bottle no matter how obscure it is, because they know that the consumer can’t differentiate. Medals are a hint, but not a guarantee.” Buy two bottles: Ultimately wine is a question of taste, so research and advice are really only preparation for popping open a bottle. It’s a good idea to buy one that’s safe, that you already know, but then grab something adventurous. Find a region you like and explore. Though this approach may require of bit of record keeping on what worked or not, it is in the end how the pros build up their knowledge. Key phrases: French wine labels include some phrases which are indicators of a good bottle. However, it’s important to remember they may mean the bottle is more expensive and it may not suit your tastes.

"Grand cru" means it's a region’s highest quality vineyard or area. Then there’s “grand vin,” which is the title wineries give to their best bottles. “Premier cru” is a step below “grand cru,” but it’s still a top vineyard or area. Above all there is the “grand cru classé,” which has been officially registered as a top winemaking property. Ask for help: In an only in France-type service, bigger French supermarkets like E.Leclerc, Carrefour and Auchan have a designated wine section with a staff expert. Though language is a concern here, wine novices shouldn’t be afraid to approach and ask for advice. “I would go straight to those people and talk about the budget and what kind of food you are going to prepare and see what kind of wine they would suggest. It’s an easy thing and it’s a great way to discover something new,” Richet said. “I’d recommend bottles from the Languedoc-Roussillon region. I think they are a great value for the money ."

Price does matter: You could literally spend thousands of euros on a bottle but getting a good one at the supermarket just requires not being a complete penny pincher. The really cheap bottles, like ones destined for cooking, are obviously not going to be good for drinking. But for a modest investment you’re going to hit some pretty good bottles. “There are certain fixed costs in making a wine. Let’s say it costs €2.50 to get it into the bottle. So for a €10 bottle you are getting, in theory, much more on the value of the wine than you are if you're buying wine for €3,” said Cronk. Local wines: When you are at the supermarket, choose bottles from the region where you are. The reason for that is local markets will be heavily stocked with wines produced in the area, which gives you a chance to try bottles that are good, but may not be available everywhere. “In the supermarket we have more varieties from the region, that's for sure. If you go to a supermarket in Bordeaux, there will be a lot more focus on Bordeaux.

If you are in the Loire Valley the focus will be the Loire Valley,” said Richet. “I’m from the Loire Valley and the market near me has three or four rows of all local wines. Muscadet all the way to Chinon, Sancerre and so on.” READ ALSO: Does Italy really produce finer wines than France?Wine is something I don't know a whole lot about; I just know I really like drinking it! I won't waste your time trying to educate you about wine itself (there are much better websites and books for that), but what I can do is give you some advice for buying a good bottle during your stay in Paris. There are three main places to buy wine in France: the supermarket, the wine store, and little corner markets, called epiceries or alimentations generales. Let's start with the supermarket. Every supermarket in Paris has a wine section; in some stores it's huge! This is the cheapest place to get wine, and there's usually a range from terrible, dirt cheap stuff (around 2 euros), all the way up to the really good, very expensive stuff (20+ euros).

I'm not a rich guy by any means, and my rule of thumb is that generally anything over 5 euros is usually good, sometimes great. I usually shoot for something in the 5 to 8 euro range, and I'm rarely disappointed. A little info for comparison: Back in my life in the States, I found that I had to spend at least 15 bucks for a decent bottle of wine. My method was basically to try to find a good bottle between $12 and $17. So it was a bit of a challenge to let myself start buying 5-euro wine in Paris, but as soon as I gave it a shot I realized with much delight that it's possible, easy really, to get a really good bottle in France without spending an arm and a leg. I chalk this up to what I see as a sort of philosophy in France that good wine, like good bread, is a basic human right. Anyway, then there's option two, the wine store! You'll see these all over Paris; you can't miss them with their huge front windows full of beautiful bottles. While it's possible to find good deals in these stores, they are generally more expensive than the supermarket wine department.

However, this comes with two great benefits: One, I've never had a bad bottle of wine from one of these stores, because the owners are people who really care about wine and seek out the best products to offer in their stores. The other great advantage of the wine store is that the owner and/or staff will be able to give you fantastic advice on a good bottle to buy, based on your tastes, your price range, what you're having for dinner, etc. If you're lucky enough to find an employee who speaks your language, they'll be extremely happy to help you find the perfect bottle; even if they don't speak much English they'll probably be able to give you some very useful basic advice. I recommend this experience if you can afford to do it at least once; it's worth paying a bit more to know you're getting a bottle that an expert has taken real pride in helping choose for you. Then there's option number three, the small corner market, usually called l'epicerie ("spice store," a very old-fashioned term that's stuck around), or l'alimentation generale (general food store).

[Side note: French peole commonly refer to this kind of store as "l'Arabe" — literally "the Arab" — because they are often run by Arab people. This is very old-fashioned and strikes my liberal bleeding heart as clearly racist, but it's a common, accepted name you'll hear most French people use for these stores. I urge you not to get in the habit of using this term yourself.] These small family-run stores carry a little bit of everything; groceries, snacks, toiletries, wine, etc. It's important to know that these stores are generally much more expensive than larger supermarkets; the exact same item, same brand and everything, can literally cost twice as much in these smaller markets. The one big advantage is that they're open late! You'll probably learn quickly during your stay in France that a lot of businesses close very early, and a lot of things are closed on Sundays and/or Mondays. It can be kind of unbelievable if you're coming from America, the land of convenience — even in a large, modern, cosmopolitan city like Paris, lots of big supermarkets close as early as 7pm!

I've been here for years and I'm still shocked by this sometimes. So anyway, there are tons of small corner markets all over Paris, and they're almost all open seven days a week, and most of them stay open 'til around 1 or 2am every night. It's wonderful to have this option when it's getting late and you want a bottle of wine (or a Coke, or a snack, or whatever), so long as you realize you're going to get gouged on the price, and the wine selection will probably be somewhat small and maybe not of the best quality. But the epicerie has saved countless evenings for Parisians and tourists alike; sometimes it's late and you just need a bottle of wine, by any means necessary. I should note, I've often been happily surprised at the quality of a 6-euro bottle I've picked up from l'epicerie (which would probably be a 3-euro bottle at the supermarket), so it's definitely possible to get lucky. Now, something completely unrelated to France and French wines: A secret method that I use, which is really really stupid, is choosing a bottle partially based on the label design.

Since I'm a graphic designer, I look for a few bottles that are in my price range, and then buy the one that has the coolest or classiest label design. Now, this is definitely a silly method, but think about it: superior label design tells me that the company was willing to spend good money on packaging, essentially the face of the wine, and to me this represents a dedication to overall quality and a confidence in their product. Anyway, amazingly, it works! I've sometimes performed an experiment where I've chosen two bottles at the same price, one with great graphic design and one that's pretty hideous, bought both, and found out that the better-designed bottle tasted better every time! Is it all my head? Do I get to enjoy wine that tastes great? So why question it? Anyway, this method is so silly I'm already pretty embarrassed to have written about it. But give it a try if you're curious and think you have a good eye! Anyway, regardless of where you buy your wine, the vast majority of bottles you see will be French, and of course while you're in Paris you should take advantage of French wines without the import fees we pay in the US.