How to be a wine lover and not die trying.

“Do you know a lot about wine?”

“No…but I know what I like!”

A veritable declaration of intent. Wine lovers like to flaunt their insights, but they don’t pretend to be experts. No common traits give them away. You can pick them out, because they are the ones taking pictures of wine labels, the ones monopolizing the sommelier at the restaurant. They dream of having a wine blog that pays the bills, because they spend a fortune on staying up to date with new releases and tasting the classics. In their homes, you will recognize a wine lover by their fridge, which contains more wine than food. (Plus, they will have another special fridge to store their reds.) They get nervous when they go to the store and can’t find the vintage they are looking for. They are willing to travel great distances to drink THAT bottle. And what is most important—and what makes them very powerful—is their fearlessness in asking questions, because they know there is a lot left to learn (and they are very eager to do so!)

What does it mean to be a wine lover? It is not about satisfying a physical need, but the social aspect might very well play a significant role. Wine lovers aren’t experts, but they are good at tasting, because they know what they like. Love of this divine libation has become very popular. So how does one become a wine lover? Here are a few steps to follow:

1) Read wine guides and magazines, follow the gurus on Twitter and find out what they are into. Then take their rave reviews to the store and start chasing down those incredible wines.

2) Make going to wine fairs and sneaking into professional tastings your main hobby. Ask the winemaker what it is about this particular wine that makes it so special. Sign up for wine industry newsletters...and read them!

3) Pick restaurants based on their wine lists and sign up for all of their wine pairing dinners. Extra points if the winemaker is present at the dinner.

4) Build your own wine collection, share the bottles with friends and feel completed.

5) Own more than six types of glasses and always wash them by hand.

6) Keep a journal where you jot down all of the tasting sensations for every glass you drink. Download an app for your phone or buy a traditional notebook that will grow to be your liquid Bible.

7) Plan your vacations around the wine regions you haven’t visited yet. You can even volunteer at a winery to prune or harvest. It’s all about the photo op!

8) Stay up all night like it’s the Oscars when the latest Parker ratings come out.

9) Celebrate your meetings, baptisms, communions and weddings at wineries that are renowned for their architecture...and know the most obscure ones, the ones off the beaten track, hidden down long, curvy roads.

Here are a few things a wine lover would never do:

1) Ask for international varieties and forego the local ones.

2) Believe that the only good wine is an old wine and let great ones sit around until their grandkids grow up.

3) Consider rosé a poor quality wine.

4) Serve a red wine at the (room) temperature...of a terrace in summer.

5) Opt for large, orthopedic corkscrews...instead, go for those that waiters use: the light, easy-to-use, double-levered kind.

6) Use glasses that are color-tinted, floral patterned or made from glass as thick as their stem.

7) State the following: “wine tastes better after the bottle has been open for two days.”

8) Get stressed out about finding all of the aromas listed on the label.

Wine lovers of the world unite! This is your moment: you have all the information you could ask for, the likelihood of finding a bad wine is slim, and you have plenty of people with whom to share your passion for wine.

Meritxell Falgueras