First of all, you don't have to be chemistry major to understand wines. Wine is an alcoholic beverage made of fermented grape juice. There are non-grape wines available as well. These are usually called fruit wine or country wine. Some starch-based products such as barley and rice are also used to make wine. Rice wine is also know as "sake" and it is more close to beer.

You can buy a huge variety of wines starting from $6 to ultra expensive wines. The Price you're willing to pay is a important factor in selecting a wine that is right for you. It is even more important when you're a novice and want to learn and experience more about wines. A cheap wine can forever change your prespective of wine taste. However, In today's market you can find plenty of great wines available for under $20, some for considerably less. A good wine merchant will be able to give you suggestions in your price range. Another important thing to remember is what is known as "wine perception". Don't form an opinion based on what you have heard about a certain variety of wine. You must form your opinion based on your own experience and to develop your own experience, there is no better place than the local wine tasting classes. You will pay a small registration fee but you'll have a wide variety of wines available for tasting. If you like something, write down the name and the type of food it is recommended with. Next step should be to try it out with the recommended food to see if you still like it. Main reason for trying it out with food is because people don't drink wine like beer. Wine need to have a food companion and you want to make sure you have found the wine that you can enjoy with your meal. Sometimes people tend to hurry up in wine tasting classes to cover up lot more in smaller window of time available. Don't fall for this. Take your time and experiment with what you have. It is much better to have a good taste understanding of two or three varieties rather than tasting 15 wines with no recollection of taste,

Now how do we classified wine? In simple terms, we can classify wine into following categories.

Appetizer wine
These are flavored wines and are meant to consume before eating a meal.

Rosé wines
Also called "pink wines". These can be served with almost any dish, but are considered best with seafood, salads and curries.

Sparkling wines
A good example is Champagne. Carbon dioxide is the reason you see all those bubbles in sparkling wine. To add Carbon dioxide, wine is fermented twice, once in an open container to allow the carbon dioxide to escape into the air, and a second time in a sealed container, where the gas is caught and remains in the wine.

Table wines
These are usually the regular wines you'll see at your local grocery store. It includes both red as well as white wines. They have an alcohol content that is no higher than 14% in the U.S. In Europe, light wine must be within 8.5% and 14% alcohol by volume. As such, unless a wine has more than 14% alcohol, or it has bubbles, it is a table wine.

Dessert wines
These wines are classified under dessert wines because they are often served with desserts. They usually range from medium to very sweet. Muscatel is a very good example of dessert wine.

Fortified wines
These wines are often sweeter and are generally more alcoholic wines that have had their fermentation process stopped by addition of a sprit, such as brandy or scotch. classified under dessert wines because they are often served with desserts. They usually range from medium to very sweet. Muscatel is a very good example of dessert wine.

Cooking wines
As the name suggests, these wines are used in cooking and they contain a significant quantity of salt. It is usually of poor quality compared to table or dessert wines. Here is a question for you. Why do you want to cook with a wine that is deemed unfit for drinking? That's why most cooking experts advise against cooking with these wines.