All of them are just that: rituals. They are not rules. A few could even be perceived as pretty silly.

Let's take a look at these rituals, and whether you'd be well advised to follow them...

Toward the end of the 20th century, wines lovingly referred to by their makers as "big oaky monsters" were all the rage. The more oak flavors one could impart into a wine - whether it was Chardonnay or Cabernet Sauvignon - the better. Many vintners even began to age their bright and refreshing Sauvignon Blanc wines in oak barrels and labeled them "Fumé Blanc."

The problem, some would assert, is that a good number of vintners overdid it. In a good number of cases, the aromas and flavors imparted by the oak overwhelmed the fruit, earth and other impressions of the wine...

Different sizes.

Different shapes.

Real crystal, as opposed to plastic.

Nothing is more disheartening than the sound of a favorite wine glass hitting a hard kitchen floor and shattering into a hundred pieces... unless it's several glasses breaking at the same time...

The more bottles you have, the more important it is to keep them organized for optimum enjoyment.

So what's the best way to accomplish this goal? Obviously, it depends on the size of your collection. The bigger the stash, the greater the organization required. But for most of us, a simple two-area approach works...

That said, even some of the most common descriptors for wine - fruity, sweet and dry - can be misunderstood.

Let's begin with "fruity." Often, when someone hears that word, there is an assumption that the wine in question will be sweet. After all, isn't virtually all fruit sweet?

In actuality, a wine is said to be fruity when...

The hands-on approach calls for the vintner to involve himself or herself in virtually every aspect of the process, from selecting the yeasts that spark fermentation to the speed of the fermentation to the specific types of vessels used for aging to the ultimate blending decisions.

The hands-off approach involves minimal intervention by the winemaker, with the goal being to make a wine that is an accurate portrayal of its fruit, its terroir and its vintage - in essence, a drinkable snapshot in time...

     Just as panic begins to set in, you remember the video that you saw on VinesseTODAY.com...

     We pointed out that certain words and phrases infer a higher level of quality but, in fact, carry no legal meaning.

     Today, however, we'd like to point out a label that's actually worth seeking out...

     Allow us to explain.

     Among the important pieces of information you can glean from perusing a label are the winery that made the wine, the region in which the grapes were grown, what year those grapes were grown, and the variety of the grapes...

     We don't hate corks. Far from it. We appreciate the history and tradition associated with them, and we understand that a vast majority of wines sealed with corks end up smelling and tasting just as the vintner envisioned.

     That said, if there's a better way to protect that wine in the bottle, we've always been open to giving it a try...