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dejon
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Random thoughts after reading up to this point:
Yes, avoid "vin de boit" - boxed wine. Ugh.
Wine for Dummies is a surprisingly good read.
Don't start trying to remember all the names and grapes types people are throwing at you. When you are trying a wine for the first time try to ensure you have a clean palate - drink some water. Some people like smelling a wine first before drinking, to enhance the aromatic experience. But be forewarned that it looks snobby in some company. If you like the wine, ask what it is and try to get a look at the bottle - write it down if you can. Over time (years), you will start to recognize wines from particular regions or made from particular grapes that you've enjoyed before.
If you enjoy different types of cheese and have some friends who like wine - host a wine and cheese party. Encourage people to bring one bottle and type of cheese each. Mix and match. Everyone can discover some really tasty combinations this way.
Once you discover one or two types of wine you like - don't stick to them exclusively for the rest of your life. Occassionally try new things, even re-trying things you didn't like before (could've been a bad batch). Variety is the spice of life.
Older is better is misleading. Wine is aged to bring out the best in it, but it depends on what you started with, and many other factors. Wine can also overage and become gross.
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Drogue
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Omnipresent conscience
Oct 2002
time: 05:27
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California Wine (mostly Napa or Sonora) can be great, but I find it overpriced. Even in California. I went there for a holiday, and went wine tasting (I have a lot to thank fake IDs for) but most of the decent stuff seemed at least $15+ a bottle. Being a student, I rarely pay more than £6 or £7 (about $10-12).
I agree with what Spiffor said earlier, however I'd like to add a bit. If your new to wine, try a few different cheap ones. German Riesling is a particlaur favourite of mine, it's slightly sweet, lasts for ages (it's best at over 4 or 5 years old, and stioll not too expensive). There are many distinctions, but something that says QmP (Qalitiateswein mit Pradikat (sp?)) is good, and at least in the UK, can be bought cheaply, about £5 will get soemthing very drinkable. try it with fish, chicken, on it's own, or with something slightly sweet. If you do something with a sweet source, it's great with it.
If you prefer your whites very dry (tastes like citrus, a bit acidic) then try Savignon Blanc, or Chenin Blanc. Savignon is very widely available from New Zealand, and Chenin from either the Loire Valley (France) or South Africa.
Merlot is a good red to start with IMHO. It's not got the tannin or strength of Cabernet Savignon or Shiraz (called Syrah in France), and it's easily drunk. Glugable was how one UK wine expert called it. It goes with most meats, especially red meat, and tuna. If you want a really light red, go for Beaujolais, it;s French, froma region of Burgundy known as Beaujolais.
If you want something that's good value, South America does some wonderful reds. Chile especially. Mostly quite strong (about 13-13.5%) and quite like Australian/Californian (usually called 'New World') Reds, but without the price tag attached.
Avoid boxed wine at all cost, as others have said.
As for Chamagne, it has to come from a region of France, as others have said, and you pay a premium for that. Champagne is usually either Blanc de Blanc (made from white grapes) or Blanc de Noir (made from black grapes, but without skins, thus the wine is white).
If you want a decent sparkling wine, that is different from chamagne, try Pelorus. It's from Cloudy Bay in New Zealand, and is better than almost any Champagne I've tried, but costs £17 here. If you have money, and want decent Champagne, go for Krug Grande Cuvee, or Dom Perignon (the guy that invented the stuff). Both cost a small fortune (£80-100) but are supposidly fantastic (not that I could afford them).
Personally, I would avoid Gewurtzraminer. You may like it, but I find it sickly almost. If you really want a sweet wine, try a desert wine like Liquer Muscat (Brown Brothers is good and cheap and I think from the US) or Riesling. Try with food too (red wine especially) since it changes a lot with food. I would also avoid rose, as I've never found one that tastes any good.
Just go to a specialist, if you can find one, and as them to recommend a few relatively cheap bottles. See what you like, and try to find more like it. Personally, for quality and cost, I'd go for French and Chilean reds, and German (sweet) or New Zealand (citrusy) whites. But that would be me. Theres a lot to be said for Californian and Australian reds (although they're very pricey here), Spanish and Italian reds (a bit of an aquired tastes IMHO), and French whites (although I personally prefer New World or German ones).
As for years, '89 and '90 were great in Europe (90 being very scarce though) whith 92-95 being very variable. As for later ones, I find '98-99 were good, and newer ones variable. But this is pretty immaterial, in the sense that some wines will be better some years than others, it all varies differently for different vinyards. Just ask someone where you buy them about specific wines and years.
Hope this helps, sorry about being so wordy, I get like this about wine.... 
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Zylka
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Man I've been pursuing the same knowledge as of late
I was recently denied a second job at a suave wine & cheese bistro for lack of knowledge. They were all smiles and the manager was even a little flirty... Until the question "List two of your favorite grape varietals" popped up, and I thought I'd be funny by replying "it all goes down well with a pinch of Peruvian flake"
That apparently isn't an acceptable attitude for "their level of corporate clientele"
Mold wh0res
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Zylka
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I still want that job so bad
the hostess on staff had a 1200$ skirt on with knee high Guccis
Oh God
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Zylka
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Syrah? Hmmm well to me Baby Duck champagne is just as good as the rest for getting a 14 year old pregnant
Hypothetically
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LTEC!
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...and ICE CREAM!
Feb 2000
time: 21:27
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Food & Wine Pairing Basics
The key to success is to achieve balance. First, you should balance the weight and intensity of the food. Second, assess the primary taste sensations in food – sweet, salty, sour, bitter and savory – and adjust these slightly, if necessary, to complement the components in your wine – alcohol, acid, sugar and tannin. When used separately or together, these principles greatly expand the possibilities for successful food and wine pairing.
Balancing weight
Choosing a wine and food with similar weight – or body – will help to ensure that one doesn’t overwhelm the other. A light-bodied wine will be overwhelmed by a heavy dish, and likewise, a delicate food may be overwhelmed by a full-bodied wine.
Balancing Flavor Intensity
Again, a similarity is best here. A richly flavored wine will shine with a richly flavored dish, and a delicately flavored wine will be showcased by a delicately flavored dish.
Balancing Food & Wine Components
Sometimes we find ourselves at someone else’s dinner table or in a restaurant where the choice of food or wine is less than perfect. Here are some principles to help bring your food and wine into better balance.
There are five primary taste sensations present in every food: salty, sweet, sour, bitter and savory.
Each affects how a wine – red or white – is perceived on the palate.
You should consider the strongest flavor of each dish its primary component (e.g. chicken with a fruity sauce would be considered sweet, while roasted chicken might be salty or savory.)
Wine has four primary components: alcohol, acid, sugar and tannin.
Alcohol adds aromas and a slightly sweet taste to the wine, as well as body, making the wine feel richer.
Acid in wine provides tartness and structure, and complements and dissolves the salt, oil and fat in food.
While sugar is present in grapes before fermentation, most wines are fermented to “dry,” removing all perceptible sugar from the wine.
Tannin is the puckery, astringent sensation found in red wines. Tannins act as palate cleansers when paired with foods high in protein or oil.
When food and wine are consumed together, these principles interact.
Foods that have a prominent salty, sour or bitter taste will make a wine seem sweeter and less tannic.
Foods with prominent sweet or savory tastes will make a wine seem more tannic, less sweet and more acidic.
If your food and wine seem off balance, slight adjustments to the food – through the addition of salt, acid or sweetness – can help bring your meal into balance.
Predominant food taste: May make wine seem: Add:
Sweet or Savory More tannic, less sweet, more acidic and drier A touch or salt or lemon (acid)
Salty, Sour or Bitter Sweeter, less tannic, more fruity A touch of sweetener (sugar or honey)
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30-04-2003 22:55
I have drunk "Queen Mary" (something that gets exported in Germany, So I suppose you Yanks don't know it at all 
Man you have knowledge ! 
)
Thanks. The weird thing, is I knew more when I was about 15. But I used to be a waiter in a posh restaurant, and I had to know some of this. It's not just choosing what to drink yourself, you have to recommend things. It's so tempting just to say "if you need a recommendation, buy the house wine" 
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