When it comes to wine, our decision-making abilities look something like this: We're either gambling with a hastily-grabbed bottle from the wine shop's suggested section, or we're playing it safe with the first recognizable glass on the wine list. Unless we go for our usual $12 Sauvignon Blanc (you know, the one with the trusty critter-adorned label), the chances of ending up with a wine we don't really enjoy are high. Although we should feel empowered to ask shop owners or restaurant sommeliers to help with our selections, finding the right way to ask — without looking like a total newb — often escapes us. "I know it seems hard, but don’t get overwhelmed," Sayle Milne, certified wine educator and founder of Wine Savvy NYC , tells Refinery29. Because according to Milne, all that stands between feeling like a beginner and unleashing your inner wine expert is filling in the blanks to the following statements and then repeating them to your sales associate, server, or sommelier: