(Chron) - Wine should illuminate, not intimidate. For many, buying and serving wine can be a daunting experience. Here are six common wine mistakes people make and how to avoid them.

1Judging a wine by its bottle: We've all bought a bottle of wine not for its contents but for its shape, its catchy name or its label. You need to focus on what's inside. If all that a wine has going for it is that it would make a clever candleholder when it's empty, spend your money elsewhere.

2Misjudging a wine's sweetness: The popularity of blush zinfandels and sweet Rieslings has led many to believe all rosés and Rieslings are sweet. Read the label to determine how dry or sweet a wine is. Drier wines will have an alcohol content of 9.5 percent to 12.5 percent; sweeter wines will be more like 5.5 percent to 9.5 percent.

3Choosing the wine before you choose what to eat: How many times have you been pressed for your drink order at a restaurant before you've had a chance to look at the menu? Though there are no rigid rules, you might regret choosing an oaky cabernet when you order fish.