Have you ever walked into a restaurant just knowing you are going to have a great evening and a great bottle of wine? You are seated at a nice table and then the waiter brings the wine list. Your excitement is rising, mouth watering, eager for that first sip, but the wine list is thicker than a dictionary with thousands of choices from all over the world. You're completely overwhelmed and you have yet to even open it. Or maybe you get the list and all the wines are Italian and you know nothing about Italian wine except that you don't like Chianti.

You're in luck. The restaurant has a sommelier to help guide you through the endless choices and foreign selections. But you've heard about these guys: masters of wine and master sommeliers from the Court of Master Sommeliers; walking wine encyclopedias, beer and spirit gurus, beverage geniuses — talk about intimidating. All they want to do is up-sell you anyway, right?

The simplest definition of sommelier is a wine waiter, nothing intimidating about that. One of the biggest reasons people are intimidated by sommeliers, in my experience, is money. Yes, sales are part of the job and some diners worry they'll be pushed into spending more than they intended to. People can be embarrassed or shy and may not be not up front about the amount they are comfortable spending on wine. A classy trick, if you are uncomfortable discussing price in front of your guests, is to find a wine in your price range, show it to the sommelier pointing directly at the price and say "I'm looking for something like this." Diners are often offended if the sommelier recommends wines priced too high or too low. Be sure to let the sommelier know your wine budget for the evening. You might as well get that out of the way before the sommelier starts describing five wines, of which only one is in your budget.

Now that we've established the wine budget, here are a few helpful terms to aid in the wine selection. One of my favorite things about wine is it's so subjective. That is also what makes it so difficult to assist people in selecting that perfect bottle of wine for that special night. What one person might describe as sweet might actually be bone-dry but with very ripe fruity flavors. In the world of wine "sweet" refers to having residual sugar in the wine and "dry" the lack thereof. "Body" is a direct reference to the amount of alcohol in the wine, "full-bodied" means a lot of alcohol, "light-bodied" means light in alcohol. "Earthiness" might refer to mineral flavors such as chalk in Champagne, slate in rieslings from Germany, or truffles in Barolos from Italy. "Oaky" wines often exhibit aromas and flavors of vanilla and toasted coconut.

Knowing your favorite grape variety and the region in which it is grown can be extremely helpful. If you say you like chardonnay but have only had California chardonnay, you might absolutely hate a Chablis, which is also 100 percent chardonnay but very different in style. If you know the name of your favorite producer that will also help the sommelier gauge the style of wine, if he is familiar with that producer.

Knowing what characteristics and flavors you like and being able to describe them are priceless. If you can properly describe the wine you are looking for, or at least a ball park of what you are in the mood for, it is easier for the sommelier to help you with the selection. He will be able to steer you to that hidden gem on the list most people look right over, the wonderful new selection he himself just discovered and just had to add to the list, or that wine from that country you didn't even know grew grapes.

If you are still uncomfortable talking to your sommelier, here are a couple great food-friendly wines I've seen around town: