How do you feel when you're handed the wine list at a restaurant? If you're like most people, you feel uncomfortable. You've got this huge listing of largely unrecognizable things in front of you and you're supposed to make some sort of snap judgment that could cost you real money - and embarrass you with your dining companions, too.

But even if you're no expert, there are easy ways to decipher a list. And there's good reason to try: A memorable wine can make a meal more romantic, a bigger business success and just more fun. Check out the index accompanying this column; aren't experiences like those worth just a little bit of extra effort? And it's not so hard, no matter how big the wine list. Just follow these seven simple steps:

1. Take your time. A few seconds after handing you the biggest wine list in the world, the waiter will come over and say, 'Have you made your selection?' or 'Do you need help?' Just look up, smile and say, 'You have such an interesting list. It'll take me a few minutes to decide.' At this point, the waiter will think you know what you're doing and will leave you alone.

2. Decide if you want red or white. If you're with a date or business colleagues, just ask: 'Hey, do you like red or white?' If it's lunch, the answer will almost always be white. The rest of the time, the answer will usually be, 'Whatever you think.' So if it's lunch, go with white. Otherwise, think about what kind of restaurant you're in. Maybe ask to look at the menu. Fish restaurant? White. Steak joint? Red. This single decision cuts the wine list in half.

3. Does the restaurantspecialize in a certain type of wine? If there are 20 Italian wines listed and five U.S. wines, the owner cares more about Italian wine. Go with it.

4. Eliminate the showcase wines. Many restaurants that have huge lists specialize in expensive French 'first growth' wines, like Chateau Lafite-Rothschild. Are you going to order those wines? Of course not. Mentally, cross them off.

5. Now, among what's left, look for wines you already know - and cross them off, too. Hey, if you can buy the same wine from the corner wine store for half the price, it's not going to be much fun drinking it at a restaurant, is it? Look for something new.

6. Decide what you are willing to spend. Maybe you had planned to spend $25, but there's just about nothing on the list at $25. Think about $35. Whatever the price - and be flexible; c'mon, you're eating out - decide what you're willing to spend and mentally strike out everything else.

7. You've decided red or white, focused on what the restaurantspecializes in, eliminated the showcase wines, crossed off wines you already know and decided what you can spend. How many wines could possibly be left? Just a handful, we'd guess. So pick two or three. At this point, say to the waiter, 'I can't decide among these wines' - and, wait, the next sentence is the key. Do not say, 'What would you recommend?' Sad to say, in many cases, the waiter really doesn't have a clue and will simply choose one. Instead, say, 'What can you tell me about them?' This may flummox the waiter - who will then send over someone who actually knows something about wine. Ignore what he says. Instead, watch his eyes and his body language. You'll know which wine he is most excited about.

Order it. And don't worry about it. If it's not terrific, it's still something new and different. And if it's special, well, maybe something like this will happen to you:

There is a famous steak restaurant in Tampa, Fla., called Bern's, with a wine list the size of the Manhattan white pages. We looked for wines we had never had, and one caught our eye: something called Wine by Wheeler from Nicasio Vineyards in California, vintage 1961. We found this old vineyard earlier in one of our ancient wine books, and it was such a moving story - about how a young couple, Dan and Bette Wheeler, had a dream about making wine, how they built the winery with their bare hands, how it was a labor of love.

But when the wine arrived at our table, there was something unusual. The charming label said: 'Work is the ruin of the drinking classes.' There was a hand-written signature of Dan Wheeler and, in his handwriting: '1961 Vintage.'

But there, just above that, where it had said, 'Produced and bottled at Nicasio Vineyards, Soquel, Calif., by Bette and Dan Wheeler,' someone, with the same pen, had crossed out 'Bette and.'

We asked to see Bern Laxer, who owned the place then. 'Damnedest thing,' he said. 'One day, Dan Wheeler came in here, said he'd gotten a divorce and demanded to see every wine of his in the cellar. And he stood there and crossed off his wife's name on every bottle.'

We don't know if Bern was pulling our leg - we tried without success to reach Mr. Wheeler for this column. But, while we have had better wines than the 1961 Wine by Wheeler, this is the only label that we have framed and hanging on our wall.

Dorothy J. Gaiter / John Brecher

• restaurant [´restərɔnt] n.饭店，菜馆 (初中英语单词)
• supposed [sə´pəuzd] a.想象的；假定的 (初中英语单词)
• expert [´ekspə:t] n.&a.专家；内行 (初中英语单词)
• romantic [rəu´mæntik] a.传奇(式)的；浪漫的 (初中英语单词)
• column [´kɔləm] n.柱；柱状物；纵队 (初中英语单词)
• otherwise [´ʌðəwaiz] ad.另外 conj.否则 (初中英语单词)
• italian [i´tæliən] a.意大利 n.意大利人 (初中英语单词)
• expensive [ik´spensiv] a.费钱的，昂贵的 (初中英语单词)
• willing [´wiliŋ] a.情愿的，乐意的 (初中英语单词)
• whatever [wɔt´evə] pron.&a.无论什么 (初中英语单词)
• sentence [´sentəns] n.判决 vt.宣判；处刑 (初中英语单词)
• actually [´æktʃuəli] ad.事实上；实际上 (初中英语单词)
• california [,kæli´fɔ:njə] n.加利福尼亚 (初中英语单词)
• unusual [ʌn´ju:ʒuəl] a.不平常的；异常的 (初中英语单词)
• charming [´tʃɑ:miŋ] a.可爱的；极好的 (初中英语单词)
• handwriting [´hænd,raitiŋ] n.笔迹；书法 (初中英语单词)
• divorce [di´vɔ:s] n.离婚 vt.同....离婚 (初中英语单词)
• cellar [´selə] n.地窑，地下室 (初中英语单词)
• uncomfortable [ʌn´kʌmftəbəl] a.不舒服的，不自在的 (高中英语单词)
• embarrass [im´bærəs] vt.妨碍；使为难 (高中英语单词)
• memorable [´memərəbəl] a.难忘的；重大的 (高中英语单词)
• eliminate [i´limineit] vt.消除；淘汰 (高中英语单词)
• decided [di´saidid] a.明显的；决定的 (高中英语单词)
• handful [hændful] n.一把，少数，一小撮 (高中英语单词)
• ignore [ig´nɔ:] vt.忽视，不理，不顾 (高中英语单词)
• terrific [tə´rifik] a.可怕的；极大的 (高中英语单词)
• signature [´signətʃə] n.签名；盖章 (高中英语单词)
• hanging [´hæŋiŋ] n.绞刑 a.悬挂着的 (高中英语单词)
• waiter [´weitə] n.侍者，服务员 (英语四级单词)
• specialize [´speʃəlaiz] v.成为专家；专攻 (英语四级单词)
• chateau [´ʃætəu] n.城堡；公馆，邸宅 (英语四级单词)
• flexible [´fleksəbəl] a.灵活的，柔韧的 (英语四级单词)
• manhattan [mæn´hætən] n.曼哈顿 (英语四级单词)
• vineyard [´vinjəd] n.葡萄园 (英语四级单词)
• gotten [´gɔtn] get的过去分词 (英语四级单词)