Sooner or later, you will fall like Alice down the hole into the land known as wine. Don't worry. It is a tasty and satisfying trip. Here is a "travel guide" on some wine things you might want to know.

1. Fortified Wine - A wine that is given a higher alcohol content with distilled grape additives. Port and Sherry are examples of fortified wines commonly found on the market.

2. Grape Vine DNA - Ampelography is the most common way to identify a particular grape vine, but modern science is changing this. Yep, DNA tests are actually being used to identify the specific vines. Can the perfect vine be far away?

3. Low Yield Wines - The yield of a wine refers to the number of grapes grown for the relevant season at the winery. The lower the yield, the more flavor a wine will have.

4. Wine Integration - The balancing of the factors that go into a wine. Integration refers to balance between things such as the acidity, tannin and so on. When one does not stand out, the wine is considered balanced and to have good integration.

5. Wine Reserve - The term reserve is often understood to mean that a wine has been aged longer than normal and thus is of a higher quality. This understanding is not always accurate, so don't fall for it when buying.

6. Tannin and Vino - Tannin comes from the skin of grapes. It adds to the sharpness of the wine, particularly red wines. Too much tannin can render a wine overpowering, while to little can render it bland.

7. Wine Cork Presentation - A massive area of confusion. When a waiter presents you with the cork, you should determine only whether the cork is in good condition. Disfigured corks mean air has penetrated the bottle during storage.

8. Variety of Wine Grapes - There are a wide variety of grapes used to produce the various vintages in the world. The total estimated number is close to 25,000 different types.

9. First California Grape - The first wine grape planted in California was mission, named for the missions where it was grown. The first vines were planted in 1779 at the Mission in San Juan Capistrano.

10. Bitter Red Wine and Food - The strength of a wine can be to aggressive when consumed alone. With a bitter red wine, try eating a steak with it. The combination will take the edge off the wine as intended by the winery.

The world of wine is about both taste and knowledge. With knowledge, your ability to understand and distinguish wine will grow. Now you have some, so get out there and do some tastings!