By Stephen Meuse, Boston Globe

Rule No. 1: Find a good local wine shop and be loyal to it.

Rule No. 2: Taste comparatively and often.

Rule No. 3: Learn to write a tasting note.

A note should be short, to the point, and useful. Name the wine completely, identify the vintage, then comment briefly on what you notice (color, aroma, flavors, texture, concentration, etc.).

Rule No. 4: Move up to case buying.

Rule No. 5: Read a good book.

For updates on what's happening in various regions from vintage to vintage, there's nothing like Dorling Kindersley's small format Wine Report series, edited by Tom Stevenson. The latest is Wine Report 2006 (about $15). For something more comprehensive if less nimble, try the ''New Sotheby's Wine Encyclopedia" (about $50) from the same publisher and editor. We find the ''Oxford Concise Wine Companion" (Oxford University Press, about $20), edited by Jancis Robinson, an indispensable ready reference. ''Essential Winetasting," by Michael Schuster, is simply the best on the subject (Mitchell Beazley, about $30).

Rule No. 6: You never get anywhere drinking mineral water.