What kind of wine drinker are you? Some regularly search for an unknown and obscure wine; others prefer drinking the tried and true. I’m both kinds, depending on my mood and the situation. Sometimes I’ll throw caution – and cash – to the wind and buy a bottle I know nothing about. Then again, on occasions when I can’t risk disappointment (a dinner party, a gift), I’ll fall back on old favorites.

Curious about how intrepid other drinkers might be, I talked to some wine pros about how they encourage customers to venture outside their vinous comfort zones. Their respective methodologies were remarkably similar.