It might be time to put down that Keystone Light and start drinking with a little class.

But finding a good, affordable wine is nothing like finding a good, affordable beer.

“A good wine is one that is finished in a style that is true to it’s varietal, or grape type, character,” said Tom Trilla, Midwest region manager for Lockwood Vineyards in Monterey, Calif. His offices are in Crystal Lake. “A good wine also becomes the opinion of each individual consumer. There are as many different types and styles of wine as there are consumer preferences.”

Wines are produced in dozens of countries around the world each with numerous wine-growing regions, Trilla said.

Choosing a good wine depends on the taste that people like.

“For the novice wine consumer, the safest place to begin is with white wines,” Trilla said. “They can vary from sweet to semi-dry to dry, are served chilled and tend to be on the fruity side. Wines that finish the fermentation process in stainless steel tanks will retain very bright fruit flavors. Wines that are barrel fermented will tend to be fuller flavored.”

Red wines, except sangria, port and desert wines, almost always will be finished dry, Trilla said.

“Red wines can vary from soft with subtle flavors to bold [flavors] that will leave you with a tongue-curling finish,” Trilla said.

Trilla said the most popular white wine in the United States is Chardonnay.

“Other favorite wines are Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Grigio,” Trilla said. “For the red wine category, it’s a toss-up between Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.”

Corey Pramuk, an employee at Thirsty Liquors, 930 Pappas Drive, said that wine is very popular locally.

“Wine is most popular amongst women and older couples,” Pramuk said. “A minimum of a couple people come in everyday to purchase wine. Our most popular wines sold are Sutter Home and Woodbridge.”

There are traditional wine glasses for most wines, Trilla said.

“They range from glasses with smaller, narrow bowls for whites to glasses with wider bowls for red wine that will allow the wine to breathe or mix with air that helps the wine reach its peak flavors.”

Wine is not the most popular drink in the United States, Trilla said.

“Wine consumption in the U.S. lags far behind most other producing nations,” Trilla said. “Italy, France and Germany are the largest per-capita consumers. Beer, soda and bottled water all outpace the consumption of wine in the U.S.”

Trilla became interested in the wine industry while working at a local wine shop in college.

“My interest grew into a 25-year career working at different tiers of the industry, including retail, wholesale and winery,” Trilla said.

For more information about wine or Lockwood Vineyards, call Trilla at (815) 477-2245.