We all know who they are: wine snobs. Every time you go out to dinner they order a glass of pinot-whatever while you’re stuck with your bottle of Bud Light. It’s as if they’re saying, “I’m more cultured than you.”

Well not anymore.

The truth is, at sometime during your adult life you’ll probably be at an event where wine is being served. To help you not feel like a complete ignoramus, The Chart is presenting you with “Wine 101: The college students guide to snobbery.” And if you happen to enjoy some fermented fruits along the way, then we’ve done our job.

Our journey starts at the only wine shop in Joplin, The Vinery Wine Shop, 120 S. Main St. Its owner, Michelle Hagan, admits she’s no wine snob.

“I must confess I’m not a wine expert,” she said. “But I am a long-time wine drinker.”

Hagan has been drinking wine for almost 20 years. She started in her early 20s when her mother introduced her to it.

“Damn my mother,” Hagan said as she laughed. “I got hooked on reds at an early age. We did it together, that was the fun part.”

Hagan says there’s no “right” way to drink wine. She proclaims to a customer in the shop, “Wine can be drank at 9 o’clock in the morning!”

Hagan believes in individual taste. She says there’s a wine out there for everybody.

“If somebody starts out with white zinfandel, and they like it, then it’s my job to change their mind,” Hagan said, laughing. “No, whatever you like is fine. Drinking wine shouldn’t be hard. Everyone has their own way and no one person’s way is the right way.”

To find out what kind of wine you prefer, Hagan offers her customers a 15-tastes punch card for $10. There are also daily specials ranging from $3 to $5 per glass.

So exactly how do you taste wine? Hagan says tasting wine is different than drinking wine. Drinking wine is as simple as pouring it in the glass and sipping it, she says. But to taste the wine, Hagan lays out a simple four-step process.

First, pour one ounce or less of wine into your glass. Next smell the wine to make sure it appeals to your senses. Thirdly, swirl the wine. This “opens up” the wine and allows the air to come in. And lastly, taste the wine. Hagan recommends letting in sit in your mouth and almost “chewing” it.

The Vinery offers an assorted cheese tray to complement your wine tasting. The tray includes your choice of two cheeses or cheese and salami, fresh strawberries, grapes, bread or crackers and mustard.

Hagan and her husband opened The Vinery on March 14. They wanted to offer Joplin an “upscale” place where people could relax and drink wine. The Vinery is open 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday and Saturday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

And if you have any questions about wine, Hagan says “Just come on in and try it for yourself.”