I was asked this past week to take a look at a wine book to see if we might want to sell it here in the shop. We declined, primarily because much of the information was dated. The book had been published almost 10 years ago, did not have a subsequent edition, and much of the content just didn't apply anymore. While looking through the book, though, I found many statements and assertions about wine that were in conflict with many of my own views.

In some ways, wine itself sets the table for conflicts of opinion. Grab a red grape in one hand and a white in the other and squeeze. The juice from both will run clear. It is only from contact with the skins of red wine grapes that the red wine gets its colors. Add copper-colored Pinot Gris to the mix, and the contradictions deepen. When Pinot Gris is ripe in the vineyard it is a dark copper color, making Pinot Gris vineyards some of the most beautiful at harvest. But leave the wine in contact with the skins and yep, you guessed it: no color extraction.

Varietals seem to be in conflict at times with the terroir they respond to most. Take Pinot Noir. The grapes are thin-skinned and grow in tight bundles, leaving them more susceptible to mold and rot. The best Pinot Noir grapes, though, come from areas that are damp and cool - perfect conditions for developing mold and rot, and destroying the very fruit you need to produce the wine.

Wine and winemaking have evolved differences based on the region, too. The old wine world of Europe still focuses primarily on wine being an accompaniment for food; wine is rarely drunk as an aperitif. The style is to pick grapes when they are less ripe, with lower sugar levels and higher acids. This generally results in wines with lower alcohol, which pair better with food, and which are often more age-worthy. In the new wine worlds of the United States, Australia, New Zealand, South America and other regions, ripe fruit is embraced, and harvest is completed at times to take advantage of reduced acids. The wines are bigger, richer and riper, alcohols are higher, and the wines might fight a bit more with the food they are paired with and won't age as well. They are embraced and appreciated for what they are, nonetheless.

These are of course generalizations, as trends change and winemakers - being the creative sorts that they are - are always on the prowl for new and innovative approaches and solutions. This creates - you guessed it - more conflicts. Add in a bunch of wine writers, importers, distributors and retailers, and the conflicts continue to mount.

For wine consumers, the question remains: what to do to resolve the conflicts? How do we cut through all of the disparate information created by a drink that elicits so much passion, and wine grapes that at times seem to be in a natural state of conflict? The answers are old and familiar to regular readers of this column, but remain the best approach.

When looking for a wine writer or critic, read enough of them to find one whose palate seems to frequently agree with yours. If you like wines they score highly, chances are you appreciate the same characteristics that they do. Watch for palate changes, though, both yours and theirs. Changes in likes and dislikes are inevitable, and there are times when you need to leave behind a wine rating system, just like you leave behind a wine.

Try, try and try again. Tasting as many different wines from as many different producers, and the full world of appellations is the best way to learn grape varietals and wine making styles that are likely to become your favorites.

Understanding a bit about varietals, their growing conditions, and how they handle things like prolonged solids contact for extraction, oak barrel ageing, filtering and fining, and other aspects of the wine making and harvest process will help direct you to wines you are more likely to enjoy as well.

Finally, never be afraid to ask questions of wine makers and wine professionals. Whether you are at a tasting, a wine dinner or just standing in a shop looking at all the wine that is there, ask questions to identify why you like what you like. All of these approaches will help resolve the conflicts that are part of wine.

If there is a topic you would like to read about, or if you have questions on wine, you can email george@thedinnerpartyshop.com, or make suggestions by contacting the Healthy Community section at the Coeur d'Alene Press.

George Balling is co-owner with his wife Mary Lancaster of the dinner party, a wine and tabletop decor shop in Coeur d'Alene by Costco. George has also worked as a judge in many wine competitions; his articles are published around the country, and he is the wine editor for Coeur d'Alene Magazine (www.cdamagazine.com).

You can learn more about the dinner party at www.thedinnerpartyshop.com. You can get all of these articles, as well as other great wine tips, by friending us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/#/dinnerpartyshop.