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CUPCAKE RIESLING ($12) WASHINGTON >

Wine drinkers are creatures of habit. Once we find like, it’s almost impossible to get us to try something different. That’s one reason why the wine business spends so much time and money on marketing gimmicks, cute wine labels and the like.They know how difficult it is to overcome our lethargy.

But wine should not be that way. There are, at best guess, more than 15,000 different wines on sale in the UnitedStates, so it’s not like we don’t have a lot of choices. And there is plenty of quality within that quantity. Wine, whether cheap or expensive, sweet or dry, red or white, has never been better.

Nevertheless, how many times have we said, “But like that,” when someone has suggested we try something new. I’m no different in that regard, and it sometimes takes all my professionalism to taste a wine I’m not going to like.

So, this month, try something that you don’t like. What’s the worst thing that can happen? You’ll discover a new wine? Here are a few suggestions:

Barbier Mediterranean Red ($6). This red blend from Spain doesn’t have the bitter tannins and harsh acid of many red wines. In fact, chill this a you’ll wonder why you didn’t try it before.

Too many wine drinkers Texas wine stinks, even if they’ve never tried it. That’s open minded, isn’t it? Becker’s reserve merlot ($18), which won a gold medal at the recent Lone Star International, should change most minds. And this recommendation comes from someone who doesn’t much care for merlot.

Cupcake’s riesling from Washington ($12), another gold medal winner at Lone Star. It’s not sweet like white zinfandel, but the sweetness is a pleasant part of the wine.

—JEFF SIEGEL

JEFF SIEGEL’SWEEKLYWINE