From finding new wines to understanding tasting notes and everything in between, new wine drinkers often talk about how intimidating the wine industry can be. To combat this, we wanted to dispel three popular wine myths that might be keeping you from enjoying your wine journey as much as possible.

1) You have to understand a wine to enjoy it

Sommelier exams and other wine studies might help professionals understand the world of wine and give us tools to serve customers better but the idea that the enjoyment of a wine is tied to one’s understanding of that wine is misguided. In fact, most wines are meant for simple, hedonistic pleasure without the need for any deep thought or analysis. This is especially true when it comes to tasting notes or wine making techniques. Sure, some people love to dive in and break down the differences and nuances that define certain wines and that’s what brings them maximum pleasure with each glass–and that’s great! But it is far, very far, from necessary.

2) All wines improve with age

This ties back to the previous point, that most wines are made to be enjoyed right away. I’d go even further though. Even wines that do, classically, benefit from extended bottle age can go sideways. If your wine storage conditions aren’t ideal–think temperature controlled and away from light most importantly–then that expensive bottle of 100 point Napa Cab won’t reach its peak maturity with much life left. The final thing I’ll note here is that, in my experience, it takes a while for wine drinkers to enjoy aged wines. Those bright, high-toned, purely ripe fruit flavors that show off during a wine’s youth give way to the tertiary and the earthy, both of which can be acquired tastes.

3) Corks are better than screw tops

The reputation of wine in screw top bottles has long suffered from the oceans of plonk that hits big-box retail stores for fewer than $10 per bottle. But nowadays, more and more fantastic wine is being bottled without a cork, as wineries look to reduce their carbon footprint and work towards the most sustainable bottling operations that they can. While you may not see Grand Cru Burgundy come in a screw top (at least not yet), there are plenty of fantastic wines that have left their traditional corks behind.