Closeout Bin

Be sure to check the date of bottling to avoid a less flavorful wine. G-Stock Studio/Shutterstock

One of the great benefits of knowing lots about wine is that wine-knowledgeable people often can find bargains that others would bypass.

This topic is important today because there is now far more wine in the marketplace than anybody imagined just a year ago. Slow sales in the last year have led to soft prices. Since wine is perishable and has a limited shelf life, retailers must move it.

And wines that are less well known are likely to move more slowly and may be discounted more than wines that consumers know something about, such as chardonnay and cabernet.

Savvy consumers also know that slightly older vintages might well offer excellent value, because wine can develop fascinating characteristics with just a little extra time in the bottle. And older vintages are often discounted.

With wine selling slowly, many wines reach a point where retailers say a product is “stale,” even though there is actually nothing wrong with it. Retailers often tire of looking at bottles that are unsold for months. It’s then that they plunk them into what I call a closeout bin.

Here are a few suggestions for discounted wines, particularly those that are located in discount racks:

• Be wary of rose wines that are more than two years old. Most roses should have fresh fruit aromas and tastes for their greatest enjoyment. But they can fade in time. The 2023 and 2022 vintages were both good in Northern California and France. Both are good drinking today. But anything older than 2022 is suspect.
• When it comes to young rose or white wines, check alcohol levels to make sure they are moderate. I find that many whites and roses that I prefer have about 13.5 percent alcohol. Some wines above 14.5 percent alcohol can be soft and seem to be sweet.
• Among the most reliable white wines you may see on discount shelves are pinot gris (or grigio) and sauvignon blanc. The former grape is best consumed when it is young and fresh. I'd pass on any from 2021 or earlier.

Sauvignon blanc, by contrast, actually develops fascinating secondary characteristics with a little bit of time in the bottle. Many older versions from New Zealand can be interesting and are worth a try—particularly when they are less than $10 per bottle.

• I find that the most reliable red wine closeouts can be those from Italy. However, understanding these wines is not that easy, and knowing something about the regions is very helpful.

The most widely seen Italian reds come from Tuscany, which may show up on the label as “Toscana.” These wines are made from the sangiovese grape and are typically quite dry with 13.5 percent alcohol. They go best with red-sauced pasta dishes, pizza and other Italian dishes.

• Spanish reds are usually made from tempranillo. They are usually moderate in alcohol. Those that are likely to be discounted are designated “crianza,” which are intended to be consumed young.
• Some of the best values in lower-priced discounted reds are dry wines from Portugal. Most have moderate alcohol levels and fairly low tannins, so they’re not particularly astringent.
• I love dry German rieslings, but that category of wine has been extremely popular worldwide, so prices have been rising. Any German rieslings you find today that are discounted likely will be sweet or off-dry.
• Cabernet sauvignon has been popular worldwide for decades, and lots of it is produced in numerous countries. It’s not an easy grape to make into a great wine, and even moderate-quality versions usually are expensive.

Today, I find that the best values in cabernet typically come from either Australia or Chile. The latter country produces superb cabs that usually sell for $12 to $18, and discounts are beginning to show up for them.

The topic of discounted wines always crops up during periods when sales slow considerably. I have witnessed this for decades. Roughly every 20 years, there is a soft spot in the marketplace, but sales usually rebound within two to three years.

Since red wines with moderate alcohol levels usually keep fine for a few years, some wine consumers may take this opportunity to stock up on some of today’s bargains.

Wine of the Week: 2022 Bonny Doon Picpoul, Central Coast ($18)

Picpoul (pick-pool) is a slightly obscure grape from a family of grapes that grow primarily in the south of France. It has recently become popular in cooler regions of California. It has a beautiful floral aroma, and there also is a delicate hint of maritime minerality (which I call “sea spray”). Although the taste is relatively succulent, the balance is perfect, and therefore it is appealingly dry in the aftertaste and goes with a wide variety of foods. Bottle Barn in Santa Rosa, California, has this wine for $11.99 (https://bottlebarn.com/products/2022-bonny-doon-central-coast-picpoul).

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