Closeouts offer an opportunity to buy great, or horrible, wines

Two decades ago, I knew a guy who was so wine-crazy and so value-conscious that he carried around two dozen wine glasses in the trunk of his car.

He frequented a store that bought closeout wines and distressed goods, and he'd buy one bottle of every wine that looked promising. There would be unknown Bordeaux and Italian reds, whites from little-known districts of France and obscure wines from Argentina, Switzerland and Greece.

Then, he'd go to his car and begin opening them in the parking lot, trying each one to see which was worth buying by the case.

The scenario crossed my mind again last week as I was walking through a local deli and saw a closeout bin with a number of good values.

Closeouts are becoming more and more popular as store shelves fill with more interesting wines, and room must be made for new stock.

Moreover, as changes are made in staff at retail shops, sometimes the new owners do not know why a certain wine was purchased. So the price goes down.

Here are a few tips on how to assess closeout bins and what sort of wines might be best bets for buying when you see them at a low price.

First of all, is the store air-conditioned or usually cool in summer? Heat and fluctuating temperatures can ruin wine.

Try to find bin-end sales in places that keep a cool temperature year- round. Never buy a wine stored in direct light.

With white wines, two signs indicate the level of quality: color and vintage date. The color of a white wine is a clue to its condition. In general, fresher is better.

Wines bottled in clear glass should show no more than a faint change from the expected yellow or gold. If there is any indication of browning, pass on the wine.

Also, don't buy any wine, red or white, if the cork is partway out of the bottle and you observe leakage on the bottle itself. With few exceptions, do not buy any bottles whose corks are leaking. Among the exceptions are sweet wines such as Sauternes. Sweet wines typically show some leakage. Often, they are not ruined. But check their color to make sure they are not oxidized.

Old isn't necessarily bad with all white wines. I like a little age on some Sauvignon Blancs, especially those from Graves or the Loire Valley. Indeed, some of the finest whites I have ever tasted were 5-year-old and 10-year-old Pouilly-Fumes and Sancerres that have taken on bottle bouquet.

Similarly, I also like many German and Alsace rieslings with some age. Ideally, you should be aware of the better producers and have some knowledge of the best recent vintages.

Among the best values in closeout bins often are ports and sherries. In port from Portugal, bottles of tawny can be good value; steer clear of ruby port. In sherry, stay away from anything marked fino, which must be consumed young. But a marked-down cream sherry or oloroso sherry can often be a bargain.

In red wines, cabernet sauvignon is the least likely wine to be affected badly by age. An older bottle of California cabernet is probably a better bet than a similarly aged bottle of Merlot. Older Beaujolais is a bad bet.

You may see some older Cotes du Rhones discounted, and when made by a reputable producer, such as Guigal, they can be great finds.

A key point here: Often, a wine is closed out because there is a problem with it.

So when buying closeouts, aim to try at least one bottle soon after you buy to see if you got a deal or wasted your money. You need not do this in the parking lot.

If the wine is terrible, you haven't lost much. But if the wine is sensational, then you still have time to go back and get more.