For reasons too numerous to delineate, sales of wine in the United States have come to a screeching halt, leading to a lot of reasonably priced wines.

One factor that exacerbates this situation is that wine is perishable and cannot remain on the shelf for very long before it deteriorates. Take rose wines. Some are now getting to be a bit long in the tooth.

Although wine bargains are evident throughout the country, some consumers don't know what to look for to find the best values. Here are a few things to look for:

Chardonnay Alternatives: Chardonnay continues to be the best-selling white wine in the country, partly because it is richer and softer than many other whites. Though sauvignon blanc can often be equally engaging, some have aromas that aren't as broadly appealing.

But pinot blanc and albarino both can be tasty and similar in texture. The latter is usually slightly softer and broadly appealing.

Albarino, often found in the import aisle (it mainly comes from Spain), has recently been made in California and it delivers a fascinating spicy aromatic that's not dissimilar from gewurztraminer.

"American" wines: This is a relatively new category of inexpensive wines that usually are blends of California wine with as much as 25% imported wine.

Regulations permit wine from overseas to be blended with domestic wine. The result may be called "American." Since most of the imported wine in such blends comes here in bulk, it is inexpensive. Resulting blends can be tasty and often are excellent values.

Rose: As previously mentioned, older pink wines may not be fresh. It is best to buy them young. In recent weeks, I tried several roses from 2022 at bargain prices. Most were tired. Several roses from 2023 are still fine.

Older reds: Many red wines can withstand some aging better than whites, so some older versions can still be fine. Since 2018 and 2019 were both good vintages, several of these wines (especially from Sonoma County) can be good values. My rule of thumb is to seek out reds with lower alcohol levels for better flavor and balance.

Rare Grapes: As with alberino (mentioned above), grapes that aren't quite as popular often represent good values because most people do not know what they are going to get. Experiment with grapes like gamay noir (elegant red), tannat (dark, dense red), picpoul (citrusy white), vermentino (spicy, vibrant white), petite verdot (dark, rich red), tempranillo (ripe, elegant red), barbera (medium weight, crisp red).

Wine of the Week: 2024 Bonny Doon Picpoul, Central Coast ($17) — This widely available, delightfully fresh white wine has a hint of lime in the aroma, more citrus notes in the mid palate, and even though it is dry, it is still rather succulent. This wine is intended to be consumed young, but I recently tasted two older vintages (2022 and 2023), and both wines were still in great shape.

To find out more about Sonoma County resident Dan Berger and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate webpage at www.creators.com.

Photo credit: Claudio Schwarz at Unsplash