A few months back, I saw a particularly attractive book that originally sold for $50. It was on a closeout rack at a chain bookstore for $4.99.

I grabbed all the ones they had. It was, I believed, a steal, and then I decided to ask an expert. My brother Sid (who earned a doctorate in English, so he ought to know something) is a lifelong, dedicated book collector, so I mentioned my purchase to him and he said, "That was a legitimate closeout."

Curious about that phrase, I asked him to elucidate. He went into a litany of book publishing tactics that boggle the mind. We've all heard of books that are remaindered because they are not selling. Such deals exist at most chain bookstores.

But Sid mentioned a number of other strategies used to sell books at what appear to be lower prices, and other tactics that make the book publishing trade seem perfectly internecine.

That reminded me of the closeout bin at many retail wine shops. There is a legal issue surrounding "wine closeouts" that goes back to the 1970s and is arcane enough to encourage you to deploy the remainder of this article below the parakeet.

Ignoring that complex issue, wine closeout bins I have seen of late rarely contain gems worth pursuing, but a few still do. However, back in the 1970s, when I first started paying strict attention to wine, you could still find a lot of bargains by looking in such places.

I'll never forget a 1976 purchase I made at a local supermarket. It came after the demise of a winery called Oakville Vineyards in the Napa Valley. The supermarket I often shopped in had half bottles of this winery's Zinfandel and Sauvignon Blanc for 69 cents.

I bought a case of each. Both were astoundingly fine wines.

About a decade later, in the mid-1980s, a Newport Beach store closed out some 1974 Kenwood Zinfandel for $7 a magnum. The shop owner explained the wine was "old" and "probably not very good any more." I bought a case and still have one magnum remaining.

Closeout bins can be repositories of such gems. Here are a few tips on what to look for in such bargain places:

— Older vintages of white wines can be a bargain if they are ones that take on bottle bouquet and are tasty after some time. Semillon from anywhere and Australian Rieslings are two such whites.

— Older vintages of red wines, especially from grapes that aren't well understood, often can be real values. Look for Barbera, Sangiovese, Petite Sirah, and Cabernet Franc.

— Dessert wines that have leaked often are discounted because some retailers believe a sign of leakage is someone's proof the wine has deteriorated. I have bought a lot of French Sauternes over the years as "leakers" that were fine to consume. And the prices I paid often were a fraction of the suggested retail.

— Be wary of any dry red and white wines that have leaked. They may have been exposed to a wide variance in temperature, which caused the leakage and probably harmed the wine.

— Rose wines often are discounted when the wine gets to be two to three years old. Such wines generally lack the same fruit they once had, but may be perfectly fine and enjoyable if they display charming mature characteristics.

No Wine of the Week this week.

Dan Berger resides in Sonoma County, Calif. Berger publishes a weekly newsletter on wine and can be reached at danberger@VintageExperiences.com. To find out more about Dan Berger and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.

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