American wine consumption has risen steadily since the 1980s, including a huge spike in 1992 when red wine sales jumped radically after a TV program aired good news for wine lovers.

It was November 1991 when the 60 Minutes "French Paradox" episode aired. Correspondent Morley Safer said the French have a lower rate of heart disease than do Americans, which scientists attributed to regular wine consumption.

The program said that the French eat much more fat and smoke more than do Americans, yet they have a lower rate of heart disease mortality than. In the United States, where wine plays a smaller role in the average diet, heart disease is the No. 1 killer.

Since the program focused on the benefits of red wine in protecting the heart, sales of red wine rocketed ahead, causing a huge shortage of inexpensive red wines by every major company.

The increases in all wine sales continued since that episode, but in the last three years, some health scares from people who are not medically trained have frightened casual consumers of wine. Sales have declined sharply.

This has caused a shake-out in the wine business. Large wineries have reported major sales declines; smaller wineries have gone out of business or been forced to merge with wealthier firms. Wine production is down.

And because wine is a perishable product, huge amounts of decent table wines are now beginning to fade. Many are available for sale at deep discounts. In general, this has not affected prices for the best wines, which appeal to wealthy wine collectors.

Seeking values has always been a wine lover's tactic.

The first places to consider are fine wine shops. Many are closely monitored by in-house experts, most of whom know which wines are still fine but beginning to fade. Such wines need to be moved and occasionally are put into "bargain bins."

The phrase "bin end" is occasionally used to refer to wines that are being closed out. Indeed, Bin Ends is the name of a Massachusetts wine retailer that specializes in discounted wines, which says it has 60 wines priced at $12 or less.

But its website notes, "Due to state law, we are unable to ship alcohol outside the Commonwealth of Massachusetts."

Costco has been at the forefront of discounting fine wine. Its Kirkland brand includes several high-quality wines at a discount, including a New Zealand sauvignon blanc for less than $10.

Another chain that's excellent for bargain hunters is Grocery Outlet, which only operates in a few states.

Supermarkets are rarely the best place to look for bargains because corporate wine buying must consider how various items can be handled in a computer system. This eliminates much of the creativity in buying wine at supermarkets.

However, Trader Joe's stores have been wine savvy since the 1970s, thanks to its wine-loving founder, the late Joe Coulombe. The chain constantly seeks excellent values that it can stock in all of its 631 stores.

Bottle Barn in Santa Rosa, Calif., is one of the finest discount operations in the country. It operates using small markups. Last week, I learned that the store, which will ship wines nationally at a fair price, has 212 wines priced less than $10 a bottle.

Wine of the Week: 2023 ForestVille Merlot ($10) — The aroma of fresh grapes, a bit of black cherry and a juicy mid-palate mark this simple, everyday red wine that has very little tannin and is better when slightly chilled. It is a soft, patio-sipping light red with no pretense.

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.

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