The bargain-lover will find plenty of wine at attractive prices in what the wine trade calls "bin-ends". These are small amounts of wine which the merchant wishes to sell fast. The normal reason is to clear the way for a new vintage, or to reduce overstocks of wines which have proved unpopular. Many merchants hold bin-end sales once or twice a year, and the good ones will describe the wines, saying which are in need of drinking soon, which have a minor flaw, and which are merely from unfashionable places. Careful scouring through such offers can yield bargains. Some stores specialize in such bin-ends, and in bankrupt stock from the wine trade. These can be the source of bargains, but beware tired and poor vintages.
Watch out too for the transatlantic trap. The careful consumer can, however, profit from merchants' mistakes. Sometimes, too, bottles will appear with damaged labels. Try a bottle: if the wine is good buy more; you can always decant it. Other bargains can be found in second- and even third-label wines (see Bordeaux), which, especially in prolific vintages or times of economic recession, can find their way onto the market at good prices. Occasionally you will find wines labelled "from vines at..." a well-known property. These are from young vines not entitled to the appellation, or surplus production. They are worth trying.
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