While walking through a wine shop the other day, I witnessed a woman scanning what I presumed was a gift list. It was clear that, quite understandably, today’s wine offerings are overwhelming. I was about to approach and, with a rhetorical flourish of my cape, offer to escort her across the wine puddle, as it were. However, a sales person arrived just before my musketeer moment.

Now, it’s tempting to presume that our wine damsel was in distress, trapped in the clutches of an uncaring and conniving wine salesman. But it was not so. I overheard the advice being offered and it was good and caring and considerate of both her interests and pocketbook.

It’s tempting to assume that today’s wine retailers are mere box movers. Some are, to be sure. But most aren’t. If fault lies anywhere — I’m sorry to say this, but it’s so — it’s with the customer.

The problem, as Paul Newman famously observed in “Cool Hand Luke,” is a failure to communicate. Wine buying is a classic “what you say and what they hear” exercise.

Wine shops right now are (I hope) thronged. Salesmanship is necessarily hurried and consequently less diagnostic than it might be at a less frenzied moment. You’ve got to do your part.

What follows are categories designed to bridge the gap between what you say and what they hear, rather than precise, you-gotta-get-exactly-this-bottle-recommendations.

HERE’S THE (DIAGNOSTIC) DEAL

YOU SAY DOLCETTO — They hear: “The customer wants a smooth red wine that doesn’t cost more than $20. He or she is adventurous, open-minded, and not insistent that the choice be utterly conventional. So I can suggest all sorts of inexpensive reds from Italy, Spain, California, or South Africa.” Or even a dolcetto, of course.

YOU SAY SANGIOVESE —They hear all kinds of possibilities, such as Chianti Classico, Brunello di Montalcino, various bottlings from California, and a variety of blends where sangiovese is the backbone, such as the so-called Super Tuscans.

Sangiovese is a one-size-fits-all category, as you can secure a terrific wine at almost any price level. Really superb Chiantis go for as little as 20 bucks, while an eye-popping palate-tingler gift-wine between $50 and $100 moves you into lusted-after Brunello di Montalcino realm. (By the way, the aforementioned woman looking for a gift wine was sagely advised to buy Brunello di Montalcino 2001 from Il Poggione, which is a steal at $50 from Zachys, among others.)

YOU SAY RUSSIAN RIVER VALLEY PINOT NOIR — It’s not enough anymore to say “California pinot noir.” There are too many bottlings today. You’ve got to narrow the field. Arguably the best and broadest array of pinot noir pickings in California comes from Sonoma County’s Russian River Valley.

Here again, prices begin at as little as $12 for Gallo Family Vineyards Pinot Noir — don’t laugh, it’s a very good wine for the money and a great choice for large parties. On the higher end are such collectibles as the numerous named-vineyard pinot noirs from Williams Selyem, which cost between $50 and $75. The choices are vast and — amazingly for pinot noir — reliably good. Alternative choices: You might say “Oregon Pinot Noir” or “Santa Barbara County Pinot Noir.”

YOU SAY BIODYNAMIC — They hear, “This is an adventurous, savvy buyer.” Is there really anything intrinsically superior to wines made from grapes grown in the ultra-organic methodology called biodynamic agriculture? Not really. But producers who adhere to this difficult, demanding approach tend to be purists or are seeking something refined and pure. That’s a wonderful thing right there.

When you say biodynamic, a world opens up: red or white; French, Italian, or American; prices ranging from as little as $15 (for a fabulous Muscadet from Domaine de l’Ecu) to hundreds of dollars a bottle for Burgundies from Domaine Leroy or Domaine Leflaive. Chances are you’ll be offered lovely, inexpensive white and red wines from the Loire Valley, both red and white, as it’s a hotbed of biodynamic agriculture.

Merchants such as Chambers Street Wines, Appellation Wines and Spirits, and Martin Brothers Wine and Spirits specialize in biodynamic producers. Many other shops carry one or another biodynamic producer as well.

YOU SAY RIBERA DEL DUERO — Spanish wines are among the hottest, most interesting wine categories today, few more so than the Ribera del Duero district. You get numerous producers, a price range between $25 and $75 a bottle, and overwhelmingly good odds of securing a delicious red wine from the tempranillo grape variety. Alternatively you can say “Priorat” or “Bierzo,” which are two other muy caliente Spanish red wine districts getting raves from wine lovers.