Sometimes, no wine will do, and it's best to stick with water.

That's quite a statement coming from someone who has spent the better part of the last three decades touting the glories of wine, from the joys found in toasting a festive occasion with bubbly, to the small delights discovered in a $3.99 discount-shelf bargain, to the revelations found in a long-lost treasured bottle that didn't wither as expected.

After a recent article in which I wrote of the need for acidity in wine if it is to go well with food, a reader responded that she didn't like wines with much acidity or alcohol, both of which upset her aging tummy.

I appreciate how challenging wine can be. With its (ever-increasing) alcohol, it's not easy to find a simple sipping beverage the way we once could with wines like chenin blanc, colombard, semillon and sylvaner. And red wines today are considered wimpy if they don't have 14.5 percent alcohol. Two decades ago, 12.5 percent was fine.

There are alternatives out there, though few wine columnists write about them because they're declasse. Bosh. Or words to that effect.

The fact is, about a third of American adults do not drink any wine at all, and they obviously don't miss it. But a few more might if they discovered the delights in some of the esoteric wines at our virtual fingertips. Here are a few options:

White zinfandel: Despite its flagging image with the hipsters among us, this wine is being made cleaner and fresher than ever. Just buy one as young as you can find (2005; avoid anything earlier). And if it's too sweet, add some lemon juice. Hey, it's your wine; do with it what you will.

German riesling: Light in alcohol (as low as 7.5 percent!) and often a tad sweet, it has the necessary acidity to balance nicely with most foods. Even lower-priced wines, in the $5 to $10 range, offer to both entry-level and sophisticated palates a wine to marry with Asian foods.

Beaujolais: The lightest of red wines, it's best slightly chilled and has less tannin than just about any red wine. It's not as concentrated as Merlot and usually has a lot more fruit.

Ros: This once disparaged pink wine has a refurbished image now that so many high-end wineries are making it. Those designated as "dry" are usually so crisp they work nicely with a wide array of foods. Sweeter versions can be cloying. Avoid nonvintage stuff and drink only those from 2005. Most older vintages are tired and lack the freshness a good rose offers. In terms of varietal roses, sangiovese, pinot noir and syrah are popular wines from the United States; among the best are garnacha ross from Spain.

Musacadet Kir: Muscadet, a light, usually crisp, white wine from France, can be austere and tart. To ameliorate it, add a teaspoon of blackberry brandy or cassis, and stir. The slight sweetness of a kir (keer) takes the acidic bite out of the wine. Don't add too much, or the sweetness becomes cloying.

Sparkling: Perhaps the best category of all, since most sparkling wines have lower alcohol levels than other table wines. Champagne is a delight but can be pricey. California sparkling wines and Spanish cava, from $6 to $12, make good alternatives, but in some of these wines, the sweetness can be a bit much to go with food. Among the better bubblies are wines called prosecco from Italy, normally with about 11 percent alcohol.

A final tip for those who look askance at high alcohol levels: A dash of water or a small ice cube helps cut the alcohol and often doesn't really damage the wine's ability to go with food.

Wine of the Week: Nonvintage Sutter Home Fre Spumante ($7) -- For those who don't want any alcohol at all, this delightful "alcohol-free" beverage is made from wine grapes that have been de-alcoholized using a revolutionary machine that retains much of the flavor of the wine.

Dan Berger resides in Sonoma County. Berger publishes a weekly newsletter on wine and can be reached at danberger@VintageExperiences.com.