Wine Buying

Jeffrey M. O'Brien writes: There's an oft-repeated bit of eno-philosophy that says the wine business is immune to recession because people drink in good times and bad. But it turns out there's a caveat: In bad times such as these, they mostly drink the cheap stuff. That means vintners who sell wine for $10 or less are raking in money, but everyone else is getting squeezed -- which can be a very good thing for the savvy wine buyer. From restaurants to tasting rooms, clearinghouses to supermarkets, high-end wines -- some of which were impossible to get a few years ago -- are suddenly within reach.

So true!