Editor’s note
The editor’s note from The Conversation, August 9:
“Australia as a whole has become wealthier in recent decades, but this has also come with a marked increase in wealth inequality. With the poorest 40 per cent of the population effectively having no wealth at all, and the top 1 per cent having at least 15 per cent of the nation’s wealth.”
This reminded me of walking into my local Dan Murphy’s. A huge section of the store – maybe 40 per cent, maybe not as much – is taken up with wines that are economically priced. There is a lot of talk about trading up, single sites, premium and icon wines, but at the end of the day there is more than enough fine wine for the 1 per cent, and more than enough cheap wine for the 40 per cent, providing they have enough spare cash to buy it.
Radio star
A report on Radio National’s breakfast show by Cathy Van Extel on August 9 was titled,“Australian wine industry questions integrity of wine ratings”.
The lead:
“In an increasingly competitive wine market, retailers and producers are heavily promoting ratings from wine critics in an effort to influence consumers. But there’s growing concern within the industry about the integrity of these wine scores.”
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