Grapes of Wrath

We're very fortunate in Australia to enjoy good quality, affordable wine. As wine drinkers, how are we better off with a "forced" bad season (The Age, 9/6/2006) jacking up prices? As taxpayers, how are we better off with $60 million of public money flowing into the coffers of a few failing wine producing businesses? This sort of price-fixing, special pleading and corporate welfare plays well to the agrarian socialists in the Coalition's ranks. But not to market-savvy chardonnay socialists in the big cities. Regardless of ideology, gouging us on wine prices is simply barbarism.