In energy terms fine wine is not much worse then ugly wine - storage takes a bit of energy but that is it. Though the decadently rich (or those aspiring to be) has started what in Sweden has been named vaskning, ordering two bottles and having one poured down the drain - vask - this merely doubles their energy consumption.

However there are far worse actions of status consumption, like sending your private plane to pick up a bottle of wine in another country. And as the hoi polloi consume less oil in their cars, there is more for the ultra-rich to make sure they never lack their favourite wine. Austerity as we all know is only for the masses, the rich are to big to fall.

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