Shafer Hillside Select and Class Warfare

Just as there is an unexpected aviation tie-in to the current economic crises and efforts to deal with it, there also is a wine tie-in.

The aviation tie-in was the badgering of the auto executives by Rep. Gary Ackerman (D, NY) for flying to Washington on their corporate jets while pleading poverty and asking for a government loan. Indeed, the resulting media echo-chamber cacophony was enough to get General Motors to announce that they were selling their corporate jets. I really do think that executives of large corporations should have their own aircraft, as it saves a lot of time which is important for guys who work 80-hour weeks. But, if you are weeks away from bankruptcy and you are begging for a loan, I guess you have to wear the sackcloth.

However, CNN is also beating the demagogic populist drum over the fact that the White House served world leaders 2003 Shafer Hillside Select at a state dinner: (a wine "worth $500 per bottle!") World leaders dine in style as they discuss financial crisis. This really seems like grasping at grape-stems. Besides the fact that the current Wine-Bid average price for this wine is $205, not $500, would it have been better to serve Two-Buck Chuck?

This is just silly.