Capitalism and Wine

I am a serious wine collector and believe in capitalism. The idea of efficient markets and that supply and demand determine price have always made visceral sense to me. In my business life, I have used these concepts and seen them at work for quite some time. Many wine collectors use them to make the living they then leverage to buy wine with.

With this intro made, let me ask you this question: Why do some wine collectors currently defend or tolerate price increases in Bordeaux (by stating the chateaux are merely getting all the market can bear) while at the same time complaining about flippers who buy wine directly from the winery only to sell it at a higher price later on.

To me, this duo of arguments is tantamount to telling me that I am supposed to pay up when the market determines high prices for some of my favorite wines, but I am not supposed to take advantage of the same market fundamentals when I sell my wine. Rather, I am supposed to share wines I'm allocated at cost out of the goodness of my heart while getting hammered by increasing prices elsewhere.

I am smelling hypocrisy of the worst kind.

A few years ago, I was an idealist who sold allocations at cost to others and who hoped for fair pricing from wineries whose wines I enjoyed. In the last year or two, I've had a rude awakening and I've learned my lesson. Wineries are in the business of selling wine and making a living of doing so. They can't afford (and shouldn't be expected to) sell their wine for any less than that. Consequently, in the face of high demand, prices have been skyrocketing in many wine regions of the world. As this has been getting more obvious, I have realized that I need to put myself in a position where I can sometimes benefit from capitalism to offset the occasional disadvantage.

I have decided for myself to no longer sell wine for less than I can get. And to tell you the truth, since I've accepted these facts, I have been less upset about high prices and more willing to pay them.

Those who are pro-market forces and against flippers are essentially selective about when they appreciate capitalism, and to me, that is very hypocritical.

What are your thoughts?