<table border=0 cellpadding=2 cellspacing="0"><tr><td>
<pre>Having just come back from ten days holiday in Boston I was struck
by how cheap good Italian olive oil was compared to many other imported
Italian products.

In the Bread and Circus supermarket they were selling Capezzana
olive oil which is one of the top premium oils from Tuscany at prices only
50% above those in Italy (about $US16 a bottle) while the wines I am
familiar with were all more than 100% markup. One reasonable (certainly
not a premium wine) Chianti which sells in our local Coop supermarket for
about $US4.50 a bottle cost $23 in a Boston ristorante!!

The oil prices are certainly good news from consumers but maybe not
for producers.

Cheers Brian Chatterton.
</pre>
</td></tr></table>