WINE used to be a luxury. But today, it has to be of the right vintage or from a well-known vineyard.

As wine becomes more popular with the masses here, the rich have taken a step up to maintain their distinctiveness, preferring those considered complex and less commonly available, says wine expert Edwin Soon.

They are also willing to pay good money, and be seen doing so.

A wine charity auction last Sunday raised $327,000, with tables going for between $7,000 and $20,000 each.

Six bottles of 1973 Latour, with tickets to a Paris fashion show and three nights at the Ritz Hotel, fetched $26,000.

'We've had wine auctions before, but never was it so public and so well known,' said Mr Soon, 48, a qualified oenologist - a specialist in wine making.

It's not just wine the rich are pouring their money into. They are also splurging on other ostentatious products, from cars to caviar.

Sociologists have a phrase for it: 'conspicuous consumption'.

It is of course not restricted to the rich, as a booming economy makes fancy and splashy spending an addictive habit to many.

But with a widening income gap, will ostentatious displays of wealth accentuate the divide and put a strain on social cohesion?

As it is, perceptions may be forming that Singapore seems to be for the rich, with a student asking the Prime Minister last month at a forum if the country was just for the well-heeled.

Online forums and blogs also reflect such sentiments, misplaced or otherwise.

Are the rich too 'in your face'? Insight gets past the bling to find out.

» Insight: Are the rich flaunting it?