Observations from a novice: Week 5: Make hay while the sun shines...

Whoohoo, September does not seem to have been as bad a month as feared, thank God. I am certainly not saying this to jinx our businesses but I do believe in celebrating the small rays of sunshine we have as and when they come, without letting fear of tomorrow stop us being thankful for the blessings of today.

Saying that, though, I am fully aware (and have been reminded on occasion!!) that this is our first ever September so we have no year-on-year comparisons to make. But even for those wine merchants who have been around longer than us, and lets face it, that is pretty much everyone we speak to, September does not seem to have been as much of a let down as predicted.

It is a really strange time. For some people I speak to, there is no evident nervousness or fear in their voices, business is doing OK and sales are being made. For others, expansion is taking place and the words 'credit crunch' seem as far from their thoughts as space travel.

Others however, whilst making sales, are still understandably cautious. I can hear the curiosity to try something new fighting with survival instincts in the conversations that I have, and I realise that the unpredictability of current times is taking its toll.

But we all march on towards Christmas hoping that with each month that passes, things will continue to pick up and we will all be able to stand bottle to bottle in defiance of the media hype and the economic realities that we actually face in our own worlds.

Hurrah for investors diversifying into fine wine...I think we should all go into our cellars and have a good old rummage for any fine wine that we have lolling about and while we are at it, if you find $700bn hanging around in any of your old dusty cases, then I think there are some people who might like to borrow it...you never know, it could help us all!

Lucy Khoneizer is the owner of new (and hopefully very successful) company, Lebanese Fine Wines.

• Harpers Says...