In a world where bottles of wine featured dead wasps, the beer was often sour and the vodka adulterated, drinks such as Balsams were reliable, and for the most part available.

ECONOMIST: Firewater in Eastern Europe

Fifth Season's five stores in the Carolinas and Virginia sell gardening supplies and chicken feed, as well as kits for making sake wine and chevre cheese and cultures for yogurt, kefir, sour cream and buttermilk.

WSJ: The $1,300 Chicken Coop and Other Signs That Backyard Farming Is Getting Fancy

An otherwise lovely 2009 Stefano Mancinelli Lacrima de Morro, a red wine from the Marche, had delicious flavors of earth and sour cherry and a snappy acidity, but its floral aromas were so pronounced it would be like pairing a plate of pasta with a bottle of my grandmother's perfume.

WSJ: Italian Wines, the World's Best With Food | On Wine by Lettie Teague