1. Many importers select wines by trusting their palate, their wine knowledge, understanding their market and using general business sense. Why is it so important for a smaller importer to visit the places where they source their wines?

It distinguishes us from the big guys. When my partner (and husband) Ian and I got into the business we were surprised by how open producers were to working with us. Producers who were renowned in South Africa and abroad, why on earth would they put their wines in our hands? We were new to the industry, we had no track record and no experience to speak of. Yet over and over we heard that they didn’t want their wines sitting in a huge portfolio, getting no love, no attention and no hand selling. That was no problem for us. We had no book at the time.