Staying on top of my job means hard work… calling on clients, visiting producers, cold calling, doing the odd emergency delivery. The interior of my car is testimony to the hours of business done on the telephone and on the road; I must have everything that a client might ask for, as well as my own paraphernalia – portable business card holder (empty cigar box), filing cabinet in the rear, dinky notepad and pen attached to the windscreen (to take orders while driving) wine samples in the boot. And the ever-important cell-phone – something which has made our lives and jobs so much more manageable, but also more demanding. Midnight calls for emergency deliveries and weekend calls for those working on wine lists are not uncommon.

I have my own company (Wine Dynamics), and have been independently representing five Cape wineries for well over four years now – three of them have been with me since day one. I also have a small range of cognac, armagnac and calvados, complementing my wine portfolio, which is kept small and select, so that I do not have wines competing with each other.

The large conglomerates usually only employ people with the formal marketing or sales qualifications I don’t have – perhaps a blessing in disguise. My studies through the Cape Wine Academy, attending any possible wine tasting, and involvement in the hospitality industry, led Oscar Foulkes from Wine Warehouse to think I had what it took to be a wine rep. Working for him I gained insight into both the needs of the wine producer and of the wine consumer – be it a retailer or a hotel or a restaurant. It was also here where I made all my contacts on the producers’ side.

When the opportunity presented itself to go it alone at the most inopportune moment, it was drink or drown! So armed with one producer, and definitely not enough volume to earn a decent living, I started calling on all those producers whose wines I personally liked and believed in. Getting producers to buy into my idea took some time and convincing. Most were sceptical – this was a very ‘alternative’ way of doing things! Being part of a wine portfolio of, say, twenty wineries with five reps servicing different areas and different clients was the norm. Within a month, though, I had signed up four more wineries and was on my way.

Having established a good client basis in my formal employment I thought it would be easy to just drop in with my new portfolio. How wrong I was! These clients were loyal to a brand and I had been their link to it. With five new brands, some of which they had never heard of, it was a very different scenario. I also realised that I was in a different environment with my producers. Some of them had never had any formal representation in the market place and their (and my) expectations were maybe a little too high. Six months later we re-looked at the entire situation and changed tack.

I had to find mostly new clients and build every brand equally and individually. Once we worked that out, everything became a lot more manageable and palatable for all concerned. Four and a half years later I see some clients once a week, some more often, and some only when I have a new vintage or new wine. With nearly four hundred active, demanding clients my days are full.

The freedom of being self-employed, making my own decisions and defining my own boundaries, are things I enjoy. Being independent allows me to offer a more comprehensive service, making decisions immediately. Believing in your product is essential as is being able to offer a quality and reputable service. There is no safety net, it’s all up to you. Honesty towards the client is vital. There are times when an honest opinion regarding a particular vintage or wine which perhaps does not live up to its reputation is required. The final decision is, of course, with the client.

Monday morning begins with a ‘bored’ meeting at the Waterfront where some of the wine reps meet for a coffee, and all the skinner and gossip in the industry is thrown around. But we also meet to learn about new restaurants opening, wine lists being updated and to exchange ideas. This was unheard of four years ago. Most agents work together today.

Every indulgence has its hangover, including being self-employed. Working for commission only is risky. Once your yearly allocation for the local market is sold out it is ‘pap ’n touch’ till the next vintage though producers are slowly waking up to the fact that looking after locals is as important as raking in the dollars. You are responsible for every expense, no more three weeks’ holiday; your clients are like your children, they become so reliant on you, you will phone them for orders, you will check their stock, you will jump in your car for that special delivery. On the plus side they reward you by loyalty – they support all your brands throughout the year, and indirectly pay for the bubbles at the end of the month.