Fascinating “live the dream interview” with Mark Lindhorst (below) in the Financial Mail last week. Mark makes a couple of hard-hitting points. Wine shows are the first to get it in the neck: “The thrust of his marketing is at consumer shows. ‘Not wine shows but the likes of Decorex in Joburg. I have built up a base of over 4000 customers I communicate with through a brief newsletter.’ ” Perhaps corporate sponsors of shows such as RMB (WineX), Standard Bank (Juliet Cullinan), Tops at Spar (Gugulethu) should ask Mark for advice on focus.

Retailers and distributors are also slated. “I cut out the middleman. Distributors take a 35% cut and retailers another 40%.” Time for a new deal for producers?