Neil Pendock speaks to boutique wine sellers Lynne and John Ford

After seven years supplying gourmet requisites and boutique wines, you have taken your Main Ingredient operation online and closed your Sea Point shop. In these days of supermarket wine retail, is it still possible to run a traditional boutique wine shop?

Yes it is. The boutique shop can offer personal advice about wines and food and has qualified staff who can discuss and fulfil the customer's needs. Many of our customers value this, while discounters are not usually able to offer the right solutions to customers' requirements in any way other than price. Skilful buying can still make a specialist shop's prices competitive. We have changed our way of working because we decided we can work more effectively with a lower overhead and give ourselves a freer lifestyle than we had when we were tied to our premises six days a week.

Will wine and food blogs take over from dead-tree magazines?

No, we are all in the business of need satisfaction, and we all need to be good at that in order to survive. The Internet is a wonderful source of information, but there can be too much of it. Our e-publication, Menu, speaks to a carefully targeted audience, who ask to be added to our mailing list. There is still something very attractive about the printed page, and we'd rather read the Sunday Times with our Sunday breakfast than slop coffee over our keyboards.

What's your pick of the lesser known vinous gems available at the minute?

Louis Nel's Louis cabernet and red blend; Hermit on the Hill White Knight blend from Pieter de Waal; Wolvendrift sauvignon blanc from Bonnievale is a great affordable alternative; and Welgegund pinotage, which is a superb match for spicy food.

Has the SA wine scene changed?

Enormously. There seems to be a torrent of new wine producers each year, putting pressure on some established producers. Also, we are seeing marked improvements in quality, with many excellent wines available at affordable prices, in addition to the "iconic" high-priced wines, which are often bought as much for show as for enjoyment. Some new producers with no reputation are trying to sell at elevated prices, without producing wines that merit their price.