LIQUID INVESTMENTS
MICHAEL FRIDJHON: Dale defies the odds stacked against winemaking geeks
It has taken him 25 years to get to this point: deferred gratification is part of his wines’ DNA
The wine industry attracts eccentrics the way cliffs attract lemmings. Nothing else explains the way that otherwise intelligent people throw themselves headlong into a space whose defining characteristic is free-fall. After all, even the most cursory examination of the ground immediately below shows a landscape littered with the parched bones and rotting carcasses of those who have gone before them. For those who need the investment, persuading people of means (and besotted with wine) that they need to put it into a foundering wine business brings to mind the nonsensical expression “as easy as falling off a log”. Falling off a log is easy; avoiding injury while doing so requires a degree of skill. But here’s the thing. Very few of these enterprises go to the wall. Just as surprisingly, many of the punters who’ve exchanged their hard-earned loot for equity in a wine farm would happily do it all over again, despite balance sheets painted in red, and good money turned into sometimes me...
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Subscribe now to unlock this article.
Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).
There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.
Cancel anytime.
Questions? Email helpdesk@businesslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00. Got a subscription voucher? Redeem it now.