TALKING HEADS

David

Henderson

Henderson Wines Edinburgh

Your shop is burning down, what three things do you grab as you leg it out the door?

I know some would leave the till and fabricate the contents , but I have always considered honesty is the best policy and I wouldn't like to see my hard earned cash going up in smoke. Next a bottle of Crystal Champagne to drown my sorrows and finally an expensive

malt - the insurance assessor might need a reward for accepting my stock figure to be as high as it is.

If you could choose anyone

to be

prime

minister, who would it be?

Jancis Robinson

as she commands respect, is

level headed and

a good judge of character of wine and individuals. She would throw a great victory party.

If your profits doubled tomorrow, how would you spend the money?

Although this career has afforded me many visits to other countries, there is never

time to go beyond vineyards and wineries. I'd love to visit New Zealand, Australia and South Africa.

How do you deal with irritating customers?

They are never irritating, just occasionally time consuming and patience absorbing. I used to be a primary school teacher so can handle most situations with a cool head.

After a hard day's work, what drink do you kick back and relax with?

A long, cool glass of lager. There's always that feeling

the end of the day can't come soon enough when you handle a few chilled beers from the fridge

for a customer who's going home at 6pm and you have two more hours to go .

In a nutshell my philosophy is?

If you don't have to worry about rent, rates, mortgage

and the like, seize the moment and enjoy life to the full. I always like to end the day having done something for someone else for no reward other than a feel good factor.

Which drinks retailer do you most admire?

Independents have to be admired for flying the flag of

smaller producers and keeping afloat amid the increasing tide of chain and supermarket dominance . It's often a 60 to 70 hour week but it is a lifestyle and not just a job.