UAE FAMOUS
LINDSAY TRIVERS THE WINE LADY
UAE Famous is a What’s On page focusing on people out there making the scene. They’re out there around town, shaping the UAE into what it is, creating the culture, food and life around us. We asked them what’s good in the UAE. We asked them what’s bad in the UAE. We asked them to tell us more, more, more about their wonderful selves…
Who are you, and what made you famous?
Well, someone referred to me the other day as ‘the wine lady’, which is either high praise or a sweeping generalisation on my intake.
Six years ago I started a company called The Tasting Class with the goal of making wine education fun and bringing it into people’s homes. We’ve expanded enormously since then and now host more than 300 events a year. We also launched the UAE
Vine Festival, the largest wine festival ever staged in the country.
What inspired you to make the move to Dubai?
The same thing that keeps me here: opportunity. There’s a real thirst in the UAE, pardon the pun, for new, fun and exciting ideas. If you have one, people really respond positively to it.
How do you think the wine industry has evolved?
It’s seen a huge shift. Seven years ago there were few if any places to learn or improve on your wine skills. Now there’s a fantastic community of oenophiles throughout the country, and so many more resources and experiences for them to use and attend. Not to mention more venues with serious programmes. Long may it continue.
What’s been your biggest achievement since arriving in Dubai?
Too many to name one. Getting married and having a baby – and keeping her alive and healthy for four years – have been huge. Launching The Tasting Class and watching it grow and take on a life of its own over the past six years has been amazing, too.
What’s your favourite thing to do outside of work?
It’s not uncommon for me to be out four or five nights a week hosting experiences, so there’s a large social element to my work. Don’t get me wrong, I love what I do, but sitting in front of the TV and enjoying some quality time spent with family and friends is really precious to me these days.
What do you love about the UAE?
Warmth. I may be Canadian but I’m not built for the cold. I also love the way people here are keen to know more, explore more and talk about things more. It creates a really exciting climate to live and work in.
What are your biggest goals for the next year?
We’ve just finished working with a best-selling author to create a play based on the history of gin that will launch here later this year. We call it a comedy with cocktails and it’s a chance to taste drinks while you laugh. It’s a world first and we wanted it to premiere in the UAE. Plus the UAE Vine Festival returns at the end of the year and it will be bigger than ever.
Do you think you’ll stay in the UAE forever?
We came here with the usual expat mentality that we’ll try it out for a year or two. But, I love what we are doing and am in no rush to leave. We’re building something very exciting here and life is pretty good. thetastingclass.com
“THERE’S A REAL THIRST IN THE UAE (PARDON THE PUN) FOR NEW, FUN AND EXCITING IDEAS...”