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Atlantic Business – The Water Cooler: Drink It In

St. John’s entrepreneur opens wine school for the masses

Tracey Dobbin insists people are trading in their beer mugs for wine glasses.

She may be right. Statistics from California-based Wine Institute show global wine consumption grew by 3.3 per cent from 2008 to 2011. That’s provided a business opportunity for the St. John’s native, who opened Autour du Vin this spring. Dobbin’s business is both a wine school and an agency specializing in wine tourism. But it isn’t based solely in Atlantic Canada; the head office is in one of the wine-making capitals of the world, Bordeaux, France.

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Testimonials

  • Sitting in Switzerland by lake Geneva and sipping some local gamay, swirling and checking out red fruits and acidity :)) omg your class was soooo interesting and I am so impressed how knowledgeable you are! And inspiring!! You have a…

    Helga Natas
    Sovex Grands Chateaux - Export Manager -

  • Tracey's tutoring wine guided tastings are a combination of high standards and a practical, fun approach. The wines selected and tasted communicate her passion for discovering and presenting wines both for didactic reasons and for pleasure.

    Davide Agus
    Wine Consultant - Italy

  • As a student of Autour du Vin I wouldn't hesitate to recommend classes to anyone, whether it be someone in the trade or an enthusiast looking to learn more. Tracey has a way of using her personal experience and knowledge that not only makes the…

    Karen Nause
    - Halifax, Canada

  • Just wanted to say thanks again for your great instruction in the class this past week.  You made the experience approachable, fun, and of course educational.  I am not sure if I will pursue level 4, but I feel this…

    Nathan Pryor, Managing Partner,
    Mainbrace International Ltd. - Halifax, Canada

  • I learned so much from you throughout the course. I since have been asked to train as a junior sommelier at Raymonds. I'm super motivated to learn more and hopefully start level 4 in the new year! Thank you for…

    Megan McDonald
    Raymonds Restaurant - Halifax, Canada

  • As two food & wine enthusiasts not directly involved in the hospitality or wine industry, we were interested in furthering our knowledge of wine and spirits. We found the WSET curriculum and the course levels offered by Autour du Vin to be very appealing. Since Septembre 2014,…

    Joëlle Désy & James Nicholson
    - Halifax, Canada

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