Dubai’s wine market set for rapid growth, says somm
Earlier this year, Dubai’s reintroduction of a 30% alcohol tax threatened to bring it’s wine boom to a rapid halt. But one of the country’s top sommeliers, Arturo Scamardella, describes an ever-evolving wine market that he’s certain is set for growth.
Dubai’s wine scene is growing at breakneck pace, according to Dinner by Heston Blumenthal’s head sommelier, thanks to a flood of Western tourists and culinary maestros to the Gulf state.
Arturo Scamardella, originally from Italy, was crowned Sommelier of the Year by Gault&Millau’s UAE Guide 2025. Having refined his palate in a circuit of London’s top eateries, including the Ritz and Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group, he jetted to Dubai to launch Dinner by Heston Blumenthal with a broad array of wines, including rare vintages. Last year, the wine list blossomed to more than 1,600 labels, with the Napa cult classic, Screaming Eagle, within its ranks. Overall, the cellar boasts 6,000 bottles – cementing Dinner as home to one of the region’s largest wine collections.
You’ll find the eatery on the first floor of the renowned hotel Atlantis The Royal. Focused on elevating British classics with Blumenthal’s signature historical spin, the eatery bagged both a Michelin star and Wine Offering of the Year award in 2023.
“The concept of the restaurant is to take inspiration from recipes in a modern way. Our wine list is mainly focused on Italian, French and Spanish wine,” says Scamardella. “On our list, we have historical facts of each wine region. You have different stories in the wines, and we are trying to reflect that in our selection.” Nyetimber sparkling wine also features on the wine list, flagging the restaurant’s British roots.
Crafting a wine list
The process of picking wine is thorough: the sommelier meets with producers and samples wines with suppliers when a new vintage comes in. Scamardella focuses on storytelling through wine, and collaborates with chef Chris Malone to match drinks to dishes, which include ‘Rice & Flesh’ and ‘Meat Fruit’ for starters, and a ‘Tipsy Cake’ for dessert, complete with pineapples spit-roasted in the kitchen.
“I’m really keen on having wines you can enjoy with the food,” Scamardella adds, “because wine and food, in this kind of restaurant, they work together, otherwise it won’t make sense for me.” But he’s “really proud” of the wine list: “It’s always changing, so we’re always increasing,” he adds.
It’s microcosmic of Dubai’s broader wine scene, which is “ever-evolving”, according to Scamardella. An influx of wealthy Western tourists to the Middle East has sparked a surge in the region’s fine wine market in recent years. Sales of Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Oman have nearly doubled in value since the pandemic, and are set to reach more than USD $1bn in 2025, according to ISWR.
Cru Wines, London-based fine wine and spirits firm, recently launched in Dubai, and other producers are eyeing the UAE. Bonhams predicts the Middle East will define fine wine’s next chapter: “The market is very important to us,” said Faouzi Issa, co-owner of Domaine des Tourelles in Lebanon, also previously told db. The sommelier at Row, 45 Lorenzo Abussi, noted, “our supplier’s portfolio has expanded 100 times”.
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A cultural ‘melting pot’
There’s conflict, certainly, with a tight legal framework and religious sensitivities. Alcohol in Dubai was only decriminalised in 2020, and drinking in public is still strictly prohibited. The country’s wine trade braced for a “challenging” 2025 when a reinstatement of the 30% alcohol municipality tax threatened to halt the wine boom.
But, for Scamardella, the steady flow of tourists supports a burgeoning wine scene. He says: “Dubai is a real melting pot of different cultures, different nationalities. There’s a big expat community coming from all over Europe – mainly from England, from France, from Italy. The wine scene is similar to the UK. It’s all connected. Every year, there are more tourists coming to Dubai – they want to see Dubai, to experience Dubai.”
It’s true that Dubai is solidifying its status as a holiday hotspot. It welcomed more than 9.88m international visitors in the first half of 2025, a 6% hike from the same period in 2024, supporting the country’s aim to be among the top three tourism global tourism hubs in line with the Dubai Economic Agenda D33.
A pleasant surprise
When Scamardella first moved to Dubai he was wowed by the resorts; all the beautiful buildings. Visitors are also often won over by the wine scene: “When people come to Dubai, sometimes they don’t know what to expect, so they are happily surprised when they come here, because we have an extended selection. The cellar we have here, it’s nothing less than the cellars you have in London at the moment. We are able to source wines from all over the world.”
While, within the luxury sector, punters are drawn to classic, well-established regions (e.g. the Burgundies, the Bordeaux), New World Californian, Australian and Chinese wines are growing in popularity, with people who actually live in Dubai piqued by something different – a unique grape varietal like Fiano, for instance.
“The wine market’s growing really fast in Dubai. The three years I’ve been here, I’ve seen many different changes in terms of new producers and new things,” continues Scamardella. The challenge? Keeping up with the pace: “You need to follow what’s going on in Dubai in general, and what other venues are doing at the moment.” Every day, it feels like a new site opens: “You need to keep up with what people like, what the trends are.”
Set for growth
But why’s the wine scene evolving so rapidly? “Even my colleagues back in London, everyone wants to move here,” explains Scamardella. “The reason it’s evolving so fast is because there’re many more professionals coming from Europe, South Africa, Australia… Everyone is coming here and bringing their own experience.”
And the role technology plays in the wine market will only continue to expand, he adds. “What technology doesn’t give is the kind of emotion you get from a sommelier, someone that’s travelled,” he points out. Still, he admits apps are tools that can help people interact with wine.
Looking to the future, Scamardella is clear that the wine scene “will definitely grow more”. He forecasts: “There will be more small producers, as well as more organic, biodynamic producers. You will see more and more winemakers coming to Dubai.”
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