Remembering Yvonne May

Friends, colleagues and family gathered in Tunbridge Wells yesterday for the cremation of much-loved Wine Australia European director, Yvonne Lindsay (née May).

Yvonne: 31 May 1961 to 29 August 2014

Paying tribute to Yvonne’s life, which ended on August 29 at the age of 53 following a five-month fight with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia, her brother Kevin described her as the “nicest person in a very nice family” and a “role model in kindness”.

In keeping with her lifelong love of wine, her other brother Philip read The Marriage at Cana from John’s Gospel, depicting the transformation of water into wine – the first miracle of Jesus.

The congregation included respected members of the wine press, such as Charles Metcalfe, Matthew Jukes and Jancis Robinson, as well as industry figures, from Ian Harris to Mike Paul, along with her Wine Australia colleagues, including acting chief executive Andreas Clark (and former European director Hazel Murphy).

Sung during the service were hymns Dear Lord and Father of Mankind and Abide with Me, while the music, selected by Yvonne before she died in hospital in late August, included Moon River by Andy Williams – Yvonne’s favourite song – and Pick Yourself Up, Dust Yourself Down and Start All Over Again by Dianna Krall, which was played as the congregation left the chapel.

Before Yvonne took up the post of regional director for UK/Europe for Wine Australia in 2011, she had worked full time with her husband David Lindsay for Lindsay May PR and Marketing from 1998 to 2010.

Ahead of this, from 1992 to 1998, Yvonne was UK/European marketing manager for Australian wine brand Rosemount, while she also held roles in hospitality and trade marketing, retail management and education: she was a lecturer at the Wine & Spirits Education Trust.

Admirable, dedicated, unstuffy and hugely warm – as well as enormous fun – Yvonne will be greatly missed by the drinks business.

Over the following pages we have selected a few tributes, which we have chosen to represent the feelings of those who worked with Yvonne at different stages in her career.

Yvonne May meets with Australia’s Ambassador to Sweden Gerald Thomson. Picture source: Wine Australia

Winemaker Chris Hancock, who worked with Yvonne when they were both at Rosemount, writes:

From 1992 to 1998, Yvonne was UK/European marketing manager for Australian wine brand Rosemount, where she worked with Chris Hancock

“Yvonne was eternally optimistic, always positive, knew no problems that a bit of imagination and a lot of hard work wouldn’t fix, and intensely loyal.

“It will be hard to measure the impact that her loss will have on the presence of Australian wine in the UK, by any standards it will be huge.

“Yvonne, though, because of who and what she was, will have left an enormous reserve of goodwill as well as a bunch of bright smart young followers to carry forward the great work she started.

“Yvonne left us far too soon but she leaves behind a memory of grace and good humour that will last for a long time.”

Wine writer and author Sarah Jane Evans MW worked closely with Yvonne. Evans recalls:

Yvonne was regional director for UK/Europe at Wine Australia from 2011

“Yvonne was a real professional, who took on the ‘problem’ that was promoting Australian wines on a reduced budget in the UK and made a real success out of it.

“I remember emailing her when she took the job, congratulating her but adding that I thought it was a poisoned chalice. How wrong I was. She did it brilliantly, dividing up the budget into a selection of cleverly focused activities.

“Yvonne was also unfailingly helpful, even at 6.30 on a Friday evening, sending messages with ideas and contacts from her iPad.

“The deep sorrow we all feel now is for the loss of Yvonne as a person, someone of real warmth and love, always ready to laugh, who had the rare gift of making you feel that you were the only one who mattered.”

Representing a major Australian wine company, and member of Wine Australia, Paul Schaafsma, general manager at Accolade Wines, comments:

Paul Schaafsma of Australian Vintage receives a Drinks Business award from Yvonne May at the London Wine Fair 2012

“Yvonne May will be greatly missed, she was a true professional and someone who set the standard when it came to her work at Wine Australia. Yvonne brought enthusiasm, gusto and positive energy in all she did.

“At a tough time for the Australian wine industry in the UK, Yvonne stepped up and was able to breathe life back into our generic activity. She built bridges, revitalised the programme and above all injected energy into Australian Wine at a trade and consumer level.

“The Australian Wine Industry thanks you Yvonne, we have lost a true believer and a great mate!”

Finally, we are pleased to carry a joint statement from Yvonne’s colleagues at Wine Australia UK/Europe: Hannah Silverman, Emma Symington, Camilla Coste and Kirsty Savory.

A photo montage compiled by Yvonne’s colleagues at Wine Australia

“Yvonne May was an inspiration to our company, in particular to her staff, past and present, of the London office.

“Her passion for the Australian category was profound and her enthusiastic attitude was as infectious as it was admirable.

“Yvonne was a great champion of Australian wine and her impactful activities such as Tasting Blind Club, One Day Wine School, The Inspired Tasting and the Nordic Roadshow are hallmarks of her many achievements.

“Her passing on August 29 has left us devastated but we know Yvonne would want the show to go on.

“We ask the trade to join us in raising a glass of Australian wine to celebrate a remarkable woman who is already sorely missed, but certainly won’t be forgotten.”