Swings and Roundabouts – 2018 Thanks and Beck’s Word of the Year
As Cathy aptly wrote last week when she suggested we consider a “word of the year,” my inner hare set off in a leap of ideas, thoughts, musings and considerations.
Pen in hand, I furiously scrawled all indecipherable manner of words – commitment, transparency, ethics, progress, non-judgment. But I landed on a word that jolted me out of my seat at the recent Wine2Wine conference in Verona.
Temperance.
FineMinds4FineWines Executive Director Pauline Vicard was speaking about the many future challenges facing the world of fine wine, and that powerpoint slide title really got to me.
Yes temperance is a raison d'être for A Balanced Glass, and readers may suggest this is a normal part of having a balanced outlook and relationship with our industry. And my tattered and well-thumbed Australian “Pocket Macquarie Dictionary” (1982) describes temperance as “habitual moderation in the enjoyment of a natural appetite, esp. in the drinking of alcohol.”
But for many people, myself included, moderation, abstinence, or plain and simple awareness is not always that easy to find. Or maintain when you’re in the thick of it.
So in 2019 I plan to focus on it.
My commitment goes beyond alcohol, wine or fine wine for that matter. I see it as a way to live. As a center point of life. To navigate the noise, distractions, escapism and hedonism our industry offers on an ongoing basis, and to come back to a place of quiet, non-judgment, and moderation where the pleasure of wine and the career we have chosen can be found.
In daily life it may show up as:
Looking after my needs when it all gets too ego-fueled, too excessive or too far from what we are here to do (aka dharma)
Finding the reality check amid the ambitious wellness and career goals for 2019.
Eating and drinking only that which brings true pleasure, enlightened conversations and a soulful dialogue. All other distractions are just that.
The nice thing about temperance is it pairs nicely with drishti – as Cathy eloquently shared last week. It’s apropos that our Tribe member this week is Pauline Vicard of “fine wine think tank”, FineMinds4WineWines, who shares her own ways to navigate the ups and downs, and find the mid point.
So with that put out into the world, finally, a simple thank you to this community.
2018 has been a hell of a year and nearly 500 of you around the world in less than nine months have generously joined us for the ride, sharing, questioning, and offering your support, knowledge and ideas.
We eagerly await what 2019 will bring, and wishing you and your families and loved ones around the world a safe, happy and wonderful Holiday season and we will see you bright eyed in 2019.
Namaste
Beck
Meet The Tribe:
Our community is only as strong as the company we keep, and here we meet some of the folks who make our profession so dynamic.
Pauline Vicard
Executive Director, of Fine Minds 4 Fine Wines (UK)
Years In Industry:
All my life really. I was born into a winemakers’ family in Burgundy, so I grew up working in the vineyards. Through my studies, I had the privilege to work for the French Embassies abroad and the Burgundy Wine office, market study department. I then created my wine education and event company, before moving to London to run and develop our new Think Tank.
My Biggest Challenge To Wellness:
My ambition, my schedule and my insomnia I am very lucky: I run an international initiative that is growing really quickly, I play sport at an international level with crazy good teammates and I raise the most amazing little girl. This year I started the Master of Wine programme, and keeping up with all those different expectations can be very demanding.
How I Keep It Together To Stay Well:
When I get really exhausted (nearly every week to be fair), I remind myself that all of this is really a blessing and that I am so lucky to be exhausted.
Playing sports is the best way to balance intellectual fatigue, stay fit despite the long business dinners, and switch of your business mind. The community that you meet through both wine and ultimate Frisbee is just amazing and always ready to help, should you reach out. And last but certainly not least, my husband is my first supporter, always here to coach me when I’m training, tuck our daughter to bed when I’m travelling, edit my excel spreadsheets and pour me wine for my daily blind tasting
You can connect with Pauline on Instagram at labelsandgrapes or at FineMinds4WineWines or at the FineMinds4FineWines website.
This Week's Reading:
There's no shortage of wine stories and media inundating our IN Boxes. Here's what has piqued our interest this week.
Holiday Indulgences Don’t Have to Make You Feel Guilty – Forbes.com
This Holiday season, indulge mindfully in something less extravagant but more fulfilling—connection.
Making Kindness a Core Tenet of Your Company – Harvard Business Review.com
Just as bad behavior tends to spread, so too does good behavior. Kindness, it turns out, is contagious.
Let’s Meet Up!
As work life has it, we are traveling over the next few months and would love to see you. Check out details on the Let's Meet Up! page over at A Balanced Glass.
Guest Lecturer at INSEEC in Bordeaux, Jan. 21 – 26 (Cathy)
Judge at TEXSOM International Wine Awards in Dallas, Feb 18 to 20 (Cathy)
Presenter at the British Columbia Wine Insight Conference , March 12 (Cathy)
Presenter at the International Institute for Analytics conference in Portland , March 13 (Cathy)
Attendee at ProWein in Düsseldorf, March 17 to 19 (Cathy)
Attendee at MUST: Fermenting Ideas in Cascais, Portugal, June 26 to 28 (Cathy)
Drop a line to rebecca@abalancedglass.com or cathy@enolytics.com if you are interested in getting together for practice, a chat or a great glass together.
