Wine Travel, Revisited: Getting Back in the Post-COVID Game
It was the most anxiety I can remember experiencing. Like, ever.
Last weekend I was preparing for my first post-COVID international work trip, to Madrid and Valladolid in Spain. Anxiety crawled over my skin, creepier than goose flesh. I felt my heartbeat and the juiced-up pulse of it, unrelenting, for hours. I was emotionally conflicted; I wanted to go, then I didn’t want to go, back and forth and back and forth, in rapid, alternating succession.
It was a mess.
I’m not an anxious person. I enjoy travel, and I willingly accepted the invitation to speak at the conference in Spain this week. I also counted a very long list of obstacles getting in the way of a smooth journey, from QR codes registered with government-regulated apps on my phone, to COVID testing (on both sides of the ocean, in two different languages) within a short window ahead of travel, to a file folder of hard copy documentation, to long lines at the airport because it simply takes longer for agents to process passengers’ mandated COVID paperwork.
Oy.
If the length of that list, and the measure of my anxiety, were any indications, then we’ve got a long road ahead of us to “back to normal” when it comes to travel for work in wine. When it comes to any travel for that matter, especially internationally, for either work or pleasure.
At Beck’s encouragement, and as a counterpoint to her travel-during-the-pandemic piece for ABG last year when she returned to the US from Australia, I’ve spent these past few days in Spain noticing the circumstances and the reality of traveling to work in wine again.
Not gonna lie. The travel itself, and especially the pre-travel anxiety, were not pretty. But at some point I emerged into the sun outside of the Madrid airport. And it felt amazing. Let me share with you a few of the things I’ve missed about traveling for wine, in this case in Spain.
Breaking News! Spain Still Does Afternoon Siestas!
I mean, of course Spain still does afternoon siestas. As Google Maps reminded me when I searched for anything from bookstores to food markets, the shops close at about 2 pm and reopen around 5 or 6 pm. Sure, it was mildly inconvenient when my body clock wasn’t yet in sync to the time zone here and I was looking to buy water or vegetables. But the cultural, unwavering certainty of Spain’s siestas? They’re like the equivalent of a World Heritage Site.
Hyper Local Shopping. Also, Spain WINS Public Spaces.
Before I left home in Atlanta, my friend Bobbi pulled me aside and asked whether I might seek out a few tins of the specialty tuna (ventresca de bonito) that was her go-to comfort food when she lived in Spain years ago. The hunt was on, and it led me to ask my friend (and local resident) Andrés for help, which led to a walk through one of Valladolid’s unbelievable urban parks to a tiny carnicería on a side street, which ultimately led to an impromptu picnic of jamón serrano on my way back through that gorgeous park. It was a hyper-local itinerary, unavailable anywhere but here. This, I remember thinking as I sat near the water fountain and snacked on jamón, is why we travel.
Things That Go Bump in the Night
There’s the jet lag when we travel that keeps us awake at night when we really do need to sleep. And then there’s the jet lag that we welcome, that inspires us to sit up in bed in a hotel room in the middle of the night because we can, because we won’t disturb our usual co-sleeping partners when we turn on the light to read or meditate or. I experienced both versions of jet lag during this trip, and it was bittersweet. Bitter (because see anxiety, above, some level of which will no doubt linger until I’m safely back home) and sweet because, after the close quarters of COVID for so long, I’ve come to appreciate the constancy and warmth of my usual co-sleeping partner.
How about you? Have you started traveling again, either domestically or internationally, and how did it feel? Please share your experiences with us. We’d love to hear, particularly if you have some wisdom to share around the whole anxiety thing.
Namaste,
Cathy
What We're Reading:
Here's what has piqued our interest this week in the world of wine and mindfulness.
Meet the New Generation of Mexican-American Winemakers - SevenFifty Daily
Inspired by their predecessors’ hard work and achievements, these young pioneers bring new winemaking styles—and a new agenda—as they carve their own path in the industry.
This is the hidden cost of gaining expertise – Fast Company
Researchers from Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management conducted four experiments and three field studies that found expertise can undermine emotional reactions. But that doesn’t have to be the case.
5 Nuggets of Wisdom on Setting Boundaries. - Elephant Journal
I started hearing about the concept of setting boundaries. After a lifetime of being available and responsible, I wondered what might happen if I said "no"?
How to Spot, and Reverse, the Signs of Burnout — Ten Percent Happier
According to the World Health Organization, "burnout" means emotional exhaustion, plus depersonalization, and a reduced sense of efficacy. But chances are, we don’t need that formal definition. All of us have experienced it, especially over the last year.
Alcohol Is the Enemy of the Bipolar Brain Gillian May for Medium.com
Combining bipolar illness with alcoholism may make both conditions much worse.
Meet the Community!
Here we meet some of the talented folks who make our community profession so dynamic.
Jake Krausz and Adrienne Stillman Krausz, Co-founders, The Dry Goods Beverage Company (Napa, CA)
Years in the Industry:
We’ve been in the industry for 10 years (Adrienne) and going on 25 years (Jake) - if you count teenage years spent pulling rocks and planting vines at his family’s Napa Valley winery, Arkenstone on Howell Mountain. More officially, since 2010 Jake has been Estate Director for the winery, managing sales, marketing and wearing many other hats!
Meanwhile, over in New York City, Adrienne came to the beverage world by way of cocktails and spirits. We met at a wine and food festival in Rhode Island and shortly thereafter Jake lured Adrienne out to Napa.
Since then, Adrienne has written two books, Where Bartenders Drink (2017) and Spirited: Cocktails from Around the World (2020), both from Phaidon Press. She also spent five years as Director of Marketing for wine DTC ecommerce and fulfillment company WineDirect. Today, we are proud co-founders of The Dry Goods Beverage Company: an online source for non-alcoholic wine, spirits and cocktails!
Our Top Three Challenges to Wellness:
1. Overwhelm: We have so much going on, especially with a new business it is A LOT. The to-do list is neverending. No matter how many hours we work, there is always more to do. It’s hard to remember to stop, breathe and take a break.
2. Passion: This can be a double-edged sword. We already had a lot going on before starting Dry Goods, but we were so excited about the idea, we just had to do it. It’s a constant balancing act to feed our passion for our business while also maintaining healthy habits to feed our bodies and souls.
3. Celebrating Success: Because we have so much going on, we sometimes forget to celebrate our achievements. We are always onto the next thing. When you’re your own boss, it’s extra important to make time to pat yourself on the back, recognize what you’ve done and mark the occasion.
How We Keep It Together to Stay Well:
First of all we are trying to redefine our success in a more holistic way. Success is not only whether we are making money. We could be hugely profitable but if it means we are working 12-hour days and total stress bombs, that is not success. It’s hard to do this in a world that prioritizes the external trappings of success - money, power, achievement - over the intangible internal ones.
On that note, we both find meditation is key. Jake recently started using the Headspace app and Adrienne does Kundalini yoga and meditation.
We are also passionate home cooks. We buy almost all our groceries at the Napa farmer’s market and take a lot of pleasure in cooking healthy, delicious meals.
Perhaps most importantly we have an amazing dog (Arwen) who is always overjoyed to see us when we walk in the door and gives really great snuggles.
What Inspires Us:
We are so inspired by the incredible people we work with in the non-alcoholic beverage space. Just like in wine and spirits, there are talented, dedicated professionals who truly care about making high-quality products.
We also love it when we hear from people that we are helping to make their lives better when it comes to cutting back on alcohol. There is so much social stigma around not-drinking, an automatic assumption that something must be wrong with you if you decline a glass of wine. It’s hugely stressful and isolating. Our real goal with The Dry Goods Beverage Co. isn’t to sell products, it’s to change the conversation around booze and make it more “normal” not to drink - whatever your reason may be.
A Quote We Love:
Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life? - Mary Oliver
You can connect with Adrienne and Jake on Instagram @drygoodsdrinks and at drygoodsdrinks.com
NEW Episode: The Fine Line Podcast
For select episodes of The Fine Line Podcast: Balancing Hedonism & Health, Cathy will be adding a short meditation or mindfulness segment to complement the theme of the podcast. For the latest episode, following the conversation with entrepreneur David Willette, she offers some suggestions around mindful movement, even when we've got all four corners of our feet on the ground.
The Fine Line Podcast is co-hosted by Lisabeth Danneels and Emily Gold. Even the sub-title (Hedonism & Health) indicates the commonalities with A Balanced Glass. Please check them out!
Shop our ABG Merchandise
Hydration, safety and style are all possible with ABG Merch.
The offerings are a small list of high quality items that we have road-tested and reviewed, and hope they help support your self-care, while staying hydrated, safe, and stylish! << Check it out here >>
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