Gabi Antunes - Consumer Marketing & Customer Experience Manager Aka “Chief Delighter”, Ernest Vineyards (USA)

Years In Industry:

Eight. In 2006 I moved to Boston from Lisbon, Portugal and started working in wine retail at The Wine Bottega in the North End, Boston - my weekend gig while I finished my undergrad degree in International Relations. I continued with grad school studies in business and along with it, I apprenticed under Deborah Hansen, chef/sommelier of Taberna de Haro, in Brookline, MA.
 
I took a hiatus to work at tech start-ups until I returned to wine when I moved to San Francisco last year and started working for Ernest Vineyards.

My Biggest Challenge to Wellness
Taking time off to rest.  This is 100% on me - I’m a bit of a workaholic.
 
I don’t mind waking up early to knock out a bit of writing for Ernest's newsletter or staying up late to design some wine labels I’m working on. Pack that in with my 130mi/209km round trip drive to Sonoma to lead a tasting at our winery or flying across the country to meet consumers at events, and the rap about wine industry gigs being a 24/7 job starts to make sense. But this level of activity drives me which is why the next part is key to my success.
 

How I Keep It Together To Stay Well

In my tech days, I adapted to high levels of stress by taking frequent mini breaks to meditate throughout the day. I use the app Headspace and it works wonders: from one-minute meditations that help me quickly recover from a difficult moment to longer 10-minute guided sessions on Work & Productivity, this app is my wellness sidekick.
More recently I take a walk in the Redwood forest. Walking amongst these living giants is a reality check: my problems really aren’t a big deal and I’m a part of something way bigger than myself. I know, redundant, but I’m just being honest with ya.
 
You can connect with Gabi on Instagram @wineandfoodgal and Linkedin. Check out @ernestvineyards.