Have you ever heard of the concept of mindfulness being combined with the experience of wine tasting? On Wednesday night I was lucky enough to go along to ‘Winefulness – A Mindful Wine Tasting Experience.’ Vinomofo hosted these fun mindfulness activities at an amazing local coworking space called United Co, in Fitzroy.

After some snacks and casual conversation between ourselves, around tables decorated with wine tasting wheels, pens and presentation cards, as well as a small glass of white wine (which everyone was amazingly polite and did not drink), one of our hosts guided us through a mindfulness meditation.

At 6 pm on a Wednesday evening in a stunning room, surrounded by about 70 other people, the process of focusing on each of our five senses in turn, gave us the opportunity to really notice and observe our experience through each sense in that moment. It was a very calming and engaging experience. I loved the opportunity to engage each of my senses. Hearing, smell, touch, taste and sight and to notice which of these senses is most sensitive to me personally. Fun mindfulness activities are always good for the soul and the mind.

Mindful wine tasting experiences

After this first mindfulness activity we were introduced to Mikey Ellis from Vinomofo. He told us the story of what brought him to be leading us through this wine tasting experience. And then we began. The first exercise was to taste the white wine in our glass and to write down on our white notecard, the flavours that we noticed in the wine. This was an incredibly difficult exercise for most people in the room. Mikey reassured us that this is very normal. It can be very hard to use language to describe the flavours that we taste in every day life. Because we are not used to naming and describing the experience.

As Mikey suggested, when someone uses language to describe the flavours, and it prompts us, then it becomes easier for the participant to observe these flavours. The room came up with a few different flavours, from pepper, to oak, to fennel and citrus.

After we articulated some of these flavours we were then asked to close our eyes. Mikey guided us through some more fun mindfulness activities to develop our awareness of the memories that the wine evoked in us. We then wrote down the associations that came to us. When we closed our eyes and really used all our senses to experience the white wine in our glass, the results were eye opening.

For me, those sips of white wine reminded me of a summer afternoon in Sydney with an old school friend, sitting out in her backyard. They also reminded me of a summer evening at the Naked for Satan rooftop. The flavours of the wine were more poignant to me after I had connected with these memories. I tasted a chalkiness, and a taste of chilli, somewhere in that exquisite white wine.

To experience wine rather than deconstruct it – fun mindfulness activities

Mikey suggested that most wine tasting gatherings do not ask for your interpretations of your experience of the wine. The experts will tell you how the wine was made and what to expect to taste. However many of these events will not necessarily focus on what the participant experiences with regard to the wine tasting.

Interestingly, to both Mikey and to us was the fact that although each of the 70 or so people in the room had the same glass of wine, our EXPERIENCE of the wine was completely different. The same wine evoked completely different memories and we observed the sensory experience of the flavours in very different ways. So it is with life. Our experience of the same stimulus can be so incredibly different. That is what is so rich and interesting about life. And also one of those things which it is important to understand if we are to get along with our fellow human beings.

Wine tasting red – darker with more intense flavours

Tasting the red wine was a little easier perhaps, as it is a darker wine with more intense flavours. Mikey asked us to write down the flavours and memories of this new glass of wine on our card. I did not at that point, connect with my memories in this glass. However, I did taste some different flavours, particularly chocolate, pepper, and interestingly cigarettes, chalk, chilli, pomegranate and blackberries.

After swirling the wine in my mouth a little and letting it touch all the surfaces of my mouth it reminded me of an interesting experience of watching the football. Also of being out to dinner at a restaurant with my parents.

The only experience we have got – make the most of it

The biggest take away of this evening for me, was the fact that we only get one shot at this life! If we are not experiencing each moment fully then we are letting it slip us by. The only thing that matters actually is this present moment. So Mikey advised us to taste wine, and as often as possible really engage with the experience of both the wine we are drinking. Also the food we are eating. This allows us to really experience the full nature of the flavours and memories that these experiences evoke in us. Opportunities for fun mindfulness activities are everywhere. This experience showed us how to be more aware of the every day experiences which we love.

At the end of the evening, Mikey revealed the identities of the different wines that we had tasted on this evening. The first was a 2016 Chardonnay from the Yarra Valley made by Dave Bicknell, called Mimi Flamingo. The story of where the wine comes from and who made it brought even more to the experience. The second wine was a Pinot Noir also from the Yarra Valley and also made by Dave Bicknell.

Fun mindfulness activities for you!

If you are interested in trying to build your experience of wine tasting you can try this for yourself! Next time you have a quiet moment with a glass of wine, try closing your eyes, swirling the wine around your mouth and noticing the flavours. Then let your mind relax and float back to the memories and associations that the wine brings for you.

What did you notice? What memories did the experience evoke? And how do you incorporate fun mindfulness activities in your every day life?