New-Age Practice Meets Old-World Wine
Pairing Guided Meditation with Spanish Rosado and Georgian Saperavi at Five & ¼ Wine Bar
One day while meditating, Jeremy Bohrer, the co-proprietor of Five & ¼ Wine Bar, thought, “We should do an event where we pair wine with meditations. I don’t think anyone has ever done that before.”
Thus was born the first of its kind, a night consisting of three guided meditations, each followed by a corresponding wine, paired to evoke the exploration experienced in that meditation.
“I would never think of putting those two things together,” admitted Bohrer’s business and life partner, Sayward Rebhal. “But the more he explained it, the more I thought, ‘This makes so much sense.’”
A few weeks ago, as I entered their charming, dimly lit wine bar (home to Pacific Crêpes by day), there was a distinctly different vibe than your average happy-hour hangout. I wasn’t sure if I should pull up a bar stool or roll out my yoga mat. But when I grabbed a seat at the corner table, gave up trying to label the event, and simply eased into what it was, relaxation set in — I started to get a feel for what this mindfulness thing was all about.
The meditations followed three different themes and were led by yoga teacher Chelsea Pacheco. “Not only do I love wine,” she explained, “but I love to be mindful about every aspect of life I can.”
The first was Mindful Eating, which involved a grape tasting and was paired with the crisp and refreshing Sota els Angels “Flow” Rosado from Spain. The second was Gratitude & Enrichment, where we focused on all of the different reasons we were grateful for one thing in our lives. This one was paired with a warm, spicy, and grounding Le Devoy Martine IGP Rouge, said to evoke the “warm fuzzy feeling” of gratitude, explained Bohrer. The last meditation was on Self-Love and Forgiveness, paired with a complex yet balanced Shavnabada Saperavi made by Georgian monks in a monastery and aged in clay pots, representing a rich history.
Guests enjoyed the event, including Maria DiPaolo, a young professional working in UCSB’s Economics Department, and architect Siobhan Duran, who reasoned, “I’m just learning to be more mindful, and I love wine, so why not?”
Bohrer was happy with his experiment. “We’re definitely going to have another event like this,” he said.
As we finished our last glass, I wasn’t sure whether to offer up a “Cheers!” or “Namaste.” Fortunately, after an evening of fine wine and clearing the mind, I simply wasn’t stressing it.
Five & ¼ Wine Bar closed on February 22, soon after this event. See fiveandaquartersb.com for future updates.
