Wine as Plant Medicine

Wine is dynamic.

Euphemisms include elixir of the gods, social lubricant, poetry in a bottle, and (penned by Ernest Hemingway) the most civilized thing in the world. Less romantic monikers describe it as glogg, plonk, Jesus juice, and porch-pounder.

Wine is rife with evocative metaphor. It can be dry, flabby, cloying, chewy, racy, or a fruit bomb. It can have great legs, impressive structure, a round mouthfeel, even a clean finish. Its aroma can suggest bright red berries, honeyed apples, saddle sweat or freshly cut grass.

It’s one of the few things we value more with age.

Wine is so many things. But can it be plant medicine, a true entheogen? That’s the question Ross Halleck and Jens Jarvie set out to examine with their first-of-its-kind event on Wednesday, October 18, 2023.

“Wine As Plant Medicine: A Ceremony” was imagined by Halleck as an investigation into the more entheogenic properties inherent to wine that are so often marginalized or completely overlooked in today’s culture of drinking to excess.

As adults, we likely have some relationship with alcohol. Each has a bevy of experiences alcohol has contributed to our lives. Halleck wants to know if we can reshape, and perhaps expand our stories by remembering wine has been considered a sacrament for millennia, and a possible gateway to subtler realms and energies.

But, we must first define entheogen.

Entheogens are substances, typically of plant or fungal origin (hence referred to as plant medicines) used in various cultures, religious, and spiritual traditions to induce altered states of consciousness, facilitate spiritual experiences, and explore the inner self.

The term entheogen is derived from three Greek components: “En” suggests inside or within. “Theo” refers to God, or the divine, hence theology. (The word enthusiasm is derived from entheos.) “Gen”esthai means ‘to generate’ or ‘to come into being.” Thus, an entheogen is a substance that generates the divine within.

Examples of entheogens include psilocybin mushrooms, ayahuasca, peyote, salvia divinorum, iboga, and the San Pedro cactus, each of which rooted in their own cultures. Entheogens primarily affect the brain’s neurochemistry, and are meant to be consumed with a deliberate intention — such as seeking insight, healing, or personal growth — in the context of religious, shamanic, or spiritual ceremonies.*

The earliest known production of wine created by fermenting grapes can be traced back 10,000 years in the Republic of Georgia, taking root in on the Crimean Peninsula. Its significance in ancient societies expanded, becoming prominent in Greece 6,500 years ago, and eventually leading to Dionysianism, or the worship of the god of revelry, Dionysus, by celebrating wine as a ceremonial and spiritual elixir.

Judaism, a religion tracing its roots back 4,000 years, holds wine as an integral part of its traditions. The Kiddush, a blessing recited over wine, is used to sanctify the Shabbat weekly, along with every other Jewish holiday and ceremony. In Ancient Egypt, the discovery of six wine amphoras in the tomb of King Tutankhamun, dating back 3,300 years (1200 BC), highlighted the sanctity of wine in their society. Meanwhile, despite Islam currently prohibiting alcohol consumption, there are writings from notable Sufi poets that use wine and intoxication as metaphors for spiritual experiences. Poets like Rumi in the 13th century, his father Bahauddin in the 11th century, and his successor Hafiz in the 14th century wrote about spiritual intoxication and even used wine as a metaphor for divinity.

That wine might serve within a healing ceremony occurred to Halleck, embracing the disparate things he loves, and feeling inspired to draw connections between them. A winemaker for over 30 years, he knows the myriad ways wine invites people into an experience, and has witnessed the energetic and connective transformation that occurs with a glass in hand. He’s also steeped in progressive ideas about spirituality, exploration of entheogens, and the capacity of human consciousness to expand.

With connections in the Sebastopol community, Halleck has nurtured a friendship with local musician, Kirtan leader, and practicing shaman, Jens Jarvie, for several years. Halleck approached Jarvie with the idea of developing an experience employing wine as an entheogen, and the two men conceptualized a ceremony, pairing Jarvie’s expertise with Halleck’s belief in wine’s transformative potential.

And they invited guests to explore it together.

A dozen participants arrived for the inaugural event — mostly friends and acquaintances of Halleck and Jarvie. Guests ranged in age and background. They gathered quietly in Halleck’s living room: strewn with pillows against a backdrop of the settling dusk outside towering floor-to-ceiling windows. Halleck Vineyard’s tastings, and many events, take place in Halleck’s home, nestled in an acre of vines he harvests for their Estate Grown Pinot Noir. The ceremony employed this wine, grounding the experience in “Place.”

Attendees were instructed to bring a cushion, a blanket, a journal, and an item to offer to the altar. The entryway greeted guests with Halleck’s collection of South American Lemurian crystals, housed in a glass display case, an insight into Halleck’s exploration of spirituality as a foundation and lifestyle. Upon entering the sunken living room, Jarvie had set up a variety of instruments and sound devices, including a guitar, flute-like pipe, harmonium, gong, hand pan drum, and several sound tools sourced from indigenous studies in South America.

Everyone made themselves comfortable around the room. Some rested on pillows with blankets and belongings around them, while others settled onto the sofa on the perimeter. Halleck introduced himself, Jarvie, and the invitation of the event: enjoy two half glasses of wine — red or white, or both, per preference — over the course of the two hour ceremony. Stay conscious where it takes you within an intentional container of aural and somatic stimulation.

Each attendee approached to receive their first half glass, and once all were served, Halleck recited the Kiddush — a nod to his own Jewish heritage, and a blessing for the gathering. Jarvie then offered his own prayer, and invoked the cardinal directions in ceremonial purpose. Lights were dimmed, and participants slowly sipped their wine as they became audience to a series of musical tones, songs, chants, and incantations. Jarvie’s repertoire of ritual tools offered sounds that varied from melodious and rhythmic to ethereal and haunting, each carrying a deeply felt sense of intention. His frequent transitions, from more traditional indigenous implements to his original songs accompanied by guitar, offered the sense of being guided into the unknown while also touching the familiar.

The ceremony closed with a gentle word after about two hours. And thus began a closing conversation. Each was asked to share a few thoughts about their experience. Impressions offered around the room held common threads. All felt welcomed. All felt safe within the container. All were transported in some way by Jarvie’s various immersive soundscapes. “It was an unexpectedly deep journey into myself,” said one. Another reflected that “the wine added a softness to any rough edges, and encouraged a tender opening of the heart space with the rising and falling of my breath.” However, some spoke to their relationship with alcohol inhibiting their ability to fully surrender to the experience. As one participant acknowledged, “I felt like it was quite long, but that was part of my process of facing myself and what I was feeling.”

The entheogenic properties of many traditional plant medicines overwhelm. It’s nearly impossible not to ‘go somewhere’ when these substances are introduced. But wine is different. As Jarvie noted: it takes you deeper into your body. The one glass during the ceremony seems supportive for amplified self-inquiry, but it may require more guidance to get there on your own.

One might suggest that wine as plant medicine might be enhanced by more active participation — guided meditation, breathwork, prompted journaling, intentional movement.

As an ongoing exploratory series, a question arose: if we are to expand the story of wine as plant medicine, highlighting its potential for healing, is there also a need for guidance through the pain alcohol has wrought? This became as a topic of discussion.

Post-ceremony, guests gathered in Halleck’s kitchen for a meal prepared to enjoy during their integration; they chatted around the table about their individual journeys, but also about their lives. They took turns serving, laughing, sharing — a ceremony unto itself, and one that is common at Halleck Vineyard, where the abundance of the land is continually reflected by the abundance of its host.

Everyone had been moved through a uniquely layered experience, receiving all Jarvie brought forward while navigating swirls of thoughts, emotions, and sensations activated within their bodies and minds by the mix of wine, sound, and stillness.

Framed that way, it certainly sounds like a plant medicine ceremony.

This was an experiment. The intention is to host Wine As Plant Medicine ceremonies monthly next year, when Jarvie returns from further studies in Peru. In the meantime, Halleck is collecting feedback, exploring wine as a conduit for spirituality, and maintaining focus on connection to his land.

Stay tuned.

*It’s important to note that the use of entheogens can have legal and health implications. They should be approached with caution, respect, and in a responsible, informed manner. Researching and understanding the cultural and legal context are crucial before engaging in entheogenic experiences.