Chronicle of Experts - We are going to France! 🇫🇷
From renowned thought and culture leaders, to members of our community, we learn about what gives meaning to what they do.
A NOTE ON SUMMER PROGRAMMING
This is an exciting moment for MYKIGAI, marking our first transatlantic session. One of the silver linings of this difficult period of lockdown has been our increasing sense of connection to each other virtually. Isn’t it amazing to be able to visit a vineyard in the South of France via a Zoom webinar.
MYKIGAI is a platform to discover experts, explore fascinating fields and discuss ideas around modern aging. It is a place to connect and a chance to learn about how the experiences of these experts fuel their purpose in life. We are at a new frontier in communications, and these livestream meeting rooms provide a fresh new place to exchange ideas with people doing interesting things.
Stephen Roberts is an excellent example of creative reinvention. We took this unique opportunity to virtually visit him at his winery in the South of France and hear about his life, his career pivot, and his work on the vineyard. This talk will be held in conjunction with the Aging 2.0 Paris chapter. Aging 2.0 is a tech hub that started out in San Francisco and now has chapters all around the world. This is an example of how we plan to meld tech collaborations and start-up culture with real world, real time experiences.
Summer is a good time to take a break - but when we do something we want to make it fun. Stay tuned for updates on another cool summer session to follow in August! Meanwhile, sign up for the transatlantic discussion with Stephen Roberts at MYKIGAI.com. And mark your calendar for July 30th (moved to August 27th), 10 a.m. ET/4 p.m. CET. This one is in French, with English subtitles. Mais oui!
- Laura Minquini, Founder, MYKIGAI
P.S.- For our Canadian readers, John Hamblin (community member, consultant, mentor, Founder of Startup Canada-Halifax and Aging 2.0 -Halifax) has co-created the Great Canadian Seniors Break-Even Challenge. Learn more at the link enclosed, and thanks for sharing this great initiative with us John!
THE BIG CAREER SWITCHUP: BECOMING A WINEMAKER AT AGE 40
Stephen Roberts
When his first daughter was born a decade ago, Stephen Roberts, formerly a diplomat for UNESCO, was turning 40. “It pushed me,” he says, “to change paths, to re-evaluate my career direction and urban living.” His husband, Laurent Nouvion, had a family vineyard in Ramatuelle, near St. Tropez, where his mother is a fifth-generation winemaker. They went to spend some time to think about next steps and fell under the spell of the vines. As new parents, they became concerned about the chemicals being sprayed and the protection of the food chain; the concern gradually evolved into action, and a new life mission in organic farming and winemaking.
The result is Fondugues-Pradugues, a renewed and revitalized generational chapter of a family business. They are poised to double in size in vineyard acreage and production, with a wine truck operation on the go and a new winery building in process. “Wine growing is a story of generations,” says Roberts. “I look at my children and hope that I am able to instill in them the respect for the earth that I have learned in my journey.”
Roberts will share the experience of his major life pivot in his upcoming online talk. “I feel like my whole career has been leading up to this moment. My previous life as a diplomat and a project manager also help me to keep staff motivated with a lot of skills I learned in the corporate environment.” The leap was wholeheartedly worth it. We are conditioned to see taking a risk on a big life change as a cautionary tale, he says. “We need to encourage more positive stories, on platforms such as MYKIGAI, about people who experience change as adventure.”
Roberts reinvested his experience into the world of winemaking, which requires a LOT of different hats. There is the agricultural aspect of growing grapes for wine (viniculture), the winemaking skills and science aspect (oenology) plus the management of staff, marketing, and the place of wine within the culinary community. Finally, Roberts has had to pick up a new working understanding of architecture and construction (as the architect building the actual winery is stuck in California due to COVID).
“The business part is another story,” he says. “Making wine is romantic, but selling wine is a question of numbers, finances and is an easy source of conflict.” This last refers to the juggling act of working with one’s partner and raising kids together: family life is inextricably woven into the life of the vineyard. The daughter that inspired Roberts and Nouvion to make such a heady change is now 10, and has been joined by a sister, who is now 5.
In the July 30th (moved to August 27th) MYKIGAI talk, Roberts will explain how organic and biodynamic wine making are complementary processes. “Organic farming is based mostly on the vineyard, and the products that are used (or prohibited) in vine growing. Biodynamics,” he adds, is about following the lunar calendar in the vineyard and the winery, a practice, “as old as time. We are simply returning to ancient practices that are tried and true.”
The signature wine, with more information to be found on Fondueges.com, is Eau de Rosée, “which references the morning dew that is on our vines during the growing season and is an essential element of our terroir.” They are also concentrating on red wines, “I’m especially interested in wines that occupy that middle space—fresh red wines, orange wines and clarets. Younger people are very conscious of natural wines and not obsessed with labels, which gives us an opportunity to have fun with wine making.”
Plus, there is the fact that organic wines don’t tend to give you hangovers, an idea popular with all ages. “Unless,” says Roberts, “you drink two bottles!”
Sign up early to learn more about Stephen, his journey, and organic wine on Thursday, August 27th, at 10 a.m. ET/ 4 p.m. CET. Space is limited.
