Forget putting the lime in the coconut. The Owens sisters may reach for margaritas to sharpen their gifts, but the making and drinking of wine holds a practical magic of its own.
With Practical Magic 2 stirring a fresh wave of cultural witchiness, plenty of people are dusting off their tarot decks. Fewer are remembering a far older form of divination, one that asks for nothing more than what is already in the glass.
Oenomancy, divination by wine, has been practiced as a form of fortune-telling since the Middle Ages. Traditionally, its readers looked for shapes and patterns in the wine itself. Siobhán Duncan, who works as The Wine Witch, takes a more inventive approach.
While studying for her WSET qualifications, Duncan noticed what she calls a “shared esotericism” between wine and the tarot she had been reading for more than 20 years. So she set about pairing each of the 78 cards with a wine. “Initially I channelled as many Major Arcana tarot card matches as I could and then mused on what the profile of the remaining cards might be,” she says. “Words, ideas or vibes would jump out and announce their card.” The pairings now live in two zines, Tannic Tarot and Medium Body.
Tarot can feel like a daunting system to learn. Duncan’s method needs none of it: choose a card whose energy you want to call in, then open the wine that matches it. As the year turns toward the solstice, she reaches for two cards in particular. “I love to muse on the energy of the cards The Hanged Man and Judgement at this time of year, which represent the necessary slowing down and standing still of the Solstice, followed by the sun’s rebirth and slow reemergence of energy and direction as the light begins to grow,” she says.
“The Hanged Man is Albariño, a bright and fresh white wine full of citrus and stone fruit. Judgement is Amarone, a deep and rich style of dry red wine made from dried Corvina and Rondinella grapes, which often tastes of dark fruits and Christmassy spices.”
Written in the stars
Winemaking has always kept one eye on the sky, timing work to the seasons and the cycles of the moon. “There are ever-growing ranks of modern Biodynamic producers, which heavily integrate astrological timing and esoteric practices in their vineyard management and vinification,” Duncan says.
Her first pick for bringing more magic to the glass is Sun Moon Rising: “the female owned and run Sun Moon Rising wines, which has combined astrology and winemaking with a bottle for each of the 12 signs.”
The dark half of the year invites playfulness and curiosity as much as reflection, and Duncan has a toast for its close. She recommends “a glass of Champagne to represent The World tarot card: the perfect pairing for the year’s end, reflecting on the close of another cycle and hopefully feeling some sense of fulfilment and joy.”
Deliciously witchy, indeed.
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