Sunday Paper Edition 011: Easing Into Autumn
03 October 2021
Keats put it perfectly when he called Autumn “the season of mists and mellow fruitfulness”. Cosy and comforting, yet crisp and clarifying, it is a time of year to be cherished. This Sunday, we invite you to join us as we welcome the new season by curling up with an illuminating book, sip a glass of elegant yet wild wine and venture into the forest for a grounding Japanese ritual.
What We’re Reading
We knew that truffles taste delicious, penicillin has saved the lives of millions and that fermented foods such as cheese and wine have brought happiness to countless people. But we didn’t know quite how profoundly intertwined our lives are with that of the fungal kingdom until we started to read Merlin Sheldrake’s mind-bending book Entangled Life – How Fungi Make Our Worlds, Change Our Minds and Shape Our Futures.
Eye-opening, playful and philosophical, this is one of those rare reads which instantly alters the the way you see the world around you.
Sheldrake, a biologist who received his Ph.D. from Cambridge, takes us on a mind-bending tour of how we have co-evolved with fungal networks for millions of years and how by understanding its powers, there could be ground-breaking implications for how we solve some of our most pressing issues within ecological preservation, psychological wellbeing, medicine and technology.
What We’re Drinking
Our friends at Buon Vino has created the perfect pairing to sip whilst reading Entangled Life; Savennieres Coulee de Serrant 2018, from the truly legendary biodynamic winemaker Nicolas Joly. Described as “The King of funky and natural yeast,” Joly has spent the last 30 years re-establishing the craft of natural winemaking by producing iconic wines that beautifully and authentically express the terroir of his 7-hectare vineyard in the Loire. Made from100% Chenin Blanc, Savennieres Coulee de Serrant is deep, complex, minerally and very moreish indeed. A perfect white that can stand up to the slightly more robust flavours of the autumn cuisine.
How We’re Unwinding
As we’re settling in back home after our summer adventures, we want to make sure we retain some of those calming vacation vibes and remain grounded as our calendars fill up with exciting, but sometimes demanding, meetings, social engagements and family obligations. One of our favourite rituals to achieve this, is the ancient Japanese practice of shinrin-yoku, or ‘forest bathing’. The basic idea is that you leave any tech devices at home and take a slow and mindful nature walk, and undistractedly, use all your senses to take in the sights, sounds, textures and scents of the environment around you. Scientifically proven to lower both blood pressure and cortisol levels, shinrin-yoku might be just the ticket to a more relaxed autumn. Our most recent foray into the forest was on London’s beloved Hampstead Heath but we dream of expeditions to the Mindo Cloud Forest in Ecuador, the Taiga in Finland and the Hinoki groves on Yakushima Island.
Around The World With Métier
What makes our world go round is hearing about the amazing journeys our clients go on and how their Métier pieces have made their trips, meetings and getaways a little bit more well-organised, pleasurable and stylish. Many of you generously share your stories and images, which we collect in our Around the World With Métier section so that our whole community can be inspired. Whether you’re in Paris or Patmos, Venice or Wimbledon, we are always awestruck by your elegance and couldn’t be prouder and more honoured to be part of your adventures.