Every now and then the subject of “mindful drinking” comes up in an article or on-line. (Here‘s a good one.) And goodness knows there’s all sorts of supposedly “Zen” liquors, etc — examples of pure co-optation, for the most part. But there does seem to be at least one exception.

For example, there’s Bodhichitta Winery. Based out of Oregon, BW does make wine, but insists that they adhere to the core principles of Buddhism. One hundred percent of the profits from Bodhichitta sales are donated to charity. According to founder Mark Proden, “The winery’s vision and purpose, ‘passion for wine; compassion for others’, underscores my desire to serve others while working in this great industry.”

They recently made a $12,000 donation to the Central Asian Institute (www.ikat.org), and proceeds from sales of $20 t-shirts on the winery’s website plus funds received from a private donor will cover the cost of materials for one K-5 school.

Then there’s Mantra Wines, who describe the meaning of their name thusly: “The literal translation of ‘mantra’ is’mind-protection’. A ‘mantra’ is something that is repeated over and over again to give oneself a sense of ‘peace’ and ‘bliss’ — try our liquid versions.” …Sure, a “liquid version” sounds nice, but then, that’s copywriting for ya.

What do you think? Co-optation or not, is mindful drinking a fantasy?