It’s fair to say that many of us in the northern hemisphere are feeling a bit more glum as the nights draw in. It’s colder and wetter, and it’s dark before 5pm. It’s depressing, it’s demotivating. So if your “get-up-and-go” has got up and gone, you might be suffering from seasonal affective disorder (SAD).
Also referred to colloquially as the winter blues, SAD affects nearly 20% of us in some form. Just think about your working week: if you wake up in the morning before sunrise and arrive home in the dark, your daylight has been replaced by fluorescence. That is depressing!
Although the most obvious symptom of SAD is depression, others include lower self-confidence (and you haven’t even tried on those holiday outfits yet), feelings of guilt (and you haven’t even maxed out your credit cards buying gifts for those family members you don’t even like) and social withdrawal (and the Christmas parties haven’t even begun). Right about now is when you’re starting to eat and sleep too much and, if left to your own devices, those clouds won’t start to lift until March.
Some countries are darker, and thus more affected, than others. Denmark, Iceland, Sweden, Norway, Finland, the United Kingdom and Ireland top the list in the northern hemisphere, while residents of the South Island of New Zealand are among the most affected on the other side of the world. Luckily most of those places have mastered the art of producing a good indigenous tipple.
Why not enjoy a drink made in places most predisposed to SAD? Whether you’re alone in the Faroe Islands or surrounded by friends in Blighty, take solace from these beverages.
Einstok White Ale, Iceland, £2.35, harveynichols.com. Made just 60 miles from the Arctic Circle, this beer is produced from spring water, orange peel and coriander. Prized for their health properties by Hippocrates, coriander seeds were found in the tomb of Ramses II. Coriander has often been used to treat anxiety and depression.
Aalborg Jubilaeums Aquavit, Denmark, £27, amathusdrinks.com. Long revered for its health-promoting properties, aquavit (claims one of my Danish friends) is good for blood circulation.
Black Cow Vodka, Dorset, England, £31.95, bbr.com. This vodka is made from the milk of grass-fed cows in Dorset, and grass-fed dairy cows are some of the happiest creatures on earth.
Greywacke Sauvignon Blanc 2014, New Zealand, £14.95, robersonwine.com. Perk up your mood by pairing this with fish or, even better, fish roe, for the simple reason that it’s delicious and will put a smile on your face.
Christian Holthausen is a Franco-American wine specialist based in London. Twitter: @bosiechampagne
