We’ve all heard the saying: “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.” Here’s a new one: “When life gives you flowers, make herbal wine!” That aphorism may catch on if Nana Meriwether, the founder of Navina Herbal Wines, has her say. Navina is a wellness company focused on alcohol alternatives and aims to meet the rising interest in healthier choices when it comes to food and beverages. Its wines are low in alcohol, sugar, calories and sulfites. Nana calls it her “weekday wine” because her herbal wines are so low in alcohol and sugar, she is able to indulge during the week while maintaining productivity the next day.
Nana is an entrepreneur who has lived many lives in her 35 years. She grew up in Potomac, attended Sidwell Friends and then went on to Duke for a year, followed by three years at UCLA where she became a two-time, All-American women’s volleyball player. After graduating she decided to play volleyball professionally and trained for the 2008 Olympics. She then squeezed in two years at USC in premedical studies from 2009-2011. Looking for a new challenge, Nina pivoted to beauty pageants, eventually winning the title of Miss Maryland USA and then Miss USA.
Over the years, Nana served as the right-hand for Harper’s Bazaar Editor-in-Chief in New York before landing in an entirely new field, tech. She began working for ConsenSys, a software blockchain company created by the co-founder of Ethereum, the second biggest digital currency behind Bitcoin.
In 2018, in addition to her new job in tech, Nana embarked on another new venture by establishing a start-up on the side. She was inspired to pay more attention to her health. Beyond practicing yoga, meditation, and cutting out sugar she discovered herbalism, the ancient knowledge of how plants and botanicals heal – and within that study the practice of making herbs into wine, a practice that dates as far back as ancient Rome, Greece, China and Egypt.
She launched her first line of herbal wine in February 2021 and introduced her second in November 2021. Hibiscus Wine ($25) is described as a “light-bodied, red herbal wine with flavors of dark cherries and wildflowers.” Marigold Flower Wine ($25) is described as “smooth with notes of earth, pear and apples.” Nana intends to expand Navina's wine list and continue to incorporate additional healthy herbs such as lemon balm, rose, elderberry and ginseng. Visit https://drinkNavina.com.