Members of the Sisterhood of the Traveling Wine meet at a local restaurant.
Sisterhood of the Traveling Wine uncorks good cheer and generosity By Wensdy Von Buskirk
D
uring the darkest days of COVID, a rash of ding-dong-ditch swept through Northville neighborhoods. It wasn’t teenagers defying quarantine to pull pranks, but grown women dropping off care packages on each others’ doorsteps, ringing doorbells, then making a run for it. With the ringing of those doorbells, the Sisterhood of the Traveling Wine had arrived in Northville and Novi. As part of a word-of-mouth phenomenon, private social media groups have participants “wining” each other across the nation. The name comes from the novel and movie Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, in which a group of best friends find a pair of jeans that inexplicably fits them all perfectly, and brings them good fortune as they swap them back and forth across the miles.
56 The ‘Ville
SPREADING GOOD CHEER Longtime Northville resident and Ford Motor Co. engineer Kristin Borsenik found out about the traveling wine trend through a friend and decided to launch a group in Northville. The concept is
simple: If you love wine and want to spread kindness, request to join the Facebook group “Sisterhood of the Traveling Wine Northville Novi.” According to Borsenik, the only requirement is that you live in town. Once accepted, you’ll fill out a spreadsheet with your name, address, wine preferences, occupation, kids, pets, and favorite color. Then, when you least expect it, goodies appear on your porch. “It’s really informal,” Borsenek said. Currently, the Northville Novi group has around 200 members, and though rules are few and gifting is random, somehow it works out that everyone gets “wined.” “It’s all about trust,” Borsenik said. Borsenik has been shocked at the goodies left on her stoop. In addition to her favorite Cabernet Sauvignon, she’s gotten candles, lotions, bath bombs, wine-themed kitchen
