Wye Valley Meadery Traditional Mead (70cl Bottle), 14.5% ABV

Product Information

This area is known for its high concentration of small leaf lime trees, and a high overall biodiversity of flora and fauna.

It is expensive to brew as it is taxed heavily and the ingredients are more expensive compared to a typical wine – but it’s worth it. So, we took this drink, added some interesting flavours to complement the flavour of the honey, and turned it into a sparkling rendition of the traditional version. Also sign me up for newsletters so I can get special offers, recommendations, and expert advice to my inbox! On the plus side we had all this time to do everything ourselves and make sure we’re ready to re-open properly.We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. Here we have a traditionally styled mead, a time-honoured tipple which dates back hundreds if not thousands of years, from Lyme Bay Winery in Devon. He’s never made mead, so we’ve introduced him to that, and he’s introduced us to some beer-making, which we’re now doing too. I think in lockdown people have probably had lots of time to experiment with different things so now restrictions have been lifted they want to pursue those interests and go out and see how others do it. While it’s been tough they’ve dropped lucky in being able to consult a friend Matt met in Australia who knows everything there is to know about what makes a great boozy beverage.

A sunny September would have ripened everything nicely but of course that did not happen and so we were left with plenty of grapes still on the vines, not quite ready to pick but ripe enough for the birds to eat! If anybody ever grew up enjoying rhubarb crumble or a sprinkle of sugar on rhubarb as snack, then you're sure to enjoy this. The Monmouthshire section of this walk covers around 17 miles (25-27km) and is made up almost entirely of paths through woodland. Possibly the most well-known of all the references to mead (and therefore stereotyping of mead) is its prominence in Norse folklore.Leave the crowds behind and stroll among the vines learning about the history of the vineyard and winemaking and how we grow our vines on this Welsh hillside. Matt (pictured, above right) continued beekeeping as a hobby, having bought a few hives from his mentor, while going on to study geology at university. Sweet, gentle, rounded, smooth aromas translate through to the palate delivering a delightful, fully flavoured, fragrant, floral, soft, yet rich, fruity mead. The vineyard is situated on a working farm where there is a small herd of pedigree Hereford cattle, sheep and ponies.

Over half honey by volume before fermentation, our traditional mead is sweet, rich and moreish, this is a bottle of liquid gold. Kit left cushy office life and moved from Reading back the Wye Valley where together, they are brewing full time and increasing batch size month after month. Splendid in all manner of serves, and we're not just talking about splashing it in your prosecco or lemonade, it's pretty great drizzled over ice cream too! In the US, which has a slightly more developed mead market than the UK, [low abv] was a style that was growing in popularity,” Matt explains. Full bodied and deeply warming, we feel this is an archetypal, abbey-style mead, made with care and precision.

It has a rich historic tapestry, with many notable civilisations in history making some reference to it. When he was killed, his blood was mixed with honey, and anyone who drank the concoction was instilled with his intelligence and knowledge. Setting some of our award winning Traditional Mead aside to age in Oak whiskey barrels has created a wondrously dark, deep, woody celebration of the best parts of oak and honey. This Cherry Mead from Afon Mêl in Wales is fermented with sour cherries alongside honey, producing a silky sweet drink with juicy, fresh cherry flavour, among almond, and heather notes.