NEED FOR MEAD

UP FRONT | MEAD

For some of the country’s best, go west

By Kae Lani Palmisano

M

EAD — AN ANCIENT ALCOHOLIC drink made by fermenting honey — is making a comeback. Take a trip from Washington to California and explore the best meaderies the Pacific Coast has to offer:

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ALLI CHINN TUPPER

GOLDEN COAST MEAD Oceanside, Calif. San Diego’s first commercial meadery, Golden Coast offers traditional orange blossom and clover blossom meads, but the sour wines are its specialty. Start off your sour mead journey with the Something Something Sour, which draws its flavor from organic wildflower honey. WYRD LEATHER AND MEAD Milwaukie, Ore. Wyrd Leather and Mead also specializes in handcrafted leatherwares, and its artisan meads are a unique taste of the Pacific Northwest. Try the semi-sweet Traditional, which features West Coast wildflower honey fermented with a

JOLIE HUBBARD

yeast strain from Norway.

CASSEY HILL

HIEROPHANT MEADERY Mead, Wash. The award-winning Chrysopoeia from Hierophant is a traditional-style mead that’s smooth, subtle and somewhat creamy. For a more bright and floral-tasting mead, try the Lavender Citrus, which pairs the sweet aroma of lavender with the zest of citrus.

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UP FRONT | MEAD

HALEY HILL PHOTOGRAPHY

LOST CAUSE MEADERY San Diego Lost Cause was one of the most-awarded meaderies in the world at last year’s Mazer Cup International Mead Competition. Its Harmonic Sequence won a gold medal, Mounds Rushmore and Condor Attack scored silver and Barrel Aged Easy Bender took bronze.

ORAN MOR ARTISAN MEAD

ORAN MOR ARTISAN MEAD Roseburg, Ore. Head mead maker Lilly Weichberger has dedicated her life to viticulture and enology, and it shows through Oran Mor Artisan Mead’s award-winning honey wines. One of the most notable is Aphrodite’s Obsession, made with wildflower honey fermented with hibiscus, elderberry and lime.

OPPEGAARD MEADERY Tukwila, Wash. Oppegaard’s most popular mead is the Dragon’s Blood, an off-dry blend made with local sweet clover honey mixed with raspberry, blackberry and blueberry mead . Another popular pick is Taco Meat, a honey wine imbued with taco spices.

CHAUCER’S Santa Cruz and Monterey, Calif. Bargetto Winery has been producing Chaucer’s mead since 1970, using honey harvested from hives throughout the Sierras. It’s the fruity and sparkling meads that draw a lot of attention from visitors.

CHATEAU LORANE Lorane, Ore. Located on a 200-acre estate , guests at Chateau Lorane can enjoy sipping wine from a tasting room that overlooks gorgeous fir trees and a private lake. Though it specializes in traditional varieties as well as rare and exotic vintages, honey wine is a sweet addition to the robust offerings.

HONEY POT MEADERY

HONEY POT MEADERY Anaheim, Calif. Serving up honey wine ranging from dry to dessert sweet, this meadery is a delicious detour off of the La Palma Beer Trail. To get a taste of what Honey Pot is all about, try Prelude , an awardwinning traditional mead made with orange blossom honey.

GLENDA DOWNS

SKY RIVER MEAD Redmond, Wash. One of the oldest wineries in the state of Washington , womenowned Sky River produces mead and honey wine. For a layered flavor journey, try the lavender or cherry vanilla mead. Or for a more traditional flavor, sample the dry mead, infused with honey and fruit tones.

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