What is Melomel Mead

Glasses of Melomel Mead from Tugwell Creek Meadery in Sooke, BC

WHAT IS MELOMEL?

Mead comes in many varieties.  One of these is Melomel.  Melomel means honey wine with fruit.  Historically it was a way to store leftover fruit from the season.  In the middle ages Melomel was a farm style of mead.  After many years of making plain honey mead, farm house mead makers discovered adding fruit to the mead.  This made the alcohol higher and the mead had more dimension and flavour.  

VARIETIES OF MELOMEL

There are several kinds of mead and they vary by region.  Melomels are usually produced with the fruits grown on the farm or that are locally produced.

Bilbemel-Mead made with Blueberries and occasionally Blueberry blossom honey.

Black Mead- Mead made with Black Currents.

Morat – Mead made with mulberries

Melomel – This term is used when a mead is made from another type of fruit or a mix of fruit.

Perry- A mead made with Pears-often Cider like.

Pyment – Mead made with grapes

Red Mead- Mead made with Red Currants.

TASTE PROFILE OF MELOMEL

 Melomel is one of the most wine like meads of all the mead categories.  This is due to the fermented fruit it contains.  It has a soft finish from the honey and can take on Sherry notes after several years of aging. Melomels can be sweet like a dessert wine or dry like a table wine.  They do not taste the same as wine as the base is fermented honey, not grapes.  They are very smooth in your mouth and leave a pleasant finish that is unique to the type of honey used.  

At Tugwell Creek Meadery we produce three types of Melomel.

 Harvest Melomel – This is a Rose style of Mead that is crisp and dry on your palate but finishes with a soft floral note of honey.  It pairs nicely with poultry, fish or a baguette and cheese.

Wicked Mistress – This is a Pinot Noir style of Mead.  It is produced with our own Marionberries, Honey, and a little spice.  It is aged for 1 year in French Oak Barrels.  It is crisp and dry up front and finishes with a long, soft, vanilla tannin.  Our favourite pairing for this is Charcuterie, but fish, pork, or poultry also pair nicely.

Mad Marion - This is a very smooth Tawny Port style of Mead with berry top notes.  It is produced with our own Marionberries, a generous amount of Wildflower Honey and is aged in French oak barrels for over a year.  This style of mead is also a Great or Grand Mead which means it will continue to improve for over 10 years. Our favoutite pairings include chocolate deserts and cheeses.  Try sipping this mead by the fire on a cold winter night!

You can order all of these meads through our ONLINE STORE

You can find out more about types of Mead here