Tuesday 31 March 2009

Kanu y Med (Song of Mead)


I WILL adore the Ruler, chief of every place,
Him, that supports the heaven: Lord of everything.
Him, that made the water for every one good,
Him, that made every gift, and prospers it.
May Maelgwn of Mona be affected with mead, and affect us,
From the foaming mead-horns, with the choicest pure liquor,
Which the bees collect, and do not enjoy.
Mead distilled sparkling, its praise is everywhere.
The multitude of creatures which the earth nourishes,
God made for man to enrich him.
Some fierce, some mute, he enjoys them.
Some wild, some tame, the Lord makes them.
Their coverings become clothing.
For food, for drink, till doom they will continue.
I will implore the Ruler, sovereign of the country of peace,
To liberate Elphin from banishment.
The man who gave me wine and ale and mead.
And the great princely steeds, beautiful their appearance,
May he yet give me bounty to the end.
By the will of God, he will give in honour,
Five five-hundred festivals in the way of peace.
Elphinian knight of mead, late be thy time of rest.

From the Book of Taliesin XIX

Monday 30 March 2009

Harvest Gold Mead


As a strange place to start Morrison’s appear to be the only London supermarket stocking Mead. Waitrose let me down, and the organic folk (Fresh & Wild, Planet Organic etc) are too small to do much more than wine and beer.

Cheap at £3.76 for a 70cl bottle at 13% alcohol, Harvest Gold is a sweet, slightly sticky mead, which seems to keep well, but doesn’t seem to sit in my wine rack. The caps leak, dripping gently on the bottle below forming sweet strands of honey round the rim (quite tasty).

Described thus:
An original recipe inspired by the classic Mead enjoyed since Celtic times. This delicious English tipple blends the finest ingredients to produce a delicately sweet, mouthwatering flavour and a rich golden honey colour

But of more concern
is the classic interpretation of traditional Mead, the storied drink of ages

What does an interpretation look like, what industrial processes have intervened to make this not Mead but an interpretation of Mead.

The bottlers CWF Ltd seem to neglect to mention Mead on their website, although there is a reference to their speciality fruit wines. I’ve heard of various Meads that are no more than light wines with added honey, so perhaps this is one such.

But it’s cheap, it’s available from the supermarket down the road, it's perfectly drinkable, and so far Medb seems appeased.