Afon Mel Honey River Blackberry Mead

Ah my first Melomel, and a distraction from my Open University studies. One wonders if many years hence I will remember this moment.

The scent is that of a cidery mead which alludes my fear that this is no more than a fruit wine. The bottle is a bit awkward and doesn’t sit in my wine rack so best if I drink this one quickly then.

A very odd taste, exceedingly rich in something, and feels much like a cider rather than mead. The colour is dark, cloudy and brooding so what an interesting drink. After a few sips another flavour comes through reminiscent of something I cannot place, perhaps some sort of fruit brandy or herbal monkish drink. I’ve a horrible feeling maybe it’s a blocked out memory of Buckfast, the drink of chavs.

The bottle describes the mead thus:

A unique, aromatic dessert wine fermented from the purest Welsh honey and fresh water.

So perhaps I need to bake a crumble to go with it. It continues

Afon Mel Honey River
Hand made, and matured in oak casks Afon Mel is a smooth honey wine that can be drunk in a variety of ways, before a meal, as an aperitif with ice or tonic water, or straights at you would drink a sherry.
It is also extremely good as a dessert wine or as a liquer after a meal.

Drinking Mead with tonic sounds intriguing

And finally the bottles label continues at length about the tale of Mead, medieval monks, the medicinal benefits, the bards Aneirin and Taliesin and more. I guess they’re proud of Welsh Mead

The website is equally informative, they have exhibtions, shops, tea rooms and more. They are also proud of the fact they keep they’re own bees, so clearly this is a Meadery worth visiting.

However even over ice I’m not sure about the Blackberry mead. It lacks the taste of Blackberries or the delights of Mead, so maybe the taste will grow over time. I am at least looking forward to their traditional Mead.