Wine Tasting 5 and 6

        Well, hello and welcome back to another blog of wine! This tasting actually has two (to my TA grading this, I am combining these into one blog because I had them at the same time) meads that were absolutely amazing. 

        For those who don't know, mead is made by fermenting honey mixed with water, and is commonly called "honey wine". It is delicious. I have not yet had a type of mead that I haven't enjoyed, if not loved. It is a very old alcoholic drink, and the alcohol percentage can end up being quite high. 

        This tasting took place in Charleston, South Carolina. I went to visit my sister (this actually took place a very long time ago and I have just never written it up, but I did take notes!) and her boyfriend, and we attended a mead tasting. We got a flight, and these were two of my favorites. 

    

    So first up is the Black Currant mead. The following pictures are the label, and the description on the flight sheet. 

     

   So, as this is mead, it doesn't have a grape varietal. It is technically a melomel, which is a mead made with fruit. It is from Georgia, and a bottle cost $38. Its vintage is 2022.

    When I first tasted this mead, it was different than others that I have had. It wasn't super rich or syrupy, but rather a little bitter and not super sugary. The more I sipped it though, the more I liked it. It had the taste of cranberries- kind of tangy and bold. But, there was also the sweetness from the honey in the aftertaste- just enough that it wasn't overpowering the actual flavor of the mead. It was very smooth going down, warming, and I feel like it would go really really well with a cheese like brie, or maybe even chocolate. 

    Again, this wasn't like any mead that I have had, but I greatly enjoyed it. I did not have it with food.

    Next up is the Paradisi mead. 

   

    The Paradisi is also a melomel, from Bears Bluff Meadery, with the driving fruit being grapefruit. It is $28 a bottle. I actually couldn't find any very relevant additional information on this wine besides what was on the label. I do know that it is "co-fermented and aged on estate grown grapefruit", so I would assume that it is fairly local. 

    Many describe this mead as not too sweet, refreshing, and smooth. Personally, it reminded me of sunshine, just in a glass from the look and the smell. You can definitely smell the grapefruit- it was very fresh and citrusy. While it was tart (like a grapefruit), it was mostly sweet. It reminded me a lot of a dry white wine, just a little sweeter and with an extra sharpness from the grapefruit. Just a very distinct flavor. It was smooth, and you could certainly still taste the honey underneath, although the citrus was the focal point. 

    Overall, it was very good. It was not harsh, which is sort of what I was expecting with the grapefruit, but balanced near perfectly. Very much so a summery type of drink- crisp, light, and refreshing.