Pirtles Weston Vineyards Sparkling Mead

Aroma of dry honey. Very pale (almost white) gold. Very bubbly. Light semi-sweet honey. Some floweryness (can’t tell what kind but probably just clover). Watery with champagne like carbonation. Nice and light. Romantic in a "not serious" sort of way. Like you’re with a girlfriend you love to death but just can’t see her as the mother to your children.

I drove up to Perfect Brewing Supply in Mount Prospect, IL since I was sick of the subpar brew stores in Chicago to be delighted with a great store where after a conversation with some employees on brewing mead they so graciously handed me two bottles of mead for free. Amazing! They recieved the said bottles from Ray Daniels cellar who had been cellaring them for four years. Wow, someone is shining on me with kindness. 750 ml. ... Well this is my first mead and so its kind of like a first beer with nothing to compare it to, (I don’t know is high life what beer should taste like?) A thick gold color with a small head. Honey sweet aroma, very sweet smelling with something a little bit funky behind it, uh oh ... is that amonia? Sweet efervescent honey flavors becoming more vinegar like and harsh as it warms up. Well maybe not the best mead for the first, most likely past its prime, but now I’m ready to try more.

Sample at the Vineyard. Aroma is sweet and honey. Carbonation is very fizzy, and actually lightens up the mead taste quite a bit. If you like Champagne, try this one.

750ml, hey first rating! thanks to holdenn for this special new years eve sample. word has it this is 4 or so years old. aroma is sweet with vinegar and mild funkiness. taste is clean, sweet, and finishes dry. the vinegar comes in the taste and is unpleasant (perhaps past it’s prime). the sparkling aspect is nice, of course, creates a fizzy mouthfeel. i’m not an expert on meads but this one got me curious.