Trends are cyclical, and there’s no exception to that in the world of beverages. Mead, a honey wine often infused with spices, has been around for 7000 years. It has had moments of popularity throughout human history, notably in the ancient Vedic and Greek societies, Celtic and German cultures, and now amongst experimental producers and imbibers of today.

The production process to make honey wine is very similar to that of grape wine. Fermentation temperatures and yeasts are more or less identical. Many people enjoy making homemade mead, but the swell in popularity has seen more official brands hit the shelves. Sky River entered 2 meads in the 2018 Ultimate Wine Challenge. Their hopped mead is a nod to the explosion of hops finding their way into everything these days, including whiskey. Their 90 Point scoring cherry vanilla mead offers a unique flavor that keeps closer to the tradition of including spice and fruit flavors into mead.

How much will the category continue to grow, experiment, and refine? Will it be enough to earn a place on menus? The pairing possibilities and culinary application of mead are just beginning to work their way into contemporary cuisine, with plenty of room for expansion.