REVIEW: Arizona Honey Wine (Mead)
MEADERY: Grand Canyon Meadery, Winslow, AZ
WEBSITE: www.grandcanyonmeadery.com
PRICE: $9.95
The usual disclaimer/apology goes out first with regards to this review being nowhere near as comprehensive or discriminating as one of Oskaar's. That being said, this mead has the twin distinctions of being both the only one offered in the town supermarket (they sell wine, beer, and hard liquor in the grocery stores in Arizona), and of being of fairly local origin (Winslow is about fifty miles from here).
The bottle is a standard clear 750ml type, typically used for white wine. The label has a very attractive photo of a honey bee collecting nectar from a pink flower. The lettering and border are of gold on a plain black background. Above the bee photo are the words: "Arizona Honey Wine", and below the photo: "Mead". A plastic shrink capsule sits on top with matching colors to the label (that is, gold on black). The overall impression of the bottle's look is quite positive: it is striking without being silly or pretentious. There is no label on the back of the bottle, and no specific information about honey variety, vintage, or production/taste comments from the producer. Off to one side, in tiny type, is a very short introduction as to what mead is, including the popular "honeymoon" myth. In the bottle, the mead is of a true amber color, like bourbon, though slightly cloudy. I've had this mead before, and it has been crystal clear, so this must be a QC issue. The cork is synthetic, and, though deeply set in the neck, comes out with ease.
The mead pours and splashes heavily, like a very thin and warm maple syrup. It leaves light, but slow-moving "legs" on the sides of the glass (in this case, on the sides of a small porcelain bowl that stands in for a mazer). Even in the mazer (white inside), this mead is cloudy. This might not be a detriment in certain categories of mead, and it really doesn't bother me, personally; but, with their background info about mead on the label, Grand Canyon Meadery seems to want to target the wine-drinking crowd (and what commercial mead-maker doesn't?), so I cannot help but consider the cloudiness a flaw, as I think most people used to looking at crystal clear whites and rosés would.
The nose is strongly of honey, with an edgy undertone of what almost seems like an alcohol burn. A slight hint of citrus comes through in the scent as well, and a ghost of a floral note finishes it off. The lesser scents are ones that need some digging, though, since honey overpowers them almost completely.
A full-bodied honey sweetness comes on strongly with the first tasting. There is a cool, rounded mouthfeel to start, but it vanishes as the mead passes over the tongue, being replaced by an aggressive burn. This is the same burn found in the scent -- however, in the mouth it is clearly not an alcohol heat, but more closely akin to a smokiness -- not as of oak, really, but rather like it is oxidized, such as with sherry or port. Sweetness predominates at first, but then disappears behind the heat, which in turn, lashes you all the way down the throat. Tartness aligns this mead on the tongue; that is to say, a citrus quality comes through fairly well in balance to the sweetness. This is not to imply that this is a balanced mead, however. Sweetness is a bully here, and his henchman is that burn, together leaving the mouth and lips coated and sticky, and the palate brazed. On the plus side, the finish is cleaner than you'd expect, with a lightly balanced astringency.
In the final assessment, this comes across as an underpowered sack, or, what is probably more accurate, an underaged sack. This is a big mead, but an immature one, in my view. I do not have details about the production of it, but I strongly feel that two or three years on a cool dark shelf would do wonders for "Arizona Honey Wine". There's no denying the complexity already present, unbalanced though it may be. If I were in a position to, I'd buy a few bottles and put them aside. As it stands, I'm certain to purchase it again, if for no other reason than it's the only game in town, outside of my own. I intend to research "Grand Canyon Meadery" more thoroughly, and post information about the people behind it and the mead they make when I've learned something.
-David
MEADERY: Grand Canyon Meadery, Winslow, AZ
WEBSITE: www.grandcanyonmeadery.com
PRICE: $9.95
The usual disclaimer/apology goes out first with regards to this review being nowhere near as comprehensive or discriminating as one of Oskaar's. That being said, this mead has the twin distinctions of being both the only one offered in the town supermarket (they sell wine, beer, and hard liquor in the grocery stores in Arizona), and of being of fairly local origin (Winslow is about fifty miles from here).
The bottle is a standard clear 750ml type, typically used for white wine. The label has a very attractive photo of a honey bee collecting nectar from a pink flower. The lettering and border are of gold on a plain black background. Above the bee photo are the words: "Arizona Honey Wine", and below the photo: "Mead". A plastic shrink capsule sits on top with matching colors to the label (that is, gold on black). The overall impression of the bottle's look is quite positive: it is striking without being silly or pretentious. There is no label on the back of the bottle, and no specific information about honey variety, vintage, or production/taste comments from the producer. Off to one side, in tiny type, is a very short introduction as to what mead is, including the popular "honeymoon" myth. In the bottle, the mead is of a true amber color, like bourbon, though slightly cloudy. I've had this mead before, and it has been crystal clear, so this must be a QC issue. The cork is synthetic, and, though deeply set in the neck, comes out with ease.
The mead pours and splashes heavily, like a very thin and warm maple syrup. It leaves light, but slow-moving "legs" on the sides of the glass (in this case, on the sides of a small porcelain bowl that stands in for a mazer). Even in the mazer (white inside), this mead is cloudy. This might not be a detriment in certain categories of mead, and it really doesn't bother me, personally; but, with their background info about mead on the label, Grand Canyon Meadery seems to want to target the wine-drinking crowd (and what commercial mead-maker doesn't?), so I cannot help but consider the cloudiness a flaw, as I think most people used to looking at crystal clear whites and rosés would.
The nose is strongly of honey, with an edgy undertone of what almost seems like an alcohol burn. A slight hint of citrus comes through in the scent as well, and a ghost of a floral note finishes it off. The lesser scents are ones that need some digging, though, since honey overpowers them almost completely.
A full-bodied honey sweetness comes on strongly with the first tasting. There is a cool, rounded mouthfeel to start, but it vanishes as the mead passes over the tongue, being replaced by an aggressive burn. This is the same burn found in the scent -- however, in the mouth it is clearly not an alcohol heat, but more closely akin to a smokiness -- not as of oak, really, but rather like it is oxidized, such as with sherry or port. Sweetness predominates at first, but then disappears behind the heat, which in turn, lashes you all the way down the throat. Tartness aligns this mead on the tongue; that is to say, a citrus quality comes through fairly well in balance to the sweetness. This is not to imply that this is a balanced mead, however. Sweetness is a bully here, and his henchman is that burn, together leaving the mouth and lips coated and sticky, and the palate brazed. On the plus side, the finish is cleaner than you'd expect, with a lightly balanced astringency.
In the final assessment, this comes across as an underpowered sack, or, what is probably more accurate, an underaged sack. This is a big mead, but an immature one, in my view. I do not have details about the production of it, but I strongly feel that two or three years on a cool dark shelf would do wonders for "Arizona Honey Wine". There's no denying the complexity already present, unbalanced though it may be. If I were in a position to, I'd buy a few bottles and put them aside. As it stands, I'm certain to purchase it again, if for no other reason than it's the only game in town, outside of my own. I intend to research "Grand Canyon Meadery" more thoroughly, and post information about the people behind it and the mead they make when I've learned something.
-David
