WE MAKE NATURAL RAW WINES + REALLY GREAT MEAD !

Carbonic maceration is a way of fermenting red wine that differs from the standard, yeast-fueled fermentation. Unlike standard fermentation, in which yeast is manually or naturally added to grape must to convert sugar into alcohol, carbonic maceration does not use yeast to start fermentation.

 

How is this possible? It’s a complicated matter, but by placing whole bunches of grapes in a sealed vat filled with carbon dioxide, the oxygen-starved fruit will release naturally present enzymes. These enzymes perform a similar function to yeast, breaking sugars down into alcohol. Essentially, during carbonic maceration, alcoholic fermentation begins inside the grape itself.

 

Our grapes are harvested in early October and are sorted, crushed and then “cold-soak” for about 3 days on the skins. After that they are removed from the cooler temperatures and begin fermentation on the skins naturally (We also process about 50% of the clusters whole) so they also are hanging out with the stems.

 

After a few weeks when the temperatures, alcohol levels, and cosmicness is right, the wine is pressed off the skins and out into glass vessels. From there the process of fermentation + racking begins in a controlled environment, naturally.

 

WE USE HYBRID NEW YORK GRAPE VARIETALS

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Hybrid grapes are grape varieties that are the product of a crossing of two or more Vitis species. This is in contrast to crossings between grape varieties of the same species, typically Vitis vinifera, the European grapevine. Hybrid grapes are also referred to as inter-specific crossings. Due to their excellent tolerance topowdery mildew, other fungal diseases, nematodes, and phylloxera hybrid varieties have, to some extent, become a renewed focus for European breeding programs.

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ITS ALL ABOUT THE MEAD!

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Our Mead is made from our Estate Honey and is Harvested by bee lover, protector and enthusiast Paul from Bee Hollow Farms. Mead is Honey Wine and we make it really simply and really tastefully. Honey + Water + Time.

 

100% Spontaneous fermentation, no commercial anything added. Just like the olden days. 

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We also infuse some of our meads with seasonal herbs, spices and fruits.

 

Our Candy Shandy is the sweetest, and is served in a can. Our Original mead just a traditional style of mead, and we also have an oaked version. Check out our limited release spiced (meddyglyn) mead and our herbal elixir (Artemisia) 

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Mead was used as a sacrament in the pagan times when a couple, soon to be wed, has secured the agreement of there respective families to "plight there troth" (that is to unite and be true to one another). A great feast funded by the brides parents was held in the communal mead hall, where they publically exchanged vows for one another (sound familiar? ) 

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After this feast both bride and the groom were absolved of all there communal responsibilities for a period of 28 days - a full lunar moon cycle. During this period they were accorded total privacy and were provided with as much MEAD (The potent fermented honey drink much loved by warriors) as they demanded in order to stimulate there affections. 

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This period of time became known as the "Honey Moon" and is the origin of the custom we observe today! (cool huh?) 

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