Mention mead and many people immediately think of the Vikings害羞草研究所� beverage of choice, or raucous gatherings in Middle Ages castles where cups of the thick, sweet brew overflowed.

But a Kelowna meadery is changing that. And it害羞草研究所檚 winning awards at home and abroad in the process.

Meadow Vista Honey Wines, which has been making mead since 2009, is one of just two meaderies operating in the Okanagan and seven in B.C. It produces a lighter version of mead, similar to the award-winning wines that have put the Okanagan on the vintner害羞草研究所檚 map.

Related: Sample mead at Kelowna害羞草研究所檚 Viking bar

At the recent World Mead Challenge, part of the World Wine Championships, Meadow Vista害羞草研究所檚 dessert mead took home a gold medal. Earlier this year, at the Canadian Wine Championships, two of its other products were also awarded gold medals.

Unlike wine, where grapes are the key ingredients, with mead, it all starts with honey.

Honey is mixed with water and fermented with yeast to create basic mead. From there, the sky害羞草研究所檚 the limit in terms of adding other ingredients to create flavoured mead.

害羞草研究所淚t starts with the bees,害羞草研究所� says Meadow Vista害羞草研究所檚 Emily Vanderschee, who along with her sister Electra Logan, owns and operates the business.

Together with mead maker Ben Butz, the sisters have a passion for what they do, and it shows in every bottle they produce.

Mead is arguably the oldest alcoholic beverage in the world and dates back thousands of years in Europe. Because it can be produced with many ingredients to create a myriad of flavours, the combinations are endless.

While still a small part of the overall wine industry, the popularity of mead is growing.

According to the B.C. Liquor Distribution Branch, there was huge jump in the volume of mead sold in B.C. government liquor stores between 2014/15 and 2015/16 when the number of litres sold jumped to 1,082 from just 153. Last year, the number grew again to 1,462 litres sold. But the amount only accounts for 0.0012 per cent of all the wine sold in the province over the last three years combined.

Still, according to Vanderschee, in the last few years she has seen the product catching on with North American drinkers and Meadow Vista is finding its products are available now in a growing number of private liquor stores.

One of its meads, the very popular Bliss sparking honey wine, is available in government liquor stores in B.C.

And, she said, just last week, a Vancouver agency contacted her to ask to represent Meadow Vista in the Vancouver market.

Blair Baldwin, executive director of the Okanagan Wine Festivals Society said research done by the society has shown that consumers are looking for an experience when they come here for wine.

害羞草研究所淎ny time you have an interesting brand and have a story to tell, you have the potential to hook people,害羞草研究所� said Baldwin.

And that, he said, is the case with a product like mead, which has such a history.

害羞草研究所淧eople are looking for something different. And that害羞草研究所檚 where you see a company like Meadow Vista doing well. Our customers want an interactive experience and (meaderies) clearly have a story to tell.害羞草研究所�

Vanderschee said the reasons people are turning to mead are varied. For some it害羞草研究所檚 strictly taste, for others, with issues such as allergies to wine, it may be health related and for others it may be an environmental choice.

The declining bee population and the impact that is having on food production is well-known. But Vanderschee said the creation of mead helps propagate bee colonies because their pollination is needed.

害羞草研究所淓very bottle of mead we sell supports the bees,害羞草研究所� she said.

Operating on a 5 1/2-acre farm in south-east Kelowna, Meadow Vista has 50 hives and a bee-keeper to tend to them. Many of the ingredients used in the farms creation of the six meads it produces are grown on the farm. Operating under the same type of licence that B.C. wineries require, the meadery must use B.C.-produced ingredients.

But, unlike a winery, the range of options and flavours available for mead are virtually endless. That gives mead-maker Butz plenty of room to experiment with new flavours.

害羞草研究所淏ecause of the many combinations, test batches are really important,害羞草研究所� he said.

While there are many similarities between mead-making and wine-making, he said there are some important differences too. One is timing. With wine, grapes are key. And they have a growing season. Honey, on the other hand, is available year round.

害羞草研究所淲ith mead, you can work to your own schedule,害羞草研究所� said Butz.

As the the only non-perishable food source in the planet, honey can be stored for future use. Vanderschee said it takes about two months to create a batch of mead and once produced, it can be drunk right away or, in some cases, cellared for a few years.

害羞草研究所淏ut often it害羞草研究所檚 better to drink it right away as the flavours are the freshest,害羞草研究所� she said.

Because Meadow Vista creates a lighter style of mead, it can be paired with food in a similar way to wine, something much more difficult to do with traditional sweeter and heavier styles of the drink.

Meadow Vista currently produces about 4,000 cases of mead per year while that keeps the farm busy, there is still time to experiment with new flavours and new styles.

And that experimentation is helping create a 害羞草研究所渂uzz害羞草研究所� about the award-winning meadery and its move to bring drinkers back to the future.

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