October’s Firestone Walker dinner was quite a success on every level, and we are much looking forward to November’s pairing dinner with Heidrun Meadery, from Arcata. Which will be quite different and, we are confident, also both interesting and delicious. We’ll hold it Tuesday, November 18th.
You may know mead as honey wine, which it is, but Gordon Hull, Heidrun’s meadmaker, takes a different tack than most meadmakers.
To Gordon, mead serves as a portal into truly understanding the essence of honey, including the difference in honey varietals. Much as the difference between, say, Pinot Noir and Syrah become much more clear after the grapes are fermented into wine, so are the differences between honey made from orange blossoms and that of starthistle made striking when drinking a totally dry mead.
And this is true even more so when the mead is made like Champagne. Specifically, Heidrun’s meads are Methode Champenoise, and the bubbles create a crispness on the palate that really brings home the flavor of the meads.
So, anyway. Think of this as a Champagne dinner, except that each course of bubbly is made from a different kind of honey. Gordon will be on hand to discuss the meads. He’s a very talented and interesting man, as we found when we visited him last year.
Here’s Gordon’s descriptions of the four meads we’ll be serving with the dinner.
Montana Clover Blossom: Just released. My lightest bodied mead yet. Crisp, dry and clean with just a hint of fruit & honey. Fully effervescent. Great starter since it’s lightest. For those new to mead, this will be the most popular.
Madras Carrot Blossom: Yet to be released. We tried this one for the first time last night. Unlike anything I’ve ever made. Bone dry with an as-yet-unidentified herbal quality up front — a little bit mustard and a little bit horse breath (hay, forage) — that quickly dissipates to nothing. Clean finish, great balance. Super bubbles. I’m going to hoard this one for myself if our first impression holds. It will be great with food. BTW, Madras is a small town in Oregon. If you follow the Boston Red Sox you may have hear about it: Jacoby Ellsbury.
California Buckwheat Blossom: Fruity, with a suggestion of sweetness. Nice effervescence. I’d be raving about this one too but I’m smitten by the Carrot and Clover.
California Orange Blossom: You’re familiar with this one. My latest batch is petillant, meaning just a hint of effervescence. Same amazing floral character.
Food pairings to come.