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Mead is actually one of the world's oldest fermented drinks and is also known as honey wine, honeymoon mead, ambrosia or nectar. International Mead Day falls on the first Saturday in August every year to shine a spotlight on the craftsmen who make this delicious drink and also on those precious honey bees that are working overtime at this time of year producing the key ingredient which is honey.
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It's made with fermented honey, water and yeast and the taste profile depends a lot on what type of honey is used and where it came from. When Geraldo's first opened in 2000, a road trip around Scotland discovered Scottish food and drink manufacturers and Moniack Castle, not far from Inverness, quickly became a regular supplier.
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The castle was built in 1580 and, in 1980, Phillipa Fraser converted part of her ancestral family home into Highland Wineries. She started producing wines, liqueurs and jellies followed by Moniack Mead, which is considered the best mead produced in modern times.
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Mead has had a resurgence in recent years, especially during lockdown in 2020 when Google searches increased 245%. Moniack Mead was featured by Rosalind Erskine on BBC1's 'The Good Food Guys ' served with Nick Nairn's cheese soufflé and sales soared.
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It's slightly floral on the nose with a robust body of caramel. It's not too sweet and has a lovely honey taste. You can serve it warm or chilled, either on its own or over ice. Traditionally, mead was served during medieval celebrations, particularly at weddings, where the bride and groom were given enough mead to last a month, hence the name: Honeymoon Mead.
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Largs Viking Festival started in 1980, (which just happens to be the same year Highland Wineries started) and celebrates the 1263 Battle of Largs, in which the Scots defeated the King of Norway.
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Every year, Largs hosts its annual Viking Festival with a huge amount of entertainment for all ages. The Viking Village is a popular tourist attraction and the Vikings are known to queue up at Geraldos' to buy Moniack Mead. In 2021 the Viking Festival will be back by popular demand from 28th August to 5th September and there's no doubt the Vikings will be back for Moniack Mead for an extra special celebration this year.
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