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Oliver Winery - Camelot Mead

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David Baldwin

NewBee
Registered Member
Jun 29, 2004
860
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Grand Rapids, MI
Ok, I finally got properly logged in so that my posts will count :-[

www.oliverwinery.com

I've found a light sweet mead from Oliver Winery. I have had mixed results from bottle to bottle with it.

Overall it isn't terrible, but I've had much better. The last I had was at the Michigan Renaissance Festival, and that was BAD.

I don't know if the bottle had been open too long, or if something had gone off somewhere along the line with production, bottling or storage.

I have had some good experience with it though. I have (usually) found it to be a very drinkable sweet light wine. It didn't wow me, but was passable.

A note to "consistant" in commercial meads:
Remember that mead is an agricultural product and like all wines will vary somewhat from vintage to vintage. I expect some variation. I've had Chaucers that was quite acceptable, and have other times wondered what got into the bottle.

It would be nice if commercial meaderies could "vintage" their product so that I could look for "Rabbitsfoot Meadery 2004".

With all the biological variables, I would expect some good commercial meaderies to occasionally produce an exceptional product that we could seek out and squabble over. ;D
 
S

ScottS

NewBee
Registered Member
Nov 12, 2003
378
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www.slezakfarms.com
I noticed that Russo's started carrying this just recently. I haven't tried any, since I talked to a guy from Indiana who gave it 2 stars our of 5.

Ken Schramm mentioned to me that he thinks the vintage label is very important for exactly the reasons you state. Fundamentally, how is mead different from grape wine in this respect?
 
Y

yabb_unknown_usr

NewBee
Registered Member
Jul 28, 2005
38
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0
One of the things we are going to do in the IMA is to try and change the rules surrounding honey wine. To try to make it so that it is classified as WINE and not OTSW (other than standard wine) .

This was we can say '2004 Sonoma Wildflower Honey Mead"

But as to myself, look on the back of my labels. The last two digits in the barrel number is the year :).... xxx02 xxx04 might both be sweet meads but they are slightly diferent even though they used the exact same honey.

The example is our 2002 Sweet mead wone a gold but the 2003 only won a silver. The 2004 we are bottling next week is better than both. It is all about the honey with single varietal meads. I am trying to stay true to the same apiary with each version much like a vineyard.

Mike

--
Rabbit's Foot Meadery
Award Winning Mead

http://www.rabbitsfootmeadery.com
 
S

ScottS

NewBee
Registered Member
Nov 12, 2003
378
1
0
47
www.slezakfarms.com
Tried this stuff last night. I agree with David.

When it first hits your tongue, it is a nice semi-sweet show mead. Then you get nastyness, then you get sulfites. Blech. I poured a glass back and forth a few times to get rid of the sulfites. That helped, but the nastyness was still bad enough that I didn't have more.

It's too bad that this is many people's first exposure to mead.
 
D

David Baldwin

NewBee
Registered Member
Jun 29, 2004
860
1
0
Grand Rapids, MI
The best way for me do describe the funky aftertaste is to imagine a huge bouquet of Honeysuckle flowers. They have a wonderful honey fragrance with a nasty bitter undertone. That bitter aftertaste is just like that bitter undertone in the honeysuckle.

I didn't notice the sulphites so much, but frankly it is probably because I'm so used to commercial wines that I am accustomed to it.

Now, my wife still likes the Oliver Winery Camelot mead. She REALLY likes what she's tasted of my own brew! :D

I must be on the right track. Thanks to all of you who've been so helpful!
 
S

ScottS

NewBee
Registered Member
Nov 12, 2003
378
1
0
47
www.slezakfarms.com
After tasting it, my wife was worried that it was going to ruin the dish she had just added it to. I told her "don't worry, all of the nasty flavors will cook off" while crossing my fingers and hoping for the best. ;D Turned out great.
 
Z

zweitracht

NewBee
Registered Member
Oct 14, 2004
61
0
0
David Baldwin said:
Ok, I finally got properly logged in so that my posts will count :-[

www.oliverwinery.com

I've found a light sweet mead from Oliver Winery. I have had mixed results from bottle to bottle with it.

Overall it isn't terrible, but I've had much better. The last I had was at the Michigan Renaissance Festival, and that was BAD.

I don't know if the bottle had been open too long, or if something had gone off somewhere along the line with production, bottling or storage.

I have had some good experience with it though. I have (usually) found it to be a very drinkable sweet light wine. It didn't wow me, but was passable.

A note to "consistant" in commercial meads:
Remember that mead is an agricultural product and like all wines will vary somewhat from vintage to vintage. I expect some variation. I've had Chaucers that was quite acceptable, and have other times wondered what got into the bottle.

It would be nice if commercial meaderies could "vintage" their product so that I could look for "Rabbitsfoot Meadery 2004".

With all the biological variables, I would expect some good commercial meaderies to occasionally produce an exceptional product that we could seek out and squabble over. ;D
Click to expand...

Yeah, I've had people who I try to introduce to mead try Oliver's and say "I hate mead." Then we given them a sweet homebrew clover and they just guzzle it. Oliver's makes decent wine, they should just stay out of the
mead business ...

Or let me quit my job and do it for them. ;>
 
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