With our cherry wine, you will be instantly met with the smell of real cherries upon pouring, which may sound obvious, but often cherry wines can have more of an artificial smell. You will also detect a hint of almond on the nose, adding to the wonderful profile of the wine. After sipping the drink, you will notice a very smooth, full-flavoured taste profile which is an excellent accompaniment to many desserts, particularly those that contain chocolate, caramel, or citrus. How is Cherry Wine Made? Whenever we get asked about how someone should enjoy one of our products, we are happy to make suggestions, just as we did with our Lugger Rum guide and our gin enjoyment piece. However, we often say the best way to enjoy it is whichever way takes your fancy, as we are all individuals, and one size doesn’t always fit all. The only thing we do ask is that you share your ideas with us on our social media channels, so we can share in your enjoyment! You can find the links to our social media channels at the bottom of this piece. James started his winemaking career at a young age. Cutting his teeth in the wine labs at Broadland Drinks, testing 20 to 30 wines per day, he enrolled on a wine appreciation course led by Frank Leatherdale. James credits Frank’s knowledge, enthusiasm and passion, for setting him on his career journey into wine. For enjoying our cherry wine on its own, as previously mentioned, we feel it makes a perfect dessert wine, so enjoy a serving of around 120ml at a cool, room temperature. As with our other fruit wines, they can be enjoyed as a refreshing long drink, mixed 50/50 with soda water.

When raw honey gets moisture into it, there is a chance that natural yeast will start a fermentation process that converts the sugar in honey into alcohol. Nowadays, the yeast used in mead making is often identical to that used in winemaking.Over the years this bold approach to producing category-defining drinks has paid off. Since we opened our doors 30 years ago we have seen the success and reputation of our products soar, winning awards from prestigious competitions including the International Wine and Spirit Competition, the International Wine Challenge, the Decanter World Wine Awards and many more. The word ‘Mjolnir’ is a Norse name for Thor’s hammer. Our take on the traditional mojito is a simple but delicious combination of flavours. How about a touch of sophistication for the discerning? Not just for gentlemen. Definitely gender non-specific!

If you are new to the world of cherry wine, we have explored the fruity number in a bit more detail here, so you can experience it in all its glory. Cherry Wine ProfileWhen the pubs closed due to Covid-19 restrictions, we’ve all had to become DIY mixologists, and, as you’ll see, this has given us the chance to expand our horizons and create some genuinely creative tipples.

During the 2020 harvest, Sarah worked the day shift and was astounded at the quality of the fruit, crediting it with a ripeness she has never seen in English grapes before and was really proud of the wines we created from this harvest – and the harvests following this. Mead is created by honey and water fermented with yeast, sometimes containing various fruits, spices, grains, or hops. It is believed that mead was essentially first discovered when accidentally some honey got wet. Begin by preparing the honey syrup. Combine a quarter of a cup each of honey and water in a saucepan and heat gently for one minute. Then, strain it through a sieve and pop it in the fridge while preparing your other ingredients.The earliest recorded evidence of mead’s existence dates from 7000 BC, where archaeologists discovered pottery vessels in northern China showing chemical signatures consistent with honey, rice, and organic compounds associated with fermentation. In 2006, drawn by Lyme Bay Winery’s ambition to plant a vineyard and make still English wines, he took the job and relocated to Devon. While others had already shown that sparkling English wines of real quality could be made, he felt that still wines had significantly more potential. Experimenting with fruits and producing wine is something which has continued through the years, with cherry wine being one such example. Cherry wine was reportedly first produced as a form of homebrew following World War I where people became more experimental and resourceful with their winemaking. Thankfully, processes have advanced quite considerably since then, resulting in a more polished final product with a much more modest alcohol content! From its well-documented appearances on the all-conquering Game of Thrones TV series to a growing general interest in traditional food and drink, there are many reasons why mead – according to some, the world’s oldest alcoholic beverage – has enjoyed a resurgence in recent years.

We hope that the recipes we’ve shared above have encouraged you to start getting creative with mead – in our opinion, one of the finest (and most surprisingly versatile) alcoholic drinks going.

MADE WITH LOVE

Once the Vikings’ drink of choice, mead was also believed to improve health and prolong life. It has also long been rumoured to have aphrodisiac properties, so it was presented to newlyweds to enjoy during what we now call their “honeymoon”. Fruit wines are quite often viewed as being a less complex drink to make than their grape counterparts, but the process of making them is almost identical. So, for cherry wine, the juice and flavour of the fruit is extracted by pressing, stewing, and fermenting the pulp of the fruit. From there, sugar (or honey in some instances) is added to increase the alcoholic content during fermentation, while also producing a more polished and palatable final product. How Should Cherry Wine be Enjoyed?