Yankee Brew News Archive

Stowe Winery Produces Natural Mead, Plans Raspberry and Dessert Offerings

Originally Published: 08/97

By: Tom Ayres

The nectar of the gods is flowing in the Green Mountain State.

Since L'Abeille Honey Winery, Vermont's first meadery, opened last Columbus Day, its dryish Natural Mead has been enthusiastically received by locals and tourists alike.

L'Abeille ("The Bee," for you non-Francophiles) is the second meadery owned and operated by the husband-and-wife team of Bernard Blachere and Diane Rice. The meadmaking pair has operated the Bee Bee Winery in Beebe, Quebec, for the past 15 years. Beebe is one of those fabled villages that straddle the Canada-United States border in Vermont's verdant Northeast Kingdom. Bernard, a French native, and Diane keep ready tabs on both meaderies, making the 90-minute trek from Beebe to L'Abeille in Stowe, Vermont, several times a week.

"We really like the Stowe area," enthuses Diane of the renowned Vermont skiing mecca. The combination of a thriving ski economy and the close proximity of Vermont's populous, relatively prosperous Chittenden County make Stowe the perfect locale for the fledgling meadery.

Bernard is the primary meadmaker at L'Abeille, while Diane manages the retail operation in the Stoware Common, on the western side of Route 100 just south of Stowe village and the Mountain Road. L'Abeille Natural Mead is crafted from a blend of goldenrod and aster honey, purchased from Vermont beekeepers or harvested from Bernard's and Diane's own hives in Beebe. Bernard clearly prefers the wildflower potion to the

omnipresent clover honey commonly found throughout North America. "Goldenrod and aster are definitely preferable to clover," he says. "Clover honey is too light and it doesn't ferment well. There are fewer minerals in it and the wine it produces has no color -- it looks like water."

L'Abeille Winery's production method for mead is shockingly simple. No boiling is involved and Bernard does not skim the frothy albumin from the warmed honey, as many meadmakers do. He filters the honey primary to fermentation, then warms it so that it will flow and dissolve in water more easily. Bernard, an enthusiast for North American spring waters, uses Vermont Heritage Spring Water to craft his product.

He uses approximately one-half pound of honey per 750ml bottle -- or about 14 pounds of honey per five gallons of must, for those readers who are already savoring the thought of replicating Bernard's efforts on a homebrewed scale. Initial fermentation in stainless steel takes place in 250-gallon batches at 75 degrees Fahrenheit, using a Burgundy wine yeast that imparts a delicate, dryish character that confounds the expectations of those accustomed to sweet meads.

"Bernard is especially watchful during primary fermentation. He jokes that he sleeps next to the fermenter to keep an eye on things," Diane quips. Secondary fermentation and aging, also in stainless steel tanks, takes two months. The result is an appealing, light, dryish mead that serves as an alternative to wine or beer with the main course and is not intended to be a dessert wine.

Bernard and Diane anticipate producing 10,000 750ml bottles of mead by the time L'Abeille Honey Winery concludes its first year of operation in October. Although L'Abeille Natural Mead is the meadery's only product to date, the meadmakers have shown a penchant for experimentation at their Beebe, Quebec, winery and anticipate offering two new L'Abeille products by year's end. A semi-dry raspberry mead should be making its way onto northern Vermont retails shelves in late July, just as this issue of Yankee Brew News goes to press. Bernard also promises a sweeter, oak-aged dessert mead, slated for winter release.

For now, L'Abeille Honey Winery's Natural Mead can be found in retail outlets throughout northern Vermont for $8.95 per bottle. It can also be purchased at the Stowe winery, which is open seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tours are readily available and the winery also boasts a nice retail shop that offers honey-related products. Tour buses arewelcome, as are casual visitors on summer hikes, fall foliage treks, ski trips, or mud season rambles. To learn more about L'Abeille Honey Winery and its meads, give Diane and Bernard a call at (802) 253-2929.