Drinking mead is a tradition that goes back centuries; from the Vikings in Europe to the Khoisan in Africa. This mythical brew encompasses history, passion and symbolism. It’s also a particularly tasty drink that goes well with cheese, duck and spicy dishes. Now, once again, it’s being made locally. Words, Malu Lambert 

“Mead is the oldest alcohol product in the world,” says Hilko Hegewisch winemaker of Solms Delta. “It’s a traditional African drink.” We’re sitting high up in the Franschhoek valley in the tasting room of another Franschhoek estate, Haut Espoir. Managing director of the farm, Rob Armstrong, is also there. On the table in front of us is an array of glass bottles filled with the golden liquid.

“There is a theory about how mead was discovered,” says Rob. “It’s thought that when rain fell onto a beehive, the honey-water mixture would drip down into a tree hollow and ferment. The Khoisan would then scoop out the brew with a calabash.”

“The Khoisan name for mead is karri,” adds Hilko, “named after the karri tree it fermented in.” Hilko calls his brew Karri too. Rob isn’t producing the drink commercially, but he does have his own hives.“It’s the most productive farming you can do,” he says. “The colonies do all the work. All you have to do is rob them of their honey.” (Harvesting honey from a hive is called robbing because you’re literally “robbing” the bees of the fruits of their labour.)

“When people think of mead, they imagine the dark, gooey, sweet stuff found in the UK. We make it as naturally as possible,” Hilko says, pouring a golden measure into our glasses. The aroma of honey is strong, but not sweet. And it tastes light, a little waxy with a fresh acidity on the finish. The alcohol level is ten percent. Diners frequenting the Fyndraai Restaurant on Solms Delta receive a glass of Karri as an aperitif. This resturant is well-known for its spicy and traditional Cape cuisine – a perfect pairing for the fermented honey beverage.

The health benefits of honey are widely reported. Bee propolis has been said to be good for everything from treating burns to increasing fertility. Legend has it that a Viking who had his arm chopped off would cover the wound in honey.

The word ‘honeymoon’ comes from mead. The bride’s father gave the groom a month’s supply of the drink on the couple’s wedding day. They had to drink it all during the first moon (month) of their marriage. That’s also where the tradition of kissing one’s wife started. You would kiss her on entering the house to check she hadn’t been drinking it on her own.

“Physical wellbeing aside, having a bee population on your farm is a healthy sign,” says Rob. “We rely on bees for 80 percent of the world’s food, so we need to look after them. In Japan the bees are pretty much wiped out. They have to pollinate plants by hand with a feather.”

More mead means more bees. Clearly, this is a good thing. But large-scale production of the fermented honey drink seems quite far off. Rob and Hilko only started making mead a year ago. They were inspired by fellow bee-lover, and mead-maker, Dr. Garth Cambry who runs Makana Meadery in Grahamstown.

Garth’s team is making a variety of flavoured meads. “There’s the Cape fig flavour,” he says. “It goes well with cheese. Then, there’s the chilli mead, which is drunk with spicy foods. It’s often difficult to find a wine to match hot food. Rieslings and viogniers are sometimes not up to the challenge. Mead, or Honey Sun as we call it, is refreshing and sweet at the same time. We also have a coffee mead – this goes beautifully with duck.”

Locally, Garth’s Honey Sun is mixed into innovative cocktails at Yellow Piano (the oldest building in Grahamstown) and served as a beverage at Henry Ate and Ginos Restaurant down the road.

Much of what they make at the Meadery is imported to Portland, Maine in America. There, the main market for the beverage is weddings. Just what you would expect from the ‘honeymoon’ drink.

For more information on where you can purchase Karri, call Solms Delta on 021- 874-3937. For, Honey Sun call the Makana Meadery on 046 636 1227.