Heidrun Meadery

11925 Hwy. 1, just north of town, (415) 663-9122. Daily 11am-5pm. Tasting $25; reservations recommended. Tours F at 3:30pm; $45/person; by reservation.

sign out front of Heidrun Meadery in Point Reyes, California

Hie thee to the Heidrun Meadery for a delightful respite.

drive into Heidrun Meadery in Point Reyes, California

Located on the northern outskirts of town, down a leafy rural driveway, this meadery is named for a mythical Norse goat that produced mead instead of milk. Here mead is produced the more traditional way, making it from honey. Unusual, and in fact unique in the U.S., is that the meads here are all sparkling and made with traditional champagne-making methods. (The more traditional “tej” style of still mead is what you might have enjoyed in an Ethiopian restaurant.) Also unusual, this meadery was formerly a dairy farm, and now tasting occurs in the loafing barn where cows would rest before being milked.

exterior of tasting room at Heidrun Meadery
in Point Reyes, California

The process at Heidrun focuses on the unique aromas and flavors of each honey. Some of the meads are monofloral, featuring only one flower, while others are wildflower, featuring a mix of flowers. I particularly enjoyed a Hawaiian Lehua Blossom version, which is made from delicate pink flowers grown on Hawaii’s Big Island and arrives here as honey for processing. It is described by General Manager Michael Zilber as “fantastic with local raw oysters or sushi.” It had me at the pretty label. Another lovely label adorns the bottle holding mead made with Oregon blackberries from the Willamette Valley. These light wines are perfect for sipping on a summer day, be it warm or not.

tasting menu at Heidrun Meadery in Point Reyes, California

The aim at Heidrun is to be as minimalist as possible. No sulfites or tannins are added, and the wines are not meant to be aged. The motto here is “drink it young, drink it often.”

tasting pour at Heidrum Meadery in Point Reyes, California

tasting pour at Heidrun Meadery in Point Reyes, California

Bees can be seen at work on the adjacent pollinator farmscape, where 23 kinds of native wild flowers grow in a lovely mix and dozens of other pollinator-friendly plants are found. Visitors are invited to explore the grounds to view the wildflower fields and see the hives up-close. A weekly guided tour of the production facility includes learning how this unique sparkling mead is made. Participants observe honey bees in action and explore the bee foraging area, while also enjoying a tasting of the sparkling mead varietals. Once a month, a special flower-to-flute Bee Experienced event begins with suiting up in beekeeping outfits, hand-extracting honey from frames, and jarring honey to take home. I hear you can even “pet” a bee.