1 North
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.
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| sign out front of Heidrun Meadery in Point Reyes, California |
Hie thee to the Heidrun Meadery
for a delightful respite.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.”
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| 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.
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| farmscape at Heidrun Meadery in Point Reyes, California |
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| bee boxes at Heidrun Meadery in Point Reyes, California |
One tasting flight fee is waived with each three-bottle purchase, and one tour fee is waived with each four-bottle purchase.
More things to do on Highway 1 and in the Point Reyes area.
More ideas for exploring Northern California.
images and videos ©2023 Carole Terwilliger Meyers
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