What is the difference between mead and honey wine?

What is the difference between mead and honey wine

February 10, 2024
Clear Skies Meadery

If you have a good sense of flavors and taste, making a distinction between two different foods or beverages becomes possible. For many, the taste of honey wine and mead might be similar, but there is a slight difference. If you buy honey wine, there are chances that they do have meads too. There are minimal breweries producing mead, and this is due to the pain behind understanding the fermentation process and what makes it different.

Here is the difference,

Alcohol Presence

Usually, mead contains a minor amount of alcohol. It is the oldest alcoholic drink fermented with honey, yeast, and water. On the other hand, honey wine is described as mead when it is fermented to a specific alcoholic strength. This is known only after you consider the tastes of these beverages.

Tastes and Flavors

To speak about the taste and flavors, the meads have a wide range of flavors from sweet to semi-sweet to dry. This often depends on the ingredients that are added, such as fruits or spices. When it comes to honey wine, it often has a consistent wine-like taste.

Fermentation Process

In both cases, fermentation is the key. The yeast in these beverages is responsible for converting honey’s natural sugar into alcohol. The period it takes to ferment plays a crucial role, and this defines the thin line between honey wine and mead.

Mead is a broader category that encompasses various styles and sweetness levels. Honey wine is a subset of mead, referring to meads that are typically refined and may have characteristics similar to grape wine. The terms are often used interchangeably, and the distinction can vary depending on the region and the specific characteristics of the beverage. If you want to understand this difference search for buy wine online, and you might get the chance to taste both mead and honey wine. Besides, if you’re looking to indulge in the meads, you can try the authentic fall flavors at Clear Skies Meadery.