New Jersey: Somerville Meadery Middlemist Launches Morning Coffee Service to Become All-Day Gathering Space

From communitynews.org

Middlemist Honey Wine & Cider, Somerset County's first meadery, has added a full-service coffee program to its downtown Somerville taproom, expanding operations to reach customers from morning through evening.

The business, located at 30 East Main St., first opened on April 18 and introduced coffee service last week after receiving municipal approval to begin operating earlier in the day. The venue now opens at 7 a.m.

Owner Ilija Melentijevic told Patch that the addition reflects the business's original intent for the space: to function as a community third space rather than purely an evening destination.

The coffee program allows Middlemist to serve guests who do not drink alcohol and to create a daytime atmosphere suited to remote work, casual meetups, and social gatherings. The taproom holds up to 130 people.

A Coffee Menu Rooted in Honey

Somerville native Seth Jay-Choynake is leading the coffee program. According to TAPinto Somerville, he began his coffee career in 2015 at the former Dragonfly Café on Main Street, later working at Starbucks in Bedminster and Ambee Coffee in Warren.

He connected with the Middlemist owners on the taproom's first public day, and three months later took charge of all non-alcoholic beverages.

Choynake sources beans from regional roasteries and incorporates Middlemist's own local honey into signature drinks.

Current offerings include espresso drinks, drip coffee, cold brew, cappuccinos, specialty lattes, loose-leaf teas, honey sodas, and fresh-squeezed lemonades. Two standout items are a Honey Nut Latte and a Honey Cinnamon Churro Latte.

Honey-inspired foams are also available, with additional varietal honey options planned. Espresso drinks are prepared on a Nuova Simonelli three-head espresso machine imported from Italy through a local supplier.

Coffee flights featuring signature lattes and fall seasonal flavours are coming soon, TAPinto reported.

Daytime Events and Private Bookings

The earlier hours open the door to a broader event calendar. Middlemist is planning daytime programming such as open mics, mahjong, and pilates sessions alongside its existing lineup of trivia nights, live music, workshops, and social gatherings.

The venue is also available for private bookings beginning at 7 a.m.

Melentijevic told Patch he wants Middlemist to feel like a whole-day hangout rather than a space that only activates in the evening.

As covered in a prior report on Somerset County's growing small-business scene — Mother and Daughter Expand Mercer County Restaurant Presence With New Sandwich Shop, independent operators across central New Jersey have been building community-centred concepts into their expansions.

A Natural Extension of the Mead Brand

Melentijevic described the coffee launch as an evolution of what Middlemist already does rather than a departure from it.

He told TAPinto that the business has always aimed to make great gathering spaces available throughout the day, and that sourcing exceptional ingredients for coffee fits the same standard applied to the meadery's honey wine and cider production.

As morning coffee hours wind down, the space transitions into the mead tasting room that has drawn enthusiasts from across central New Jersey.

https://communitynews.org/sections/articles/somerville-meadery-middlemist-launches-morning-coffee/ 

UK: How traditional mead is being modernised in East Devon

From greatbritishlife.co.uk

An East Devon winery is breathing new life into history’s oldest drink, blending honey, heritage and craft for a modern palate

Lyme Bay Winery’s managing director Wolfgang Sieg-Hogg is reflecting on how this historic honeyed drink has found a modern home in Devon and why mead is enjoying a remarkable renaissance.

‘Lyme Bay Winery began back in 1991,’ he says. ‘What started as a small, passionate team making cider and fruit wines has grown into a winery producing award-winning English wines, meads, fruit wines and liqueurs. From the beginning, everything we’ve done has been driven by people who genuinely care about flavour, craftsmanship and doing things properly.’

                                                 You can visit the winery near Shute Barton. (Image: Lyme Bay Winery)

Mead entered the picture in the early 2000s, long before it became fashionable. ‘It felt like the perfect blend of tradition and craftsmanship,’ says Wolfgang. ‘We saw an opportunity to revive something truly British, but to do it with care and respect. Mead is part history, part creativity. We didn’t want to recreate a museum piece, we wanted to make it beautifully balanced and suited to modern drinking tastes.’

This philosophy has shaped the evolution of Lyme Bay’s mead range. What began with traditional styles gradually expanded into fruit-led, botanical and spiced expressions and more recently, sparkling meads. 

‘The journey has been slow and thoughtful,’ he says. ‘Each new style came from curiosity and a desire to create something delicious and genuinely well made. Honey has extraordinary character, it deserves to shine.’

                     Mead 'feels familiar, yet completely different' says Wolfgang Sieg-Hogg. (Image: Lyme Bay Winery)

Today, the winery crafts on average 1,559 bottles per day and sells more than 311,914 bottles annually, exporting as far afield as Finland and Canada. Around 35 people are employed at its Devon winery where modern production techniques sit comfortably alongside age-old traditions. Despite becoming the UK’s largest producer, Wolfgang insists scale was never the goal.

‘We never set out with that ambition. Our focus has always been simple, to craft great-tasting products, make them with integrity and to keep improving each year. The real moment of pride wasn’t about size, it was when customers came back for another bottle, told friends about us, or wrote to say how much they enjoyed our meads. Leadership in the category happened naturally because people appreciated the care behind every bottle.’

At the heart of that care lies a deceptively simple process.

‘We take water and honey. Using a blend of honeys gives us our unique flavour profile; we then ferment the water and honey with yeast.

‘But managing fermentation is delicate. Temperature and yeast nutrition must be carefully controlled. If fermentation goes too fast, the yeast becomes overactive and exhausts itself, if it’s too cold, it struggles. We keep everything at just the right temperature so that, in about four weeks, the mead is ready to be racked off.’

Further stages, including filtering and maturation, follow before bottling. Some styles take months to reach their full depth and smoothness. ‘Honey is a living ingredient,’ he adds. ‘It changes with the flowers, the seasons and the bees themselves. Working with something so variable means constant tasting, adjusting and blending. Consistency requires patience and a deep understanding of the ingredient.’

The result is a drink far more diverse than many expect.

                                                                                                        (Image: Nick Hook)

Wolfgang says: ‘Honey is always at the heart, but mead’s flavour spectrum is wide. It can be floral, fruity, warming, citrusy or gently spiced. Traditional Mead is silky and floral, while fruit styles burst with freshness and colour.’

Traditional Mead remains Lyme Bay’s biggest seller, but fruit expressions are becoming increasingly popular. New ways to serve mead are also being discovered and a favourite serve at the winery is a mead spritz, chilled mead topped with soda water, ice and a garnish of lime or rosemary. It is light, aromatic and perfect for summer.

Versatility is central to mead’s resurgence. Consumers are increasingly seeking drinks with authenticity, provenance and character, qualities mead naturally possesses in abundance.

‘It feels familiar, yet completely different,’ Wolfgang reflects. ‘There’s warmth and richness from the honey, but also freshness and vibrancy depending on the style.’

The winery is also reaching new audiences with a new contemporary canned mead range. At 3.5% ABV and sold in single serve ready-to-drink cans, the collection sheds medieval imagery in favour of adventurous younger drinkers discovering mead for the first time.

The fun new sparkling mead flavours include Raspberry Lemonade and Strawberry & Elderflower. ‘It’s about showing that mead isn’t stuck in the past,’ says Wolfgang. ‘It can be fresh, sociable and easy to enjoy.’

Growing mainstream recognition supports Wolfgang’s mission. The winery’s meads are now stocked by Majestic Wine. ‘Seeing our Traditional Mead on Majestic’s shelves and online is a proud moment for the team and a major step forward for the category, it brings it firmly into the mainstream.’

‘If you enjoy wine, cider or cocktails, mead will feel both familiar and excitingly different,’ he says. ‘It’s a drink with depth, story and character, and you might just discover a new favourite.’

His advice for celebrating at home is simple: keep it relaxed and sociable. ‘Chill a bottle, pair it with a cheeseboard, try a mead spritz, or explore a couple of styles side by side and simply enjoy.’

                                                    Lyme Bay has a new range of sparkling meads. (Image: Nick Hook)

Cheers to mead

Lyme Bay Winery produces the UK’s widest range of meads, from silky Traditional Mead to vibrant fruit favourites such as Black Cherry and Rhubarb.

Try a refreshing mead spritz, chilled mead poured over ice, topped with soda water and finished with a slice of lime or sprig of rosemary.

Mead pairs beautifully with food, especially cheese. Fruit meads complement creamy brie, while spiced or chilli meads stand up beautifully to bold cheddars and blue cheeses. Traditional Mead pairs well with charcuterie or desserts, as honey’s natural sweetness balances richness, salt and spice.

New to mead? Start with a fruit-led style served chilled like a white wine, or, their new sparkling meads are also a great entry to mead.

Apricot & Garden Mead sorbet

                                                                                                   (Image: Lyme Bay Winery)

Preparation time:

15 minutes

(plus chilling and freezing)

Serves: 6–8

Ingredients

400g ripe apricots (frozen works well), stones removed and roughly chopped

170ml Lyme Bay Garden Mead

50ml water

120g caster sugar

1tbsp honey

1tbsp lemon juice

A small handful of fresh mint leaves, to garnish

Method

Place the apricots, water, sugar and honey into a saucepan and bring gently to a simmer.

Cook for around 8–10 minutes until the fruit has softened completely and started to break down.

Remove the saucepan from the heat and leave the mixture to infuse for about 10 minutes.

Blend the mixture until it is completely smooth, then pass it through a sieve if you would like a finer texture.

Stir in the Lyme Bay Garden Mead and lemon juice, then pour the mixture into a shallow container and freeze, stirring vigorously every 30–45 minutes for a few hours to break up ice crystals until smooth.

Use an ice-cream scoop to pull a neat ball and serve with a few mint sprigs.

A golden sorbet that balances apricot sweetness with the delicate, floral character of Lyme Bay Garden Mead. With gentle honeyed notes and a subtle herbal lift, this refreshing dessert is handy to keep in the freezer and pull out on warm days.

https://www.greatbritishlife.co.uk/magazines/devon/26291193.traditional-mead-modernised-east-devon/

Loew Vineyards Releases Maryland’s First Star-K Certified Honey Wine

From vinnews.com

MOUNT AIRY, MARYLAND (VINnews)-Loew Vineyards has released Mechaya, the first Star-K certified honey wine produced in Maryland. 

The Mount Airy winery, located at 14001 Liberty Road in Frederick County, began offering the wine after a release event held Sunday, Aug. 9. Mechaya is a cyser, a traditional mead fermented with local apple cider blended with wildflower and clover honey. It is fermented dry, producing a bright, citrusy wine with acidity rather than residual sweetness.

Rachel Loew Lipman, the fifth-generation winemaker who operates the winery with her partner Sam, developed Mechaya as a revival of a family tradition interrupted by the Holocaust. The Löw family produced honey wine in Galicia, first in Bursztyn and later in Lemberg (now Lviv), shipping it across Europe until the war ended the business. Decades later, Holocaust survivor Bill Loew and his wife Lois purchased 37 acres on Liberty Road and began planting in 1982.

The new label incorporates elements of an original Löw family bottle label from 1870. Lipman reconstructed production methods based on surviving family records and artefacts.

Unlike conventional grape wines, honey requires dilution, yeast nutrient additions and acid adjustment because it provides little beyond sugar. Fermentation proceeds slowly and cool to preserve delicate floral aromatics. The resulting dry style pairs with gefilte fish, roast chicken, apple-based dishes, goat cheese and salads with fruit and nuts. The winery recommends serving it well chilled as an aperitif.

Loew Vineyards also released this year’s honey harvested from the property. Both the wine and honey are available for online order and in the tasting room. Traditionalists typically reserve non-grape wines for uses other than Kiddush, such as Havdalah.

The winery continues to offer a range of grape wines under different certifications. Mechaya can be ordered at bit.ly/star-kmechaya. Reservations for tastings are available through the winery.

https://vinnews.com/2026/08/16/661655/

What Real Vikings Drank When They Wanted Something Stronger Than Beer

From thetakeout.com

We've been thinking about Vikings more than usual this summer. It would be rude not to after that pre-World Cup team Norway photo shoot. They went to a lot of trouble! There were boats and everything. Anyway, as it turns out the Vikings are kind of relatable, at least culinarily. They ate flatbread, pancakes, and sausages; and they liked a glass of beer or mead (an alcoholic drink made from honey). When they really wanted to tie one on, though, Vikings drank fruit wine. 

The ancient people of Scandinavia turned to fruit wine when they wanted to party because they hadn't yet worked out the secrets of distilling spirits. Honestly, given all the pillaging they did, it's probably a good thing Sweden didn't become a world leader in vodka until much later. Back in the Viking age, the strongest drinks the Northerners could get their hands on were around the same alcohol percentage as the grape-based wines we know and love today.  

Lorado/Getty Images

This makes sense, as technically grapes are fruit too. The term fruit wine, however, usually refers to fermented drinks made of other ingredients. Many societies brewed fruit wine, and some still do. This kind of drink allows you to utilize whatever grows abundantly around you, meaning it's highly versatile. Roughly 1,000 years ago in Northern Europe, Viking booze makers would use apples, cherries, pears, and wild berries; including sloe, lingonberries, and cloud berries. Usually, fruit wine was enjoyed at feasts and was typically only affordable for wealthier Vikings and their guests.

Fruit wine is still popular today

The Vikings were onto something with fruit wine, as in many places these regionally-specific beverages are still important today, particularly in colder climates where grapes don't grow abundantly. Both the popularity and production of these wines have been growing in recent years. Countries that export fruit wine include the Netherlands, Denmark, Poland, Bulgaria, Hungary, and Serbia, but you can also find berry and cherry wines being produced in the Eastern United States.

                                       barmalini/Shutterstock

You may not think of hard cider and its pear-based cousin, perry, as fruit wine, but they do fall under the umbrella since they're fermented in the same way. Particularly beloved in England and Northern France, perry ranges from 5% to 9% alcohol by volume and cider is about the same. These drinks bear almost no resemblance to the fizzy, beer-like Busch Light Apple. Instead, they're often tannin-heavy in the mouth, lightly carbonated, and closer to a complex wine in their flavour profile.

Overall, most non-grape fruit wines retain the flavour of the ingredients they're made from, and the biggest challenge when making them is balancing the sweetness and acidity to create a pleasantly dry wine. Beyond this, they're pretty simple to make yourself, particularly if you have fermentation experience. If you want to drink like a Viking, why not put down the beer and try your hand at a DIY plum wine or cider? If that's not your bag, you can probably just wait. The increased interest in these alternative wines means you could see them on a shelf near you soon enough.

https://www.thetakeout.com/2225602/viking-fruit-wine-explained/

Texas Mead & Music Festival to Make North Texas Debut Sept. 19 at Scarborough Faire

From natlawreview.com

DALLAS, TX, UNITED STATES, August 3, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Before beer was brewed and before wine became the drink of kings, there was mead.

Crafted by fermenting honey with water and yeast, mead is considered the world's oldest alcoholic beverage. Enjoyed by ancient civilizations, celebrated during medieval feasts and forever linked with Renaissance history and folklore, mead is now one of the fastest-growing craft beverage categories as adventurous drinkers rediscover its rich history, remarkable versatility and modern appeal.

That growing interest comes to North Texas for the first time from 1 to 7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 19, as the Texas Mead & Music Festival makes its North Texas debut at Scarborough Faire in Waxahachie. Tickets are on sale now. A portion of proceeds benefits the Texas Mead Association, supporting education, collaboration and the continued growth of mead making across the state.

Produced by Southwest Festivals, creators of the nationally recognized Scarborough Renaissance Festival and Scarborough's Hollow Fall Fantasy Festival, the one-day celebration features award-winning Texas meads, live music on five stages, artisan shopping, educational presentations and several of Scarborough's Hollow's signature attractions.

"There is no better place to celebrate mead than Scarborough Faire," said Veronica Castelo, general manager of Southwest Festivals. "For decades, guests have associated our Renaissance Festival with mead, history and craftsmanship. The Texas Mead & Music Festival builds on that tradition while introducing visitors to today's incredible Texas mead makers."

                                                                                         Photo courtesy of Southwest Festivals

A FESTIVAL WORTH THE DRIVE

Located just 30 miles south of Dallas, the festival offers far more than a tasting event. Guests can:

Sample handcrafted meads from 13 award-winning Texas meaderies.
Meet the meadmakers behind one of Texas' fastest-growing craft beverage industries.
Enjoy Texas Country and Red Dirt performances on five stages.
Learn from experienced meadmakers and beekeepers during educational presentations.
Shop artisan vendors offering handcrafted goods, specialty foods and unique gifts.
Experience Scarborough's Hollow attractions, including Blackthorn Haunted Castle, Trickster's 3D Fun House and the Secrets of Rottingwood Cemetery Scavenger Hunt.

WHAT EXACTLY IS MEAD?

Made by fermenting honey with water and yeast, mead predates both beer and grape wine by thousands of years. While often called "honey wine," it stands in a category all its own. Depending on the honey and ingredients used, meads can range from crisp and dry to rich and sweet, still or sparkling, appealing to wine lovers, craft beer enthusiasts, bourbon aficionados and adventurous food lovers alike.

Texas honey gives every mead its own distinctive character. From Hill Country wildflowers and East Texas forests to mesquite blooms across the plains, the floral source of the honey shapes each mead's aroma and flavor.

MEET THE MAKERS

The festival showcases 13 Texas meaderies representing communities across North, Central and East Texas, including Dancing Bee Winery, Rohan Meadery at Blissful Folly Farm, Breaking Brew Meadery, Fox & Raven Mead, Texas Longhouse Meadery, Valkyrie's Kiss Mead, Bee Immortal Mead, Curmudgeons Mead, Bee & Brew, RenMead, Vinland Meads, Thorin's Mead and Lonestar Meadery.

"People are often surprised by mead," said Carlos Herrera, president of the Texas Mead Association and owner and meadmaker at Texas Longhouse Meadery in Wylie. "It's incredibly diverse, and there's truly something for every palate. The Texas Mead & Music Festival lets people explore meads from across the state, meet the makers and experience firsthand why this ancient beverage is enjoying such a remarkable revival."

LEARN FROM THE EXPERTS

Admission includes Mead Education presentations throughout the day in the Harvest Garden. Guests can learn how honey becomes mead, discover the vital role of honey bees in agriculture, explore mead's journey from ancient civilizations to today's thriving craft beverage movement and, for VIP guests, learn the basics of home mead making.

FIVE STAGES OF TEXAS MUSIC

Five stages of live entertainment will showcase Texas Country, Red Dirt and Americana artists, including Kin Faux, Don Louis, Ronnie and The Redwoods, Henry Merchant, Matt Hillyer and many more.

TICKETS

Tickets are available at TXMeadFest.com.

Adult General Admission (21+) | $38.50 plus tax includes one-day admission, six mead samples, a commemorative tasting cup, parking, live music, educational presentations, artisan vendors and festival activities.

General Admission (Ages 5-20) | $11 plus tax. Children 4 and younger are admitted free.

Adult VIP Admission (21+) | $55 plus tax includes noon entry, a dedicated entrance, 12 mead samples, a commemorative tasting cup and access to Blackthorn Haunted Castle, Trickster's 3D Fun House and the Secrets of Rottingwood Cemetery Scavenger Hunt.

VIP Admission (Ages 5-20) | $22 plus tax includes early admission and premium attraction access. Children 4 and younger are admitted free.

Optional add-ons include Blackthorn Haunted Castle, Trickster's 3D Fun House, the Secrets of Rottingwood Cemetery Scavenger Hunt and Reserved Premium Parking.

Complete schedules, ticket information and festival details are available at TXMeadFest.com.

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https://natlawreview.com/press-releases/texas-mead-music-festival-make-north-texas-debut-sept-19-scarborough-faire

 

Welsh mead maker secures funding to boost production and expand product range

From nation.cymru

A Welsh producer of one of the world’s oldest alcoholic drinks is set to expand its business after securing fresh investment to increase production and develop new products.

Wrexham-based Stone Circle Mead has received a £30,000 loan from the Development Bank of Wales’ Wales Flexible Investment Fund to invest in brewing equipment, label-printing machinery and a laboratory at its meadery. 

The family-run business, founded by husband-and-wife team Tony and Beth Cornish, produces traditional and flavoured meads using Welsh honey alongside locally grown and foraged fruit, flowers and herbs.

The latest funding will be used to buy bespoke fermentation and maturation tanks, increasing production capacity from 220-litre vessels to tanks capable of holding up to 1,500 litres.

The expansion will allow the company to increase stock levels, meet growing customer demand and launch a new range of products, including honey ale, beer and cider. The business also plans to create a dedicated herb garden to supply ingredients for future production.

The investment follows an earlier £23,000 loan from the Development Bank of Wales at the end of 2025, which helped the company boost production.

Stone Circle Mead’s products are stocked by a number of high-profile customers, including the Senedd, the House of Commons, the National Trust and Chester Cathedral. The company also runs a shop and tasting tours from its production site.

Tony Cornish, co-owner of Stone Circle Mead, said demand for the company’s products continued to grow.

“We’ve reached the point where we need additional production capacity to expand and take the business to the next level,” he said.

“The new equipment will allow us to increase production, develop new products and explore new routes to market.

“One of the things that sets us apart is our focus on creating authentic mead using ingredients that reflect the landscape around us. Many of our fruits, flowers and herbs are foraged locally or grown by ourselves, and we’re excited to build on that approach with new recipes and flavours inspired by historic mead-making traditions.”

Malcolm Green (L) Banc Datblygu Cymru; Anthony Cornish, Stone Circle Mead Company.  Photo Ian Cooper/Ian Cooper Photography

Growth

Malcolm Green, an investment officer with the Development Bank of Wales, said Stone Circle Mead had already demonstrated how investment could help drive growth.

“Stone Circle Mead is a distinctive Welsh producer with a strong story, a loyal customer base and clear plans for growth,” he said.

“This latest funding will help Tony and Beth expand production, strengthen their product offering and reach new customers, while continuing to promote a traditional craft with strong roots in north Wales.”

https://nation.cymru/news/welsh-mead-maker-secures-funding-to-boost-production-and-expand-product-range/

'Game of Thrones stuff': South Australia vineyard Maxwell Wines harnesses ancient method to produce drops worthy of a Viking raider

From skynews.com.au

An ancient beverage guzzled by the Vikings more than 1,000 years ago has been brought to life in a variety of flavours by a humble South Australian McLaren Vale winemaker 

Mark Maxwell thanks drunken Vikings for setting his family winery in South Australia on the road to prosperity.

The Vikings couldn’t get enough of their “nectar of the gods”, the honey wine they quaffed before heading into battle.

It wasn’t wine at all, of course, but the alcoholic fermented honey drink known as mead.

Intrigued by the stories he read about the Viking's love of mead, Mark’s father Ken Maxwell, a McLaren Vale farmer, began experimenting with different honeys and different yeasts to produce his own.

He sold his first bottle in 1966. The profits helped underpin the Maxwells' move into wine grape production.

Mark Maxwell expanded the business in 1987 buying vineyards and building a winery, cellar door and an award-winning restaurant in cream-coloured sandstone blocks.

He designed it with large windows to capture the views.

                                                                                McLaren Vale vintner Mark Maxwell. Picture: Supplied

“Making and selling natural mead in four varieties is still an integral part of our business,” Mr Maxwell, 73, said.

“Having goblets of mead is Game of Thrones stuff. No wonder the Vikings liked it.”

He makes the traditional honey mead with golden hues and with sweet floral beeswax and nutty and marmalade characters.

He added to his mead repertoire by creating a mulled mead with cinnamon and cloves.

“We then evolved that one into another mead where we added brandy and more spices and put it into oak barrels to make a liqueur mead with 20 per cent alcohol,” Mr Maxwell said.

“And we have just released a fourth mead containing ginger from Buderim in Queensland. We fermented that with honey to make a sparking mead in a can.

"It’s an easy summer drink with five per cent alcohol.”

                                                                                                                        Sparkling mead

Maxwell Wines benefit from a cooling maritime influence with some vineyards just 15km from the sea.

Maxwell Lime Cave Cabernet Sauvignon 2023 has aromas of red currant and cassis with flashes of “cigar box” and herbal aromatics.

There is more cassis on the palate enlivened with cedar and spice.

The fruit was harvested from a vineyard that sits atop limestone cave dug in 1916 to grow mushrooms.

Maxwell Four Roads Grenache has spicy raspberry and floral aromas with hints of pomegranate.

It has vibrant red fruit flavours with raspberry and cherry and savoury undertones.

There are rich blackberry and dark cherry fruit flavours in Maxwell Silver Hammer Shiraz 2023, an attractive and complex wine with a gentle natural acidity.

Maxwell Wines offers a decent set of whites. I especially enjoyed tasting the Maxwell Estate Fiano 2025 a creamy, textural wine with waxy apple flavours with hints of honey and pears

Travellers' tips

Maxwell Winery at 19 Olivers Rd, McLaren Vale, is 39km south of Adelaide.

Under the guidance of chef Fabian Lehmann, Maxwell Restaurant was last year named South Australian restaurant of the year.

He offers a tasting menu with up to 14 courses including oysters and caviar, chicken, squid, marron, wagyu beef and venison.

                                                                     Award-winning chef Fabian Lehmann. Picture: Supplied

There is a less formal tapas-style snacks menu in the winery tasting room.

The winery also offers a 30-minute helicopter tour of McLaren Vale across the vineyards with spectacular views of the cliffs, the ocean and the white sandy beaches.

The deal includes lunch.

https://www.skynews.com.au/lifestyle/travel/game-of-thrones-stuff-south-australia-vineyard-maxwell-wines-harnesses-ancient-method-to-produce-drops-worthy-of-a-viking-raider/news-story/00255f7cf138160744718031818b7813?amp&nk=ad3e7d747ce0a1015da4ab79fe8663b7-1785053155