Discover the origins of mead at Cape Town Meadery

From capetownetc.com

Did you know that the world’s oldest fermented beverage, mead, originated in Southern Africa, long before the Vikings brewed it?

The Khoi San discovered mead and even fermented it twice as fast as their European counterparts. Today, Cape Town Meadery is bringing this ancient African beverage back to the forefront, with a modern twist.

At Cape Town Meadery, you can taste and learn about the history of mead. Dr Ernst Thompson, the meadmaker, shares his knowledge and passion for mead during the tastings, which last around two hours. With limited group sizes, the experience feels intimate and personal.

The meads offered at Cape Town Meadery vary from the traditional to the unconventional, including sparkling mead, mead gin and even mead lager.

During the tasting, you’ll sample 10 different types of mead, including the Melaurea Mead Methode Traditionnelle, which is a sparkling mead with delicate bubbles and a dry taste, and the Braggot Lager, which is perfect for beer lovers. 

Cape Town Meadery uses organic Zambian honey in their production, supporting small rural communities and protecting natural forests and woodlands.

The mead also has a much lower carbon footprint than other alcoholic beverages, using only 5L of water to make 1L of mead compared to 1740L of water used to make 1L of gin.

Make a booking via Quicket to visit Cape Town Meadery and taste the variety of meads on offer. The limited tastings are currently available every second Saturday until 24 June. You can also purchase mead through their website.

Next time you’re looking for a unique and educational tasting experience, head to Cape Town Meadery and discover the history of mead while enjoying this ancient African beverage with a modern twist.

Details:

• Location: Unit 27, The Old Timber Yard, 7th Avenue, Maitland
• Opening times: Monday to Friday 9am to 3pm
• Website: capetownmeadery.com
• Book a tasting: Here
• Cost: R120 per person

https://www.capetownetc.com/cape-town/made-in-cape-town/discover-the-origins-of-mead-at-cape-town-meadery/

Mead We Say More: The Entrepreneurs Promoting The Real African Drink

From forbesafrica.com 

Producing and retailing mead, Ernst Thompson and Robert Bernatzeder aim to establish it as a mainstream alcoholic beverage in African society and tell its story on the continent

MEAD IS THE FIRST ALCOHOLIC DRINK connected to humans and is thought to have originated in Africa some 20,000 years ago, but along with the Vikings and other medieval marauders has largely been surpassed by modern equivalents. That is until now.

Made from fermented honey, mead is growing in popularity again thanks in a large part to the television series Game of Thrones and the throngs of its followers who lap up every detail of the show to replicate in their daily lives.

“Many people in South Africa don’t know what mead is, despite the fact it is a real African drink,” Dr Ernst Thompson, owner of Cape Town Meadery, tells FORBES AFRICA.

“It is massive in the United States. Popular culture has commercialized it there over the last 10 or 12 years and it is the fastest-growing alcoholic sector.”

In South Africa, mead was a way for the Khoisan people to ‘speak to the Gods’ and is known as iQhilika in the country’s Eastern Cape province, where it remains a popular drink with cultural significance.

But it is a tiny market in what is a huge beverage industry in the country, something Thompson is hoping to change having partnered with brother-in-law and fellow entrepreneur Robert Bernatzeder.

Their meadery, the only one of its kind in South Africa, bottles traditional products, as well as mead-based sparkling wines and beers.

“The beauty of the technology we use is that it was developed in South Africa and based on indigenous knowledge,” Thompson says.

He admits it can be a tough sell to get people to switch from traditional wines to mead products, especially if there are preconceived ideas that it is too sweet, but says those who taste it are very pleasantly surprised.

“Liquid on lips is key to get people to try the product and it is great to see the reaction we get at tastings, which are key for us in educating the market about mead. The only real difference is that the alcohol is not produced from the sugar in grapes, but rather sugar in honey.”

Their champagne-style product is “proper bubbles” according to Thompson, and a variety of it is exported under licence to the United Kingdom and Germany as the Van Hunks brand.

“We are the only people in the world who really do this [create mead-based sparkling wine] and we are able to do it because of the technology we have developed,” he says.

“I have got a PhD in Nutritional Physiology, I love biotech and fermentation. My previous business, Beonics, was based on creating natural antibiotics from propolis, which is also from bees.”

I have learned a lot, but it has been expensive lessons. Now I can focus on what I am good at,” Thompson says.

Bernatzeder has vast experience in entrepreneurship having started his first business at the age of 19, and currently has interests in tourism, software development, an accounting company, food production, distribution and IT.

“The meadery got to the point where it was starting to take off and that is the stage where most businesses run out of money and resources. It was a critical point to get involved and add expertise,” Bernatzeder says.

“Educating the market is the biggest hurdle we face. We need to tell the story of mead in Africa. The ability to scale production is also something we need to figure out.”

They are assessing the viability of opening a meadery in Zambia, one of the biggest producers of honey in the world and from where they source their raw materials.

But they want to do it in a sustainable manner that uplifts communities and gives individual beekeepers in the country the opportunity to earn more for their honey.

“A huge opportunity is to set up meaderies in other countries and to build communities around that. Incentivize beekeeping to create jobs, make mead and sell it into the tourism sector,” Bernatzeder says.

Thompson firmly believes that mead has a place as a mainstream beverage in African society, especially as it originated on this continent.

“If you come to Africa, you should have mead, this is our culture, our drink,” he says.

“Mead is also one of things that gets better over time. If you buy a bottle and leave it for 20 years, it will be much nicer.”

https://www.forbesafrica.com/contrarian/2022/08/31/mead-we-say-more-entrepreneurs-going-above-and-beyond/

South African mead from Van Hunks is coming to UK and Europe

From thedrinksreport.com

South African drinks producer Van Hunks is launching two of its all-natural meads into the UK and European market.

The producer's Brut Sparkling Mead and Brut Rosé Sparkling Mead will be hitting shelves across Europe this month.

Van Hunks is one of few companies in the world to have successfully launched a bottle-fermented mead, positioning its products as an alternative to sugary-sweet drinks for more mature palates. 

The first two Van Hunks expressions are a white and rosé sparkling mead fermented with hibiscus. They are produced using honey from honeybees that feast on Fynbos wildflowers. Van Hunks uses a patented dry fermentation process to ferment the honey, which results in a completely dry base mead, and does not use artificial flavourings or added sugar.

Made at a distillery in the shadow of Table Mountain, the small-batch sparkling mead is inspired by the legend of keen adventurer Van Hunks, who would tour the Fynbos region, and aims to celebrate the natural splendour of Cape Town and its surroundings. 

Tom Gamborg, founder of Van Hunks and Skäl Drinks, said: "Our vision is to bring the energy, excitement and intrigue from the spirits world and use it to refresh a tired sparkling category. We have focused on the beauty of our products and brand story to change how consumers view mead, and plan to do what prosecco did to sparkling wine, with no sugar and our authentic craft credentials."

Matt Krone, master wine maker and co-founder of Van Hunks, added: "Mead is an all-natural untapped product that has huge potential for growth. The next generation of consumers is looking for healthier products containing less sugar; this means the time for mead is now."

https://www.thedrinksreport.com/news/2020/18082-south-african-mead-from-van-hunks-coming-to-uk-and-europe.html