点评:Last week a friend and I visited the Stone Circle Mead Company in Wrexham, for a mead tasting tour. We knew very little about mead… beyond vague thoughts of medieval banquets and questionable supermarket mead.
Then we met Tony.
Part historian, part storyteller, part scientist… and quite possibly the Willy Wonka of mead.
We learnt about mead being the oldest alcoholic drink in the world, stepped behind the scenes into where the magic happens and discovered that good things really do take time… around three years, in fact.
Three years of fermenting, experimenting and creating flavours that Tony and his family forage. Dandelion, chestnut, berry, elderflower… and pumpkin, which was deffo a favourite.
Glass bottles hand corked, hand wax sealed, stories of a missing panda head and the kind of evening where you leave having learnt something you never expected to.
Also, our Uber cancelled and between mead, panda mishaps and kindness, Tony ended up giving us a lift back to the hotel. Which feels very on brand for a family business that puts heart into everything it does.
Left somewhere between Medugal and Medudream.
If Charlie had a chocolate factory, Wrexham has the mead version.
Highly recommend.
P.s. Tony. There was never any chicken wings, only curly fries. The BBQ sauce remains uneaten.
翻译:上周,我和一位朋友去雷克瑟姆的巨石阵蜂蜜酒公司(Stone Circle Mead Company)参加了一次蜂蜜酒品鉴之旅。我们对蜂蜜酒知之甚少……除了对中世纪宴会和超市里那些品质参差不齐的蜂蜜酒的模糊印象之外,几乎一无所知。
然后,我们遇到了托尼。
他既是历史学家,又是故事讲述者,还是科学家……简直就是蜂蜜酒界的威利·旺卡。
我们了解到蜂蜜酒是世界上最古老的酒精饮料,并走进了幕后,亲眼见证了蜂蜜酒的酿造过程,发现美好的事物确实需要时间……事实上,大约需要三年。
三年时间里,托尼和他的家人不断发酵、试验和创造各种风味,这些风味都来自他们采集的野果。蒲公英、栗子、浆果、接骨木花……还有南瓜,南瓜绝对是最受欢迎的。
玻璃瓶手工塞上软木塞,手工蜡封,还有关于丢失熊猫头的故事,以及那种让你在离开时学到意想不到知识的夜晚。
另外,我们的优步取消了,在蜂蜜酒、熊猫意外和托尼的善意交织下,托尼最终开车送我们回了酒店。这很符合这家用心经营的家族企业的形象。
离开时,我们正身处麦杜加尔和麦杜德雷姆之间。
如果查理有巧克力工厂,那么雷克瑟姆就有蜂蜜酒版的巧克力工厂。
强烈推荐。
附:托尼,这里根本没有鸡翅,只有薯条。烧烤酱一口都没吃。