Mead

Mead

Rabbit’s Foot Meadery

painting of woman drinking a glass of wine with her two cats

Rabbit’s Foot Meadery produces award winning mead - honey wine, hard ciders and our famous braggot. Rabbit’s Foot recipes and methods have been perfected over a period of more than fifteen years and combine the latest in fermentation technology with historical recipes to create unique mead - honey wine in a style that is like no other. All of our mead, ciders, dessert mead and braggots-honey ales, are produced using the finest honey available without the addition of added sulfites.

We no longer operate a public tasting room. Please contact the meadery to arrange a private tasting and tour.
info@rabbitsfootmeadery.com
F: 1.408.940.5039

Heidrun Meadery

Grape Cluster - Pixabay

The Meadery was founded in 1997 in Arcata, California. In 2011, the meadery relocated to a farm in Point Reyes Station just across the Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco to develop its botanical and apicultural programs.

Beekman and Beekman

grapes - pixabay

Honey Wine (Mead) is the oldest alcoholic beverage, predating beer and grape wine. Beekman & Beekman Honey Wine is made with great care. We feel the purity of the nectar source in the honey used, is directly reflected in the depth or "soul" of the wine.

Chaucer's Cellars

people enjoying wine - by wine artist Agata

CHAUCER’S CELLARS, a division of BARGETTO WINERY, has been producing premium, award-winning meads for over 50 years.

Chaucer’s Mead is crafted from 100% natural honey. Their Raspberry Mead and Pomegranate Mead are blends of mead and a small portion of fruit wine. The Sparkling Mead is made from 100% organic honey, infused with orange and ginger essences.

This mead can be enjoyed chilled, as an accompaniment to various entrées and desserts, served with dried fruit, nuts, and cheeses, or used as an ingredient in mixed drinks. Visit the recipes and pairings page for ideas. Mead can be served chilled or mulled with the included spice packs, making it an excellent gift option.

Castorro Cellars

Logo for Castoro Cellars

Meet Niels and Bimmer Udsen, the dynamic husband-and-wife duo behind Cas­toro Cellars, a fun and inviting winery that has been making waves in Paso Robles since 1983. Their journey began with a simple dream: to create world-class wines from the beautiful grapes of the Paso Robles appellation.

Niels, a Ventura native, first dipped his toes into the wine business while studying Agribusiness at California Polytechnic University in San Luis Obispo. His passion for winemaking, combined with Bimmer’s unwavering support, led them to establish their very own winery in the heart of this thriving wine region.

But the path to success wasn’t conventional. The Udsens embraced what they fondly call the “backwards approach”: they started by making and selling wine, then acquired their own equipment, and finally built their winery and tasting room. Talk about an adventure!

You can visit Cas­toro’s charming tasting room in Templeton, right off scenic Highway 46 West, while their winemaking facility is located in San Miguel on the East Side of Paso Robles—both opened their doors in 1990. With the mentorship of Tom Myers, Cas­toro Cellars’ talented winemaker, the Udsen family has transformed from crafting a few barrels for friends and family into a thriving business.

Today, Cas­toro boasts over 1,400 acres of estate vineyards, all certified organic and SIP certified. Niels and Bimmer have built a brand that reflects their values, focusing on approachability and environmental consciousness. Niels' father, a Danish immigrant and successful businessman, instilled in him a deep appreciation for agriculture and entrepreneurship, which shaped their winery’s foundation.

Niels discovered his love for the wine industry during a senior marketing project for a local winery at Cal Poly. After marrying Bimmer in 1981, he honed his winemaking skills in the cellar of Estrella River Winery, learning every aspect of the craft for five years under the guidance of Tom Myers.

In 1983, armed with experience and a sense of humor, Niels and Bimmer launched Cas­toro Cellars, named after the Italian word for “beaver” (Niels’ long-time nickname). Their motto, “Dam Fine Wine,” perfectly captures their playful spirit!

Cas­toro Cel­lars isn’t just about great wine; it’s about family values, too. Their welcoming tasting room is family-friendly, even offering alcohol-free Zinfandel grape juice for the little ones. Plus, the Udsens prioritize a work environment that understands the importance of family flexibility for their employees. So, whether you’re a seasoned wine lover or just starting your journey, Cas­toro Cellars promises a delightful experience filled with laughter, warmth, and, of course, exceptional wine!

Bargetto Winery

Glass of wine

Soquel Bargetto has the prettiest tasting room and patio overlooking a creek and wilderness. Getting to the wines, the Sauv Blanc and Pinot Grigio are pretty good and well balanced, the Chard not my preference. The reserve reds are quite delicious and the sweet wines are good if you are into the sweeter wines.

The winemaking heritage of Bargetto began with brothers Phillip and John Bargetto, who emigrated from Castelnuovo Don Bosco, a small town in the Piedmont region of northern Italy. Bringing with them years of winegrowing experience, they established BARGETTO WINERY on the banks of Soquel Creek in California.

Some History 

Phillip was the first to leave Italy in 1891 at the age of seventeen. In 1909, John joined his brother in San Francisco.

The original Bargetto family winery was located in San Francisco from 1910 to 1917, operating under the name South Montebello Vineyard and Wine Company. With Prohibition on the horizon, the winery was closed, and the brothers relocated to Soquel in 1917.

In 1918, Phillip and John purchased the current site of BARGETTO WINERY and began producing wine in an old barn on the property. During Prohibition (1919-1933), the brothers continued to make wine for family and friends while selling produce to local customers and growing apples at their family ranch in Soquel. When Prohibition ended in 1933, they devoted more time to the wine business, expanding into a wholesale operation while maintaining their produce sales.

Phillip Bargetto passed away in 1936, leaving John as the sole owner of the business during the 1940s and 1950s. John continued to produce and sell wine both wholesale and retail, with the support of his sons Ralph and Lawrence during these years.

Wild West Mead Company

Company Logo

There is a buzz in Vista as Wild West Mead Company sets up shop in an industrial business park. The craft meadery, founded by brothers Michael “Mead Mike” Weidemann and Keith Weidemann, has been contract brewing and producing small-batch and brewery collaborations since 2017.

The Weidemann brothers, who relocated to San Diego from Texas, have leveraged their backgrounds in electrical engineering to connect with various breweries in North County. Now, they are combining their construction expertise and passion for mead to open their own production facility and taproom.

Wild West Mead will launch with four core meads, alongside 4-8 rotating experimental blends featuring different types of honey, fruit-based, and seasonal options. The meadery plans to continue collaborations with other mead and craft beer businesses in North County.

"We try to push the envelope with ingredients. We’re known for our Jalapeno Cornbread Braggot. It’s a half-beer and half-mead style that we collaborate with a brewery on. It’s like biting into a slice of jalapeno cornbread," shares Michael Weidemann.

________________________________________

Wild West Mead Co. is a craft meadery in Vista, California. We use the best ingredients and provide a great atmosphere.

Looking forward to hosting you soon!

 

Subscribe to Mead