Misty Mountain Meadworks: Made by Bees, Harvested with Love
Winchester, Virginia
Est. in 2017
For many, wines are synonymous with grapes. But for the owners of Misty Mountain Meadworks, their wine takes a decidedly different approach, and it’s creating a bit of a “buzz” in Winchester, Virginia.
Misty Mountain Meadworks, a small farm winery, raises bees rather than growing grapes. The winged workers produce the honey that is used in the production of the mead. The process is not altogether so different from grape-based wines. There’s harvesting, fermentation, and sometimes aging. But while most wineries use grapes from vines on their property, Misty Mountain’s busy bees fly throughout the Shenandoah Valley to produce the honey used in the honey wine.
Owned and run by the Copeland family, this winery (more accurately, a meadery) does not have a head winemaker. Instead, Richard Copeland serves as the Meadmeister. Misty Mountain Meadworks is the oldest operating Meadery in Virginia. The family began experimenting with raising bees in the early 1980s. Their hobby turned into a true business as the demand for bottles of their product grew. Their official license came through in 2004, and in 2017 they seized the opportunity to expand to their current location just north of Winchester. “I wanted to bring the history of mead and mead-making to the residents of Virginia as an alternative to beer and wine,” said Richard. And as a 100% gluten-free product, many are happy to have this sweet option.
With years of experience, the Copelands guarantee the best from their original products. They are particularly proud of their bestseller, Misty Mountain Wildflower Mead. All it takes is one sip for most guests to understand why!
To learn more about Misty Mountain and their meads, visit the Misty Mountain website.