FasciNATEion Blog

Text from the side of the bottle-

Paramour, for the sake of love, is a masterful blend of honey, blackberry, blueberry, black cherries, and black currants.  It is full bodied with a honey sweetness, balanced with flavors from the berries.  This wine pairs well with any dish, or enjoy with your loved ones.

Interesting to note about this mead wine– It’s got a 15.2% Alcohol by Volume content.  30.4 proof– pretty good if you want to get your loved ones schnockered.  However, it’s less than a half liter at 375ml.

One of the most pleasant parts of Paramour is that it’s naturally effervescent.  The bubbles steam out  when you pour your glass, and sizzle away before they tingle your first sip.  It’s pretty pleasant, and makes the liquor content almost imperceptible to those who don’t drink.

When it comes to mouth feel, it bubbles for a bit, and isn’t syrupy or slow in any form.  It’s hard to notice the complexity of flavors that the bottle recommends– at least to a newbie like myself– however, you can find each one if you look for it in the taste.  I particularly notice the black cherries alongside the blackberries and honey.  However, I’ve never had a black currant, and the blueberry is almost hard to find.

One of the saddest things about Paramour is that the bottle ends sooner than you’d like if sharing with friends.  However, the flavor’s poppy and pleasant and sure to please people who both like complexity and slight dryness, yet also please those who like sweetness and excitement.   However, I think the dryness is a faint memory if that’s your goal.

Bought at Giles Liquors in Woburn, MA.  $18.

http://www.moonlightmeadery.com/

You may remember my previous review of Green River Ambrosia’s Chamomile mead.  Today, I’m trying the Winter Warmer mead.  14% Alcohol by volume.

Quite a punch, but it's still a bit sweet. Should've had it a few months earlier..

The smell is a bit fruity.  The cork smells a bit less pleasant than the wine.

The first taste is quite intense.  It’s a bit acrid in smell.  The taste is like most mead.  It doesn’t have much of a bite compared to the other meads.  The bite is moreso in the taste than the texture of the mead.  It has a bit of a strong taste, too.  You can taste the intensity at the edges of your mouth.

It feels a bit smoother and silkier than the other meads I’ve had.  I think I can taste a bit of fruit as well.

On the swallow, you can taste a bit more of where the mead was aged.  I may be mistaken, but I think I can taste strong wood.

It’s hard to describe this mead.  In summation, I can taste the ‘warmer’ intent in the bite you get when you swallow it.  It has a bit of a bite to it, but the bite is in how it tastes.  It flows smoothly over the tongue with a bit of acidity to it.

In summation, I think this mead might be better if it’s served warm and DEFINITELY during the winter.  It’s a bit warm in March currently.  Would I drink it with friends?  Probably– but the likelihood of it tasting better warm means I may want to drink it in a cold environment.

African Herbal Blossom: Pretty good.

I picked up about 750ML of this mead (12% Alc/vol) for $24.99. It looked promising since I think I’ve had this brand before.
I had some trouble getting the mead’s cork out. It wasn’t a wood cork (Good! They care about the cork shortage!), and I got a bit of the wax seal into the drink. (noo!)
It’s a beautiful red amber color. I’m quite excited.

My first tastes give me a subtle taste of herbs. It also has the little bite my last favorite mead taste had. The bite is less significant, however. You can also taste the honey undertones, but they seem almost on-par with the herbs.

The Mead states that there are subtle hints of “cinnamon, apple, rosehip, and hibiscus”. I can taste the apple’s sweetness, not too much of the apple. I think I taste a bit of the cinnamon, but it’s not too strong.

The mead goes down easily. I feel a bit lighthearted. It’s easy to keep drinking it, and I think the quality is definitely obvious.

It’s quite sweet. There’s a little bit of bite that was mentioned before. THere’s a bit of apple in the afterbite, too.

In my opinion, this wine is a bit expensive. I wouldn’t buy it too often. However, it provides more mead for its money than the Lurgashall Mead did. It has a great flavor, and while the flavors aren’t overhwelming (yes, they’re subtle hints as advertised), it’s worth the trip.

Would I buy this again? Yes. Soon? No. Would I buy it for parties? Yes. Would I buy it for friends? Yes. The bottle is quite elegant and has a pretty presentation.