Promise of a glorious fall day and a vacant seat in a friend’s car drew me to the Niagara region earlier this week.  A dense morning fog, as thick as any found on the Atlantic shores, soon burned off to make way for a warm autumn day in the heart of Ontario’s wine country.

It wasn’t yet noon when I came upon the gates of Rosewood Estates Winery.  Before wine ever was barreled here it was honey that was being capped by the bees at this respected estate.  I came for the bees, but ended up taking in so much more. Gabi Iviney (aka Honey Bee) welcomed and introduced me to my first morning of Mead.  Mead, also called honey wine, is alcoholic and produced by fermenting a solution of honey and water. Mead at this estate is prepared under the expert guidance of winemaker, Luke Orwinski. Gabi, the retail manger for Rosewood Estates took me on a flight of mead that was paired exquisitely with a ripe old white cheddar that was peppered with caramelized onions. This was indeed a breakfast of champions.

Thanks to Gabi, I had the privilege of tasting the 2008 Mead Royale prior to its November 10, 2012 release in L.C.B.O. of Ontario. This semi-sweet, light mead had complex aromas and flavours of wildflower honey, mandarin orange, ripe pears, marzipan and ginger. The Mead Royale took bronze at the 2011 Canadian Wine Awards.

Next was the 2007 Mon Cherie, not “my dear”—in fact the “cherie” is a nod to the sour cherry juice the winemaker adds on the 3^rd day of fermentation.  On first sip it was a subtle note, but the cherry became more apparent as I paired it with the cheddar Gabi had so graciously paired for me. This was the only mead of my flight that had me detecting tannins. The long finish on my palate had me dreaming of pork tenderloin and more of that cheddar.

The third tasting was the 2011 Mead Noir, fermented with Pinot Noir juice.  It is a perfect intro to a mead that is sweetened with honey from Rosewood Estates. This is an elegant mead that is best paired with a spicy Thai dish or a glazed grilled chicken. It had my thinking BBQ chicken before I had my morning coffee.

Finally, it was the 2007 Ambrosia, Rosewood’s signature mead that had me recall my first taste of mead.  To me, it leans towards a more traditional profile with a thicker and sweeter taste.  The 2007 and is reflective of the hot long summer days vintners in Niagara enjoyed that year.

On to the bees…I met William Roman, or “Wills” (Beemaster) as they fondly call him.  Upon first meeting it was clear that he has the beekeeping advantage of being over 6ft 4 (“in boots” he says).  In my opinion, the height is a competitive edge for stacking what he calls “monster hives.”  Have no fear these hives are merely coined monster for their height, are minus a queen excluder and don’t reflect their behavior. Wills comes from a long line of beekeepers that have worked the land and the bees with great passion and care. The Roman family has 80 yrs of beekeeping behind them. Wills has been tending the bees since he could ride a bike. He knows his bees and I am curious about how he maintains the health of the hives. We discuss environmental stress and various options for mite treatment.  He mentions garlic and I counter with shortening and tobacco.  It’s clear we share a common interest in keeping it natural wherever possible.  Punctuating our bee chat was the chirping cricket ring- tone of his cell phone–beekeepers are so chill.

It was time to move into the bee yard and I’m so glad I did. Autumn was in all its glory as I came upon Rosewood’s solution to bees enduring harsh Ontario winters: cozy up.  Wills established a bee condo of sorts by assembling what he calls a “Nuc house.” It is comprised of 10 single and 27 double nucs in one structure.  (see pictured) I departed the yard sensing that winter will soon be upon us, but took solace in knowing that the Rosewood bees were as snug as a bug. I look forward to returning in 2013 after they’ve had their cleansing flights and the new brood of the year is ready to begin pollinating the vineyards of Niagara.