Traditional Mead UK

Afon Mêl Cherry Mead

Afon Mêl Cherry Mead is a Welsh fruit mead from New Quay Honey Farm. It combines honey with sour cherries, making it a melomel with a sweeter body and a tart, fruit-led finish.

This is a review of the mead in the bottle tasted. Afon Mêl also offers a Norse-themed mead called Ymir’s Blood, which the producer describes as full-bodied and sweet with a tart cherry finish. It appears closely related to the Cherry Mead, but the name, bottle and retail range may vary, so check the product details before ordering.

At a glance

Afon Mêl is a family-run bee farm and meadery near New Quay. Its meads are built around honey rather than simply using sweetness as flavouring. The producer says its traditional ageing includes a long period in barrel and bottle before sale. That helps explain why this mead feels closer to a dessert wine or mellow fortified wine in character than to a young, bright fruit drink.

Appearance

In the glass, the mead has a deep red-brown colour. It is darker and more vinous-looking than the producer’s pure Honey Mead, while the cherry gives it a clearer red-fruit identity than the Blackberry Mead.

It looks rich rather than sparkling or light. A small serving in a sherry glass or snifter feels more natural than filling a large wine glass.

Nose

The first aroma is reminiscent of cherry brandy: ripe fruit with a warm, slightly spirit-like depth. Rose and floral honey follow, while an almond note sits beneath the fruit.

Almond is a natural companion to cherry in both drinks and desserts, but here it also adds complexity. The aroma is not simply cherry sweetshop flavour. It suggests sour fruit, flowers and something gently nutty.

Taste

The palate begins sweet, with the rounded texture of honey, before tart sour-cherry flavour cuts through it. That acidity is important. Without it, a full-bodied honey mead could become tiring; with it, the drink stays lively and encourages another sip.

Wildflower-honey character becomes clearer after the first wave of fruit. The cherry remains recognisable, but it does not completely obscure the base mead. The balance is different from the Raspberry Mead, which comes across as more jammy and immediately fruit-driven. Cherry brings a darker, sharper profile, while the almond and floral notes add more of a dessert-wine character.

Finish

The finish is crisp and faintly sherry-like. Sour cherry lingers alongside honey, with the almond note returning after the sweeter middle of the sip.

That dry impression at the end does not make this a dry mead. It is still a sweet drink, but the acidity and lightly oxidative, wine-like depth stop the sweetness from dominating every stage.

How to serve Afon Mêl Cherry Mead

Serve it lightly chilled if you want to emphasise the fresh cherry and acidity. At cool room temperature, the honey, rose and almond aromas become more noticeable. It also works over ice, although too much dilution can flatten the finish.

For a longer drink, try a small measure with tonic water. A splash in a glass of dry prosecco can turn it into a fruit-led aperitif, much as the producer’s raspberry mead works in a sparkling serve. Neat, a sherry glass or small snifter is ideal.

Food pairings

Cherry gives this mead more flexibility than its sweetness might suggest:

Avoid very delicate dishes, which are likely to be overwhelmed. It is also worth keeping portions modest when serving it with dessert so that sweetness does not build up across the pairing.

Cherry Mead compared with other Afon Mêl meads

Choose this over the Blackberry Mead if you want brighter acidity and a clearer sweet-versus-sour contrast. The blackberry is gentler and more savoury in its fruit character. Compared with the Raspberry Mead, the cherry is less jam-like and has more almond and wine-like depth.

The Heather Mead remains the better choice when floral honey should take centre stage. Cherry Mead is for drinkers who still want to taste the honey but prefer a prominent dark-fruit flavour and a tart finish.

Bottle sizes and labelling

Bottle size has varied between shops and ranges. Master of Malt lists Afon Mêl Cherry Mead in a 75cl bottle, while smaller formats have also been sold elsewhere. The producer’s Ymir’s Blood uses separate Mead Hall branding. Check the current bottle size, ABV and label when comparing prices, rather than assuming every Cherry Mead or Ymir’s Blood listing is identical.

Where to buy

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For more buying advice and other UK retailers, see Buy Mead UK.