Medieval No More

Bill and Teresa Townsley, top right, owners of Festina Lente Estate Winery, are bringing back the lost art of making mead and honey wines on their five-acre hobby farm in Langley
"We wanted to make products that were accurate to 11th- and 12th-century recipes, when mead was much drier than what people think it is nowadays," Teresa says. "I really want to stress that mead is not necessarily sweet and can be dry, off-dry and semi-sweet, much like wine."
Jeff Gillham and Pierre Vacheresse of Humblebee Meadery,top, and Meadow Vista Honey Wines, bottom right, produce carbonated meads that are convincing people to get past their preconceived notions of the beverage...
...with creative flavours and infusions that, in many ways, are more in line with craft beer and cider.