LCBO Food & Drink Autumn 2015

LOCAL  THE ART OF ARTISANS

HONOUR THE BEES WHO GIVE US MEAD

ROSEWOOD ESTATES WINERY

KRYSTINA ROMAN AND WILLIAM ROMAN www.rosewoodwine.com

Rosewood produces some sublime wines up there onNiagara’s benchlands. Origin Cabernet Franc ( VINTAGES 427534, $25.95) is a case in point, but the image of the bee on the bottle gives a hint of the other side of Rosewood’s business— mead. Krystina Roman’s grandfather was a beekeeper in his native Ukraine and he brought his passion for bees with him when he immigrated to Ontario in 1945. After his passing, Krystina’s grand- mother and father, Eugene, cherished the hives at the family farm near Noble- ton, Ont., and Krystina and her younger brother William spent every summer there, helping with the honey harvest. In 2000, Eugene moved the hives to Niagara. Rosewood was to be his retire- ment project but he still hasn’t retired, so Krystina and William now run the place.

William was 25 when he made the 2012 Lock, Stock and Barrel Meritage, judged the best red wine in Canada.    But the mead… “It’s traditionally made,” explains Krystina, who can hold a room’s attention for hours with tales of bee lore, “just our own wildflower honey, water and yeast—the most ancient of all alcoholic drinks.” Rosewood makes sev- eral styles, some dry, some rich and oak- aged like Ambrosia (available at selected LCBO stores), and, perfectly positioned between them, Mead Royale. It varies from vintage to vintage and carries nuances of the flowers where the bees have been, becoming ever more complex in the bottle. “We respect, love and hon- our our bees,” says Krystina. “And they reward us with their honey. It’s the most natural thing in the world.”

Rosewood Mead Royale LCBO 437319, 500 mL, $16.95

CHILLED AS AN APERITIF, IT WILL AMAZE YOUR GUESTS Aged six months in old oak barrels, this semi-sweet mead has an amazing nose of beeswax, wildflowers and caramel. A fas- cinating aperitif, it’s also a great match for creamy blue cheese, foie gras or rich des- serts like crème brûlée. Look for it in LCBO stores after November 14.

PORTRAIT BY STEPHEN ELPHICK; BEES BY WILLIAM ROMAN

120  FOOD & DRI NK AUTUMN 2015