Dagger Mead, Enlightenment Wines - NV

In limited production from Enlightenment Wines in Brooklyn, this sharp, medicinal elixir cuts past the boundaries of traditional mead-making to deliver something truly unique and unexpected. When I uncorked this several weeks ago, the smell evoked memories of Christmas come early. Like drinking that lingering 'Christmas tree smell' or taking a whiff on a winter walk upstate, it is intensely redolent of fir pine needles and wet, packed earth, with a tart cherry profile and bitter herbal finish from wild-foraged hemlock, yarrow, and chamomile. Ever since I began making my own mead in my closet several years ago, I've been enchanted by dry meads like this one that defy assumptions about the category. This has more of the powerful depth and complexity of an herbal digestif than a sweet honey wine, perfect for fireside sipping all winter long.