Had my first mead today, not sure if it was representative...

[Kneller]

My wife and I went to a nearishby meadery today. It was part of my "research" for my plans to make my own mead. We were a little surprised by the taste of it. Basically, everything I've read said, "don't expect it to be a sweet, honey flavored wine", but really that's exactly what it was. Between the two of us, we shared/tried 15 different styles of mead and found the whole selection to be much sweeter than what we would consider "average" for a white wine (and some of the notes hit pretty hard). I asked the guy (server/clerk/sommelier?) about the final gravity of the various styles (I know it's not a perfect predictor of sweetness, but helps as a rough guide, right?). However, he didn't really know. We did talk about their line in general and he mentioned that their goal is to be very approachable to the general public (and sweet/honey flavored would be what people would expect).

In any event, when it comes to white wines, we tend to gravitate towards dry chardonnays and pinot grigios. Is it possible for mead to get in that neighborhood (albeit with the honey notes that tend to come with mead)? And, does it seem like my sample was a little biased on one end of the spectrum?

 

[Blacksmith1]

Sounds like the meads my stepson makes. He dumps honey in after ferment to backsweeten and turns them into honey flavored dessert wines. Before that they are dry with a touch of sweetishness and heavy notes of honey.

 

[bernardsmith]

I suspect that many commercial meads are "sweet" because that is what they think the market wants and /or that is the only way they think they can highlight the flavor of the honey. If you are a home mead maker then you can make your mead to suit yourself: brut dry at 5% ABV, enamel-peelingly sweet at 15% ABV, carbonated and sweet at 18% ABV, carbonated and dry at 6%. The question is only what final product are you looking for?

 

[RPh_Guy]

In any event, when it comes to white wines, we tend to gravitate towards dry chardonnays and pinot grigios. Is it possible for mead to get in that neighborhood (albeit with the honey notes that tend to come with mead)? And, does it seem like my sample was a little biased on one end of the spectrum?

Yes and yes.

An 8-10% dry still mead is easily doable, although it won't hide flaws like a sweet wine, so you'll need to be on point with your ingredients and technique.
It will have honey notes (which will largely depend on the honey you use), but it won't be overpowering or cloying like sweet meads.

 

[Kneller]

If you are a home mead maker then you can make your mead to suit yourself: brut dry at 5% ABV, enamel-peelingly sweet at 15% ABV, carbonated and sweet at 18% ABV, carbonated and dry at 6%. The question is only what final product are you looking for?

This is what I was thinking. They also had an Earl Grey variety and I figured the tannins would really cut the sweet, but no dice. At one point, I asked to sample the driest mead they have, and even that was a bit too sweet. They had a couple dozen meads, I figured they would do at least one objectively dry recipe, but I guess not.

 

[AzOr]

It's similar with ciders as well. Many ciders in the NW are getting drier and drier. Years ago ciders were sickly sweet and now as the market changes the they are getting less backsweetening.

The sweeter ciders and meads are, the less complex they are.

 

[madscientist451]

Wine industry statistics show that consumers prefer fruity and sweet wines. So its no surprise that some mead makers want to make sweet mead so they can sell it.

 

[Nooner]

Wine industry statistics show that consumers prefer fruity and sweet wines. So its no surprise that some mead makers want to make sweet mead so they can sell it.

Especially with beverages that the average person is not familiar with like ciders and mead, it makes sense to aim for what people are biologically predisposed to like... sugar. Dry wines, meads, and ciders are definitely enjoyed more by an educated palate.

 

[Nooner]

Is it possible for mead to get in that neighborhood (albeit with the honey notes that tend to come with mead)? And, does it seem like my sample was a little biased on one end of the spectrum?

Yes you certainly can make a dry mead that's very enjoyable. My wife likes our meads with just a bit of residual sugar, but we made many bone dry that we enjoyed as well. I prefer melomel, adding a bright fruit to the mead like mango or strawberry. I find this give it a bit more life without having any residual sugar.