Win’s Creek Meadery is a restaurant, cellar door and bee supplies outlet in Murrumbateman and a perfect spot to escape for a few hours. Photo: Kazuri Photography.
Win’s Creek Meadery, just off the Barton Highway in Murrumbateman, is a quaint and delightful escape from everyday life.
Imagine sitting in the sunshine, sampling marvellous mead varieties while enjoying an oversized scone or a unique pizza. And if you’re still keen for more, you can do a tasting of the Meadery’s craft beers, including a crisp lager, a fruity American-style beer, or a chocolatey stout, among others.
Owners Michael and Maryanne Devey have built their businesses around a passion for bees. They operate both the Meadery and Bindaree Bee Supplies, while Maryanne, also a talented ceramicist, creates exquisite bee-inspired pieces that adorn the cafe.
Located in Murrumbateman’s heritage-listed Travellers Rest Inn, the Meadery has been making mead for more than a decade. It’s the first time I’ve tried the ancient honey wine and I’m hooked!
I start with a cup of non-alcoholic Vikings’ Blood. Hot and ruby-red, crafted from ripe cherries, raw honey and mulled spices, it tastes like Christmas in a mug.
After sipping my way through half of it, I add a splash of Brood, Michael’s cherry mead. The warmth spreads all the way down to my winter-chilled toes! Mead-infused or not, Viking’s Blood is an inspired twist on mulled deliciousness.
Everything on the menu sounds tempting. For morning tea, choose from scones served with butter and honey, a gluten-free chocolate brownie, or banana bread.
Honey is drizzled onto the Meadery’s signature pizza, the chandler. Photo: Kazuri Photography.
Heartier plates include several unique pizza offerings; black garlic featuring local mushrooms, garlic, feta and honey.
The vintage blue pairs potato slices with blue cheese, while the Meadery’s signature pizza, the chandler, layers pear, brie, honey, balsamic onions, thyme, cracked pepper and tops it all with walnuts, rocket and bloodwood honey. Three luxurious platters also beg to be tasted.
We continue our Win’s Creek adventure with the mead tasting flight featuring five meads. Keely Magic, Win’s traditional mead, tastes clean and slightly sweet, made simply on honey water and yeast.
The apple mead starts woodsy and finishes like apple cider. Michael says he made this mead entirely from Batlow cider apples, honey and yeast. Brood is a crisp and sassy cherry mead that goes down way too easily. Sweet and berry bright, it tastes ripe and full-bodied.
Pinto rose tastes entirely different from the others on my tongue; pungent and earthy. Its distinct, dry notes give it a distilled spirit’s flavour.
Ginger and lemon doesn’t overwhelm with ginger notes except for its heat. I enjoy it and I am not usually one for ginger in sweet things.
We try the classic chandlers pizza and enjoy the flavour pairing; thin slices of pear and toasted walnuts, baked into the base with the addition of Brie. Maryanne drizzles honey right onto the pizza.
If you don’t think mead is your thing, try one of Michael’s craft beers, or do a tasting. Choose from a crisp lager, a smooth, fruity American-style beer, or a chocolatey stout, among others.
The non-alcoholic beverages are brewed with the same passion. The house-brewed ginger beer is the palest gold, poured into an oversized beer-style glass tankard. Bubbles float lazily up to the soft white foam rimming the glass, while sips of sweet ginger leave a pleasant warmth on the tongue.
Next visit, I must try the root beer made with 12 different roots and spices, including sarsaparilla, cinnamon and star anise.
I highly recommend a mead tasting and a plate of scones served with butter and honey. Today’s batch of scones is tender, fluffy and run through with date, ginger and lemon.
In spring, Michael offers a one-day course, The Art and Science of Beekeeping. Class sizes are limited so everyone gets to experience bees firsthand. It includes a theory component followed by hands-on lessons on honey extraction and hive maintenance.
Whether you’re a mead enthusiast, a curious foodie, or simply looking for a cozy countryside escape, Win’s Creek Meadery offers a truly unique experience. I have been utterly enchanted by every part of my visit.
Win’s Creek Meadery is at 18 East Street, Murrumbateman. It is open Mondays and Fridays from 11:30 am to 2:30 pm and on weekends from 11 am to 4 pm. Check out the website for more information on workshops, seasonal menus, beekeeping resources and products. Bookings can be made through Table Agent . Follow Win’s Meadery on Facebook and Instagram.
Original Article published by Michelle Taylor on Region Canberra.