Edible Toronto

New Buzz for the World's Oldest Wine

• Photo by Aaron Lynett

• Winemaker Ryan Corrigan, above left, and general manager and beemaster William Roman, sample a traditional fortified solera mead in the barrel cellar at Rosewood Estates Winery in Beamsville, Ont.

• above - Old Smokey is in great company with a lineup of mead ranging from the Mead Blanc, a Gewürztraminer-mead blend and a mulled wine-style spiced mead, to the Mead Royale, made with Rosewood's wildflower honey and barrel-aged and apple-infused Cyser.

• above - Corrigan, bottom right, uses a "wine thief" to take a sample of "Old Smokey", a bourbon barrel-aged bochet-style mead in the barrel cellar at Rosewood Estates Winery.

• above - Roman, who comes from a long line of beekeepers — three generations of Romans have gained 85 years of beekeeping experience — manages 300 hives at Rosewood.