Chaucer's Original Mead

Chaucer's Original Mead is a 10.5% ABV, 750mL pure honey mead from Bargetto Winery in Soquel, California — honey wine made from pure honey with no artificial flavourings, concentrates or colourings, and never fortified, in the Chaucer's Cellars line Lawrence Bargetto began in 1970. Rich and liqueur-like despite carrying no added spirit, it ships with an optional mulling spice pack: drink it chilled in summer or warmed with the spices in winter. It is available to order online at Del Mesa Liquor.

• ABV: 10.5% (Bargetto 2025 tech sheet — see applier flag; some listings round to 11%)
• Size: 750mL
• Style: Pure honey mead, unfortified, dessert-style; naturally gluten-free
• Residual sugar: 9% by weight (2025 tech sheet)
• Serving: Chilled, or heated/mulled with the included spice pack
• Producer: Bargetto Winery (Chaucer's Cellars), Soquel, CA — Santa Cruz Mountains

Honey Wine from a Prohibition-Era Santa Cruz Winery

Bargetto Winery opened in Soquel, on Soquel Creek in the Santa Cruz Mountains, on 5 December 1933 — the day Prohibition ended — founded by brothers Philip and John Bargetto, whose family winemaking in the mountains reaches back to the 1890s. The Chaucer's story starts in 1970, when Lawrence Bargetto produced his first honey mead; Chaucer's Cellars became the family's brand for fruit wines and honey meads, and the Original Mead remains its flagship — pure honey, gently fermented, nothing artificial. Bargetto advises enjoying it within a year or two of purchase, while the honey flavour is freshest. Find it via the Bargetto Winery vendor page or browse the wine collection.

Tasting Notes

Nose: Floral, honeyed aromas (winery tech sheet). Palate: Honeysuckle-led, medium-bodied, rich and liqueur-like in texture. Finish: Pleasantly sweet, clean honey character.

How to Enjoy

Two serves, both brand-stated: well chilled as a summer sipper, or heated with the included mulling spices as a winter warmer. The winery even suggests blending it with an IPA for a traditional braggot.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is mead? Mead is honey wine — an alcoholic drink fermented from honey and water rather than grapes. Chaucer's Original is a pure honey mead: no artificial flavourings, concentrates or colourings, and it is not fortified.

How strong is Chaucer's Mead? Bargetto's current tech sheet lists 10.5% ABV. Some store copy rounds this to 11%; the tech sheet and the winery's data table agree on 10.5%.

How should I serve it? Chilled, straight — or warmed with the included spice pack for a mulled winter drink. The winery suggests drinking it within 1–2 years of purchase for the freshest honey flavour.

Pure honey, two ways to serve it — pick up Chaucer's Original Mead at Del Mesa Liquor, San Diego, CA.