Just a little farm, in a little town, with a lot of good drinks.
We're The Meading Room- a mother/daughter duo that realized that Sonoita, full of wineries, breweries, and distilleries, was missing one thing (well actually three): mead, cider & fruit wine. Barbara & her daughter Kylie bought the Sonoita property in 2015, and slowly began the transformation from grasslands to farm. Although the farm is and always will be a work in progress, we are now caring for tons of lavender, sunflower, prickly pear, apple, pear & peach trees, hackberry, magnolia, and plenty of native thistle- one of our absolute favorite and most misunderstood pollinators!
*We've expanded! In addition to our original tasting room and production facility in the lovely grasslands of Sonoita, we are excited to welcome The Meading Room at Cave Creek! A small (but mighty) tasting room in the heart of the quirky, little, western town of Cave Creek. Wander the streets and find unique antiques, plenty of restaurants, bars, shopping, and even bull riding... but of course, the best start/middle/end to your day, is always a seat on the patio of The Meading Room at Cave Creek with a glass of Space Cowboy in your hand. Serving an ever-changing list of beverages and a few old timers- that will always be a permanent fixture on the menu.
Mead is one of the oldest alcoholic beverages, and one of the tastiest! By fermenting honey with yeast, you can create some of the most delicate and complex flavors around. Lucky for you, we have searched far and wide for some of our favorite honey and we're able to bring this
ancient libation (with a modern twist) to southern Arizona wine country. Every single one of our products are made in house by Barbara & Kylie (our dynamic drink duo) and you can bet your bottom that it will always be made with farm fresh ingredients.
Looking for vegan-friendly, no-honey options? We've got those too! Check out our list of ciders & fruit wine and look for the "vegan" tag: The Drink List
Don't forget to follow us on Instagram and Facebook @themeadingroomaz for all the newest updates, upcoming events, and for gorgeous pics of the incredible area we are lucky enough to work, farm, brew, and live in.
What is mead?
MEET THE TEAM
Barbara
Born and raised in New Jersey, Barbara made her way out west to get her Masters in Electrical Engineering from the University of Southern California. Even during her 30 year career as a systems engineer, she was always searching for a more creative endeavor. Between remodeling homes, building furniture, raising three kids, running a landscaping business, some serious gardening, and eventually winemaking (might we mention, all while she was still working full time)… she finally found her niche as our jack of all trades and fermenting queen at The Meading Room. Barbara is one of the hardest workers we know… it’s even been rumored that she once mowed the entire ten acre farm with only a weed whip!
Kylie
Kylie grew up in the Sonoita area, and after moving around the U.S.
for years, returned to her hometown to work in the wine biz with none other than our very own neighbors, Arizona Hops & Vines. Between event planning, marketing, graphic design, and the tasting room... all while attending school full-time and raising a daughter... she eventually stepped out on her own and teamed up with her mom, Barbara, to come up with the idea for The Meading Room. You'll either find Kylie in the tasting room, in the back room makin' mead with Mom, or more likely, up to some crazy shenanigans with her daughter, Zannah and their two dogs.
Zannah
Our youngest team member, Zannah, has been in the wine business her whole life. Zannah was raised at Arizona Hops & Vines learning to organize bottles, woo customers, and be the most savvy networker we know! When her mom, Kylie, began working at Hops & Vines in 2013, the back room was transformed into a nursery and Zannah became the official mascot. Now she has a new mascot gig, and as our future business partner you'll find her designing upcoming wine labels, wrangling chickens, or outside working right alongside her mom and grandma. She even helped to plant our first lavender field, all 400 of them!
