Point Reyes Buzz

Visit Heidrun Meadery in Point Reyes

Next time you want to go to wine country, head for Point Reyes Station. It's home to Heidrun Meadery, a sweet secret worthy of some buzz. Heidrun is a master of "honey wine" (aka mead) and beekeeping! Unlike most meads (which are still), Heidrun uses the French champagne method in addition to a unique infusion of champagne yeast to give the mead a light, natural carbonation. The result is dry, delicate, and naturally sparkling varietals. Reserve a 60-minute tour ($15) and learn more about honeybees and how sparkling mead is made in Heidrun's small production facility. You'll conclude with a generous patio tasting flight of four or more of their refreshing seasonal offerings, such as California Orange Blossom and Point Reyes Wildflower. In between pours, explore the property's radiant fields, gardens, and greenhouse. Flowering plants available to the honeybees create spellbinding displays of color. Several hives are dispersed throughout Marin County and neighboring Sonoma County, while 12 remain on site for you to observe. Last year 600 pounds of honey was harvested from only eight hives. Those are some busy bees!

HIKING BONUS: Follow the bees to Muddy Hollow Trail for an easy 4-mile out-and-back hike to Limantour Beach through Point Reyes' coastal scrub. For a longer and easy 7-mile loop, connect Muddy Hollow to Bucklin Trail and trek through the area devastated by the 1995 Mount Vision fire before returning via Drakes View Trail.

Heidrun Meadery, 11925 Hwy. 1, Point Reyes Station, (415) 663-9122; Saturday and Sunday 11:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Hour-long tours, which include a patio tasting flight, are scheduled at 11:30 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. every day for $15. Call ahead. Patio tasting flights only are $10 and should also be reserved. No dogs. To get to Muddy Hollow Trailhead from Heidrun Meadery, head southeast on Hwy. 1, turn right onto Sir Francis Drake Blvd., left onto Bear Valley Rd., and right onto Limantour Rd. for approximately 6 miles. Sign for the trailhead will be on the right. No dogs.

Trending Stories NorCal

View all Stories
  1. Field of Light at Sensorio in Paso Robles

    Light This Way

    Hidden in the bucolic hills of Paso Robles lies one of the greatest light shows on earth. The lighted art exhibition, Sensorio, is as if the rainbow magic of the aurora borealis was plucked from the sky and planted in the fields.

    View
  2. Bikers and walkers on the Bay Area Ridge Trail with the Golden Gate Bridge behind them

    National Park City Walk

    See San Francisco the way locals do by hiking the Presidio, a national park right in the city! Wooded trails, secluded beaches, and epic views of the Golden Gate Bridge feature on this 5.5-mile out-and-back on the Bay Area Ridge Trail. It’s a lovely slice of the City by the Bay.

    View
  3. Bucks Up!

    Come on in, the water is beautiful. Whether you like swimming, kayaking, stand-up paddling, or heading out on a bigger boat, Bucks Lake is a high mountain haven that’s easy to access, blissfully uncrowded, and surrounded by sandy beaches, picnic areas, pines, and aspens.

    View
  4. Surfboards and tents for shade are set up on the beach at Cull Canyon Regional Recreation Area in the Swim Lagoon Area

    Switchbacks and Swimming Holes

    Hike hard, play hard! This 7-mile out-and-back in Cull Canyon Regional Recreation Area is a great workout with payoff vistas and a relaxing post-hike picnic and dip in the water.

    View

Trending Stories SoCal

View all Stories
  1. Bear Hug

    This 5.5-mile loop through Coyote Lake-Harvey Bear Ranch County Park explores one of the newest segments of the acclaimed Bay Area Ridge Trail, one redolent with trees ranging from madrone and manzanita to buckeye and blue elderberry (with a bubbly post-hike bonus).

    View
  2. Two kayakers on Upper Klamath Basin on tour with Sky Lakes Wilderness Adventures

    Zen & the Art of Kayaking

    It’s the most meditative and relaxing experience you’ll ever have on a kayak. Yes, you read that right, a Zen experience on a kayak. It all happens in beautiful Klamath County when you head out on a guided tour with Sky Lakes Wilderness Adventures.

    View
  3. A Rose in the Pines

    A crackling fire, a bottle of wine, a bubbling Jacuzzi tub with a waterfall … now the big question: Marvin Gaye tunes or not? In the morning (ahem) it's breakfast in bed and a leis

    View
  4. Alex Villicana, Villicana Winery and Re:Find Distillery

    Locals' Feature: Alex Villicana

    Tech booms, AI revolutions, okay that’s all fine, but you wanna know what else is really cool? Being a pioneer in a world-famous industry that—in Paso Robles—remains solidly down to earth. When Alex Villicana established Villicana Winery in 1993, he clearly had grape expectations...

    View