This mead is a tribute to Julia Löw, who was the first cousin of our cofounder, William Loew.

Non-Vintage. Composed of a traditional mead in the Polish style that was barrel aged for 18 months, a cyser (mead fermented with apple cider), and Chardonnay.

As part of the tribute series, each of the Loew descendants has the opportunity to help Rachel produce a mead in honor of one of the Löw family members. This series provides us the chance to share stories of the family members whose lives were affected by the horrors of the Holocaust, bringing their story forward in a unique and meaningful way.

This mead was produced with help of Rachel’s sister, Sophie, who chose to name this mead in tribute to Julia. When asked why she chose to name this mead Julia, she wrote:

‘I decided to help create a mead blend to honor William’s first cousin, Julia. As a nurse and future nurse practitioner, I felt connected with her because of her dream of pursuing an education in medicine. She never got the chance to pursue this goal, however, she was an accomplished woman with many talents. Smart-witted and interested in pursuing a higher education in France, Julia escaped Poland in 1938, as Jews were banned from receiving education. Julia began a life in France and later assumed a new identity for her protection. Julia was pretty without trying and always had a mind of her own. She was small-bodied with a big personality. She embodied a strong and brave woman with many talents. She was a mother, writer, poet, and piano player. She was able to “do it all”, caring for her children and maintaining her household, all while remembering the tragedies of her lost life and family in Poland. Julia was just one of the few members of William’s family to survive the Holocaust. Unfortunately, we did not discover her family in France until after she died. This mead resembles Julia in its strong and versatile charm. This mead is pretty without trying yet has powerful notes, creating a “do-it-all” mead with a beautiful fragrance. As Julia beautifully wrote:

“Remember me whenever you decorate your chest with roses. It is in those roses that my life remains. Feel it, for it has one of the most beautiful fragrances. This fragrance was the love in my heart…”’

A Poem and Excerpt about Julia’s hometown Lwow from the book about Julia’s Life

‘“There are so many towns where the sun rises every day

Where the stars light up a dark sky

And yet my thoughts turn to you

To you, the town I love…

To where, in wonderful hiding places,

Childhood prepared its chemistry of dreams

Whose enchanted formula changed red to dark blue

Where, in ecstasy, Virgil blessed the mornings

Where Plato in the arms of drunken Socrates

Danced on the cobblestones, rolling on the words

You, the image of romantic immortals,

To your gardens that hide away my first loves…

It’s to you where my thoughts fly away

Just as before, I love you, my far-off town…”

Yes, yet…in other seasons…

Juliette would never return to L’vov. Just thinking about it was enough to create a devious anxiety in her heart. No! Never, never! She knew exactly how the Hungarian rifles had sacrificed her parents there in 1942.’