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Quick picks by person
The best mead gift is a bottle the person would not have found on their own, in the sweetness they already like, ordered direct from a meadery so it can ship to their state. For a maker, give a 1-gallon kit and a jar of good honey. For the fun of it, give a drinking horn, but read the care notes below first.
| Buying for | Give | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Someone who already drinks mead | A bottle from a craft meadery they have not tried | Most stores carry one or two brands at most, so a bottle from a small producer is a real discovery |
| A wine drinker new to mead | A semi-sweet traditional mead, or a dry one if they drink dry whites | Honey and water only shows what honey wine is; see sweet vs dry |
| A homebrewer or DIY person | A 1-gallon mead kit plus a jar of varietal honey | Months of entertainment, and the first batch is ready by spring |
| A Viking, fantasy or Renaissance-fair fan | A food-safe drinking horn with a stand, and a bottle to christen it | The classic novelty gift; the stand matters because a horn cannot be set down |
| A host or a couple | A sparkling mead, or good glasses | Bubbles turn a bottle into a toast; see sparkling mead |
| A fan of Ethiopian food | A bottle of tej-style honey wine with a berele flask | The berele is how tej is traditionally served; see tej |
Bottles you can order online
Selection in shops is thin, so the best mead gifts usually come straight from the producer. Many small meaderies sell through Vinoshipper, a platform that handles age checks and state rules for small wineries. Its directory, ShopMeads.com, lists the mead producers that sell through it and lets you filter by the state you are shipping to, which is the quickest way to see what can actually reach the person you are buying for.
Two well-known American meaderies sell online this way:
- B. Nektar Meadery (Ferndale, Michigan), known for lighter, carbonated meads in cans and bottles. Its site says it ships straight to the door, with some product limits that depend on each state's alcohol laws.
- Superstition Meadery (Prescott, Arizona), known for rich fruit and barrel-aged dessert meads, sells through a Vinoshipper shop on its own site.
For more producers and how they differ in style, see other mead brands worth knowing.
If the person drinks wine more than mead, a wine-style honey wine makes the point that mead can be serious. Bee d'Vine ships its range from California with an adult signature, and its reserve bottling is the one a wine lover will not already own:
Not sure which sweetness? Ask what they usually drink. Semi-sweet suits people who like Riesling or Moscato, dry suits Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Gris drinkers, and our mead flavor guide covers the rest.
Gift sets and samplers
A sampler is the safest gift for someone whose taste you do not know: several styles, so one miss does not sink the gift. Fixed mead samplers are rare, so check each meadery's shop for variety packs. Bee d'Vine does not sell a fixed sampler; its Club d'Vine lets members pick their own bottles, four or more per shipment.
Our partner wine shops do sell gift sets and samplers. These are grape wines, not mead, chosen for people who like honey wine's sweetness; the notes are the retailer's.
Moscato Wine Variety Pack
- Tasting set
- Sweet
Four sweet Moscatos in one box, an easy gift for someone who likes honeyed whites.
Buy Wines Online says: Four different Moscato wines to compare, including Vietti Moscato d'Asti with peach, rose petal and ginger aromas.
ONEHOPE Sweet 6-Bundle
- Gift set
- Sweet
A bundle built entirely around sweet wines.
ONEHOPE Wine says: Six sweet wines, from sparkling Moscato to California dessert wine and sparkling almond wine, with citrus blossom, white peach, toffee and sweet cherry notes.
Vinebox Chocolate Pairing, 3 Curated Pairings
- Tasting kit
- Mixed
A wine and chocolate tasting kit, a sweet-leaning gift idea.
VINEBOX says: Three wines picked by a sommelier to go with white, milk and dark chocolates, packaged for gifting.
For someone who wants to make mead
A mead-making kit is a gift that keeps going: a 1-gallon batch takes an afternoon to start and is drinkable in a few months. Before you buy one, check three things, because kits sold as gifts often leave them out:
- A hydrometer, the only reliable way to know when fermentation has finished.
- A sanitizer for the equipment. Campden tablets are not a substitute.
- Yeast nutrient. Honey is low in nitrogen, and skipping nutrient is the usual cause of slow, sulfur-smelling first batches.
Most kits do not include honey, and honey is most of the flavor, so add a jar. Three pounds makes a gallon of standard-strength mead; orange blossom or wildflower is a good first choice, and our best honey for mead guide compares the varietals. The full checklist, with what common kits contain, is in our mead making kit guide, and the easy traditional mead recipe is the right first batch.
Drinking horns, glasses and the berele
Drinking horns
A drinking horn is the classic mead novelty gift, and a good one is perfectly usable. Buy one sold for drinking, not as decoration. Natural horn is porous, so drinking horns are lined with a food-safe sealant such as beeswax. One horn seller's care guidance, which matches what most makers say:
- Cool drinks only. Hot drinks can damage the horn and break down the lining, so it is not for mulled mead.
- Acidic drinks wear the lining. Citrus juice and wine can interact with the sealant over time.
- Hand wash. Warm, soapy water and a soft bottle brush; no hot water, harsh chemicals or dishwasher. Let it air dry.
Add a stand or a shoulder strap. A horn has no flat base, so without one it has to be held or emptied.
Glasses
For everyday drinking, a white wine glass does the job well; a tulip-shaped glass suits sparkling mead and a small dessert glass suits sweet sack meads. Our serving guide explains which glass fits which style and how cold to serve it.
The berele
The berele is the round-bottomed glass flask Ethiopian tej is served in. Bee d'Vine, whose founder set out to refine tej, sells one for $10 on its site. Paired with a bottle and a night out at an Ethiopian restaurant, it makes a thoughtful gift; see tej, Ethiopia's honey wine.
Shipping mead as a gift
In the United States mead is regulated as wine, so wine shipping rules apply. They are set state by state, and who is selling matters:
- Order from the meadery when you can. Wine Spectator counted 48 states open to direct shipping from wineries by summer 2025, but only 12, plus Washington, D.C., open to out-of-state retailers. A meadery is a winery in law, so it can usually reach more states than a shop can.
- An adult has to sign. Someone aged 21 or over must sign for the box in person, with ID. Send it to an office or another address where someone is home during the day.
- Order early. Adult-signature deliveries miss more often, and carriers slow down before the holidays. For Christmas, order by early December.
- Check the state at checkout. Producers that ship through Vinoshipper check the destination state for you; ShopMeads.com lets you filter by it before you choose.
Planning the holiday table as well? See mead with Thanksgiving and Christmas food, and for a party, the party calculator works out how many bottles you need.
Frequently asked questions
What is a good gift for someone who likes mead?
A bottle from a craft meadery they have not tried, in the sweetness they already drink. If you do not know their taste, a semi-sweet traditional mead is the safest choice. For someone who enjoys projects, a 1-gallon mead-making kit with a jar of good honey is a gift that lasts months.
Can you ship mead as a gift?
Usually, if it comes from the meadery itself. In the US mead is regulated as wine, and Wine Spectator counted 48 states open to direct shipping from wineries by summer 2025, against 12 plus Washington, D.C. for out-of-state retailers. An adult aged 21 or over has to sign for the box.
What mead should I give someone who has never tried it?
A traditional semi-sweet mead, made from honey and water only, with no fruit or spice. It shows what honey wine actually tastes like, and semi-sweet suits most people who like Riesling or Moscato.
Is it safe to drink mead from a drinking horn?
Yes, if the horn is sold for drinking and lined with a food-safe sealant such as beeswax. Natural horn is porous, so the lining matters. Sellers advise against hot drinks, dishwashers and hot water, which can damage the horn and its lining.
Is a mead-making kit a good gift?
For a curious adult who likes projects, yes. Check that the kit includes a hydrometer, sanitizer and yeast nutrient, or add them, and give a jar of honey with it: most kits do not include honey, and it is most of the flavor.
When should I order mead for Christmas?
Early in December at the latest. Alcohol deliveries need an adult signature, which makes missed deliveries more likely, and carriers slow down before the holidays. Ship to an address where someone is home during the day, such as an office.
Sources
- ShopMeads.com (Vinoshipper): mead producers, filterable by the state they ship to
- Vinoshipper: mead producers and ShopMeads.com
- B. Nektar Meadery: direct shipping details
- Superstition Meadery: online shop
- Bee d'Vine FAQ: shipping, delivery, summer shipping
- Bee d'Vine: Club d'Vine
- Wine Spectator: U.S. wine-shipping laws, state by state (March 2025)
- Wine Institute: State shipping laws for wineries
- SwordsSwords: Are drinking horns food-safe and practical? (seller guidance, May 2024)
- SwordsSwords: Drinking horn maintenance (seller guidance)