Blacksnake Meadery

(Note – Geo Coords listed here are not personally confirmed. This is according to Google maps and/or another web source; your mileage may vary!)

Welcome to Blacksnake Meadery, Carroll County’s first winery and Southwest Virginia’s only meadery. We are a family-owned and operated business in the beautiful southern Blue Ridge mountains of Virginia.

Our desire to live more closely with nature and our love of all things fermented have resulted in the establishment of our meadery. Blacksnake Meadery’s closeness with nature began with negotiations with the original reptilian inhabitants (and namesakes) of the meadery. It has since expanded to the introduction of an ever-growing population of honeybees, who produce at least half of the honey in our meads, as well as the cultivating of the numerous wild apples, crabapples, and berries on the property. We hope to expand our plantings into an array of fruits and herbs suitable both for flavoring mead and producing honey.

Tasting fee $2. Open on select weekends 12 – 5. Please call (540) 834-6172 or email blacksnake@blacksnakemead.com for dates.

“Not familiar with mead? What?! Have you been sleeping for the last 9,000 years?

There’s evidence of mead production in northern China as early as 7,000 BC, and, while the honey wine may have lost a bit of the following it once enjoyed, it’s still brewed, enjoyed, and, occasionally, drunk to excess by Danish warriors waving pewter flagons. Some things never change.

Blacksnake Meadery keeps tradition alive with six variations on the theme, including sweet, dry, sparkling and still, and flavored with everything from wildflower honey to winter squash. Honeybees produce at least half of the honey in Blacksnake’s meads, and the meadery’s mead-makers hope to keep expanding their plantings of fruits and herbs suitable both for flavoring mead and producing honey.

At the Meadery, you’ll sit outside on the log cabin’s Sippin’ Porch to sample the wares, or you can visit The Tasting Room in nearby Floyd (located in The Station, 205 South Locust Street across from The Floyd Country Store). The Tasting Room is a cooperative between Chateau Morrisette, Villa Appalaccia, AmRhein Wine Cellars, Foggy Ridge Cider and Blacksnake Meadery.

Be aware that the approach to Blacksnake is over  a very narrow, steep, bumpy gravel drive through the woods.  Picnics and kids welcome.

The Meads:
Lime Bee Brew – Dry, sparkling flavored with lime
Hoppy Bee Brew – Dry, sparkling flavored with hops
Sweet Virginia – Semi-sweet, from wildflower honey
Meloluna – Sweet, from wildflower honey
Wildflower – Dry, from wildflower honey
Squashed – Honey wine with winter squash and “”pumpkin pie”" spices

From Blue Ridge Parkway southbound: Right on Buffalo Mountain Road (Mile 174.2). Go 7 miles (stay straight at Buffalo Mountain Store), left on Rock Church Road. At the Rock Church, road becomes Buffalo Road. Continue 0.5 miles, bear right to stay on Buffalo Road (unpaved). Driveway on right at 0.8 miles.

From Blue Ridge Parkway northbound: Left just past Mile 187 on State Route 631 (Olde Mill Road). Left when 631 ends at 638 (Bell Spur Road). Follow 638 across US 58 (it becomes Dugspur Road). Go 5 miles, right on Route 628 (Buffalo Road). Go 0.6 miles. Left at second driveway.

From US 58: Go north on State Route 638 (Dugspur Road) at Laurel Fork. Go 5 miles, right on Route 628 (Buffalo Road). Go 0.6 miles. Left at second driveway.

From US 221: Go south on State Route 638 (Dugspur Road) at Dugspur. Go approximately 6 miles. Left on State Route 628 (Buffalo Road). Go 0.6 miles. Left at second driveway.