A new New World wine

A Kiwi businesswoman has spotted the potential of mead. Apparently, commercial brewing of mead is new to New Zealand, but Louise Rosson has already produced 12,000 bottles of the honey wine made from nectar from New Zealand's kamahi, rata and manuka forests. British beekeepers usually use more delicately flavoured honeys, but mead made out of manuka honey is reported to have a rich, dark colour. So far, her produce has been sold by mail order, via the Internet, and from wine and specialty shops, but she says she has her eye on global markets.