Blossom Street Honey earns three bronze medals in global wine competition
By Edward Lynn
Editor
EAGLE GROVE — A local meadery with humble roots and global ambition is now officially producing some of the best honey wines in the world.
Blossom Street Honey, operated by Dick and Kristi Ostercamp and based in Eagle Grove, recently brought home two bronze medals from the Texas International Wine Competition—one of the most prestigious events of its kind, judged by wine experts from across the globe. And the Eagle had the chance to talk with Mr. Ostercamp about their recent accolade.
“There were over 750 entries from 29 states and 12 countries,” Ostercamp said. “To place at all, let alone win three bronze medals, is something we’re incredibly proud of.”
Blossom Street’s award-winning meads—Blackberry, Traditional, and Jalapeño Strawberry—stood out in a competition known for its high standards. “This wasn’t just a ‘you get a medal if you enter’ kind of deal,” Ostercamp explained. “A lot of entries didn’t make it past the judges. It was serious competition.”
Despite initially brushing off the first invitation in 2022, Ostercamp took a closer look when a second invite arrived the following December. “At first I thought maybe someone in Texas was just trying
to restock their wine cellar,” he joked. “But once I saw the caliber of judges—from England, France, Italy, Canada—I realized it was the real deal.”
The meads were shipped in for judging in March, with results arriving in April and medals arriving just in time for a local Sip and Sample event in Lake View, Iowa, where Blossom Street sold 67 bottles in just three and a half hours.
“I’m not bragging—but yes, I am bragging,” Ostercamp laughed. “The crowd stretched past three tents. The Jalapeño was the talk of the street, and the new apple pie flavor took off like dominoes.”
Blossom Street is no stranger to accolades. At the 2023 Iowa Honey Producers Association Conference, Ostercamp’s meads earned blue ribbons for Traditional, Orange Spice, and Cherry meads. And more recently, the Iowa Wine Venture Challenge awarded bronze to two more varieties—measured on strict criteria including aroma, appearance, taste, aftertaste, and overall impression.
Ostercamp credits their success to “a lot of dedication,” continual experimentation, and an unwillingness to settle. “Even with a bronze, I ask, what do we need to do to move that up to silver or gold?” he said. “There’s always room to improve.”
He’s also quick to defend the value of the bronze. “Taste is subjective,” he said. “To even be in the class that’s medal-worthy means it’s a quality product.”
Blossom Street Honey is one of only four licensed meaderies in Iowa, and its meads are priced about $20 a bottle—offering a world-class gift made right here in small-town Iowa.
“Mead goes back to the Viking age,” Ostercamp said. “It’s a bit of a lost art. It takes time, it’s expensive, and it’s not easy. But we’ve figured it out.”
With international medals now hanging proudly beside their ribbons from homegrown competitions, Blossom Street Honey is putting Eagle Grove on the global wine map—one bottle at a time.
