Mead wine may be the oldest alcoholic drink in the world, produced and drunk even before agriculture. The earliest archaeological evidence for the production of mead wine dates to around 7000 BC. Pottery vessels containing a mixture of mead, rice and other fruits along with organic compounds of fermentation were found in Northern China.  In Europe, it was first found in residual samples in the characteristic ceramics of the Bell Beaker Culture.
During the Golden Age of Ancient Greece, mead was said to be the preferred drink.
In the Old English epic poem Beowulf, the Danish warriors drank Honey mead wine.The word "honeymoon" is derived from the ancient Norse custom of having newly-weds drink mead for a whole moon in order to increase their fertility and therefore their chances of a happy and fulfilled marriage.