WINE O’CLOCK: A drink for the dry season
Full of fruit … bursting with fruity flavour. Those are descriptions of wine you will often see quoted by way of a compliment.
Not by me. I dislike those big reds with more blackcurrant than Ribena. Whites “bursting with flavour” of peach or pear are nearly as bad. If I want to drink fruit juice, I’ll buy fruit juice and save money.
Muscadet is the perfect white antidote to all this sweetness. It is bone dry and, although it does have a distinct citrus tang, when I search for adjectives it is not fruits that come to mind. Crisp, certainly; creamy, probably; smoky, possibly; fruity, never. It is also relatively low in alcohol, rarely going much above 12%.
Muscadet is the key appellation of the Pays Nantais, a district of the western Loire Valley around Nantes, on the central western coast of France. The name covers only white wines made from the Melon de Bourgogne grape.
Muscadet has a reputation for being good with fish which, indeed, it is – especially shellfish. It is also a very nice wine for sipping just by itself.
It was quite popular in Ireland a decade or more ago but seems to have been pushed off the shelves by fruitier Picpoul and Pouilly-Fumé.
Nowadays, you won’t find a lot of Muscadet in the supermarkets but what they do have tends to be good. And it is not expensive. Dunnes, for instance, have a really nice Calvet Muscadet for around €12 (the price is changed regularly).
The best Muscadet carries the description Muscadet Sevre et Maine and the very best adds the words, Sur Lie. You will generally pay a bit more for this.
Muscadet is not the name of a grape, but, for obvious reasons, the wines sometimes get confused with those from the Muscat grape, going under such names as Moscato and Moscatel. Muscat is used in the making of a wide range of wines, from dry whites to sweet dessert wines, and you will even find it in some Sherries.
Muscadet Sevre et Maine Domaine du Moulin Camus, The Wicklow Wine Company, €15.95
A very good example of Sevre et Maine. Dry with a soft texture and gentle citrus flavour. Excellent with seafood.
Enseduna Muscat, Worldwide Wines Waterford, €13.95
The Muscat grape is used in the making of wine in many countries, including Greece, Italy and Australia. This one is from the south of France and uses a variety of the grape called Muscat Petits Grains. The blend is a dry white and makes a nice aperitif.
Quinta da Lixa Vino Verde, O’Briens €12.95
I’m including this one in the listing because O’Briens says it is “Muscadet style”. It’s a Portuguese Vinho Verde. It goes well with seafood and is good value.
MICHAEL WOLSEY
william pater says:
Hello everyone i Am williams pater and i am from USA i am here to give my testimony about an herbal doctor called Dr,olu I was heartbroken because i had very small penis,not nice to satisfy a woman, i have been in so many relationship, but cut off because of my situation, i have used so many product which doctors prescribe for me, but could not offer me the help i searched for. i saw some few comments on the internet about this specialist called Dr,OLU and decided to email him on his email i saw on the internet,(drolusolutionhome@gmail.com ) so I decided to give his herbal product a try. i emailed him and he got back to me, he gave me some comforting words with his herbal product for Penis Enlargement, Within three weeks of me use it, i began to feel the enlargement, ” and now it just 4 weeks of using his products my penis is about 8 inches longer, and i had to settle thing out with my ex girlfriend , i was surprised when she said that she is satisfied with my performance in bed and i now have a large penis.thanks to DR OLU for is herbal product. you can also reach him with emsil drolusolutionhome@gmail.com though is..number WHATASPP him today on this number [ +2348140654426 ] …………………….