A Catastrophic winter

 

Saturday 3rd August

Flicking through another book on the shelves here, I found this little story: there was a catastrophic winter in 1709, so cold the sea froze over near the Loire estuary, the vines were destroyed. The wine growers, or vignerons, replanted with a white grape that was more resistant to frost. Melon de Bourgogne was its name, known locally as Muscadet. Inexpensive, it is one of the classic wines of France – Muscadet de Sèvre-et-Maine, awarded an Appellation Contrôlée in 1926. A crisp, dry white it is perfect with shellfish and seafood. 

The vineyards lie south and east of Nantes and the rivers are the Sèvre and the Maine. Much of the wine is named Muscadet-sur-Lie and it is slightly petillant. I thought Lie was a river but now I discover the term means wine that has been left to drain naturally after fermentation while still in contact with the lees. A small amount of carbon dioxide is retained after bottling, which gives the slight “fizz.” Usually wine is drained, racked off and put into a fresh cask. So now I know a little of the history of the wine I love drinking!