the region’s wines are not all simply breezy, warm-weather quaffers.
There’s plenty of light, big-brand Muscadet on the market, often made by large producers and intended to be enjoyed young. But those wines do not portray Muscadet’s destiny.
“The wine styles have changed,” says Jean-Jacques Bonnet of Domaine Bonnet-Huteau. “They are more complex, more mineral and have greater finesse.”
The future for Muscadet Sèvre et Maine lies in the hands of Bonnet and others intent on linking the Melon de Bourgogne grape to the multifaceted terroir from which it comes. Many are children of winemakers and, as common throughout France, have worked around the world and returned home to make great wine.
“The growers have decided to take Muscadet back into their own hands,” says François Robin, communication manager at Fédération des Vins de Nantes, the local wine promotion association.
