A lot of my wine choices have been influenced by my father. He's a keen wine enthusiast, with a particular penchant for French wines. Many of the titbits you will read on this blog are likely to stem from him and I will try to provide the accompanying anecdote. In this case, it's one of the earliest wine tips that I can remember. "If you're going to buy a Muscadet", he said, "one of the things you must look for is whether it is sur lie. If it's not, don't bother." I believe this to be true, and so have since stuck by this rule like it were the first rule of the Green Cross Code. The kind producers of Muscadet often add a sur lie swish to the bottle to help you differentiate.
One of the characteristics of a Muscadet that I like is the hint of effervescence you get on the tip of your tongue. It's this effervescence coupled with the mild tang of acidity that make it a fantastic choice for wonderfully delicate food, such as fresh king prawns with aioli. You don't want the wine to interfere with the delicate food, but equally you want to drink something with more character than water (or its wine equivalents).
This particular Muscadet, a 2008 selected by The Wine Society from the Chereau Carre Estate, is giving me more effervescence than I would perhaps expect, but good on it. It's the kind of experience that puts a little smile on your face with every sip. It leaves behind a lovely acidity, so all in all I suppose it could be likened to eating a mild chili.
Tonight I am enjoying it as a gentle aperetif, but as I say, it would also be perfect with delicate foods.
