Over the past few years, Simon and Piers, both avid musicians, have toured all over Europe and Asia with their rock group. Now that they are back in France, the two friends are performing at the Festival Hellfest Summer Open Air in Clisson. After the concert, they fill their glasses with—naturally—muscadet.
At the end of an exhausting tour, Simon promised he would cross the Channel to visit his girlfriend in England. However, she instead opted to travel to the Loire estuary to sample oysters and muscadet. The young man was a bit taken aback that his girlfriend, a literature student with Japanese origins, liked muscadet, which features citrus and green apple aromas.
Piers, however, an English guitarist living in Nantes, wasn’t surprised at all. Both the British and Dutch are die-hard fans of these refreshing wines, and most of his compatriots are familiar with the traditional pairing of oysters and muscadet.
During his tour, Simon met with young wine aficionados in Germany. Sporting beards and moustaches, these thirty-somethings were on the hunt for fine muscadet vintages.
He got to taste a sip of Monnières-Saint Fiacre, a full-bodied muscadet with a creamy texture. Simon enjoyed the refreshing and slightly bitter wine. A bottle of muscadet is like a musician who knows how to make his guitar weep. Experience, reminiscence, and staying power come through in both the wine and music, not to mention a soft touch and a certain level of tension.
Muscadet steals the show
The two musicians pick up their instruments and start to jam. After finishing a riff on his guitar, Piers asks, “How can you tell between different vintages of muscadet?”
Simon pauses to think. In his mind, there's nothing better. There are three types he likes the most, though—Clisson, Gorges, and Pallet. Freshly inspired, Piers begins to play again. He picks out the bluesy notes of Lenny Kravitz's “Are You Gonna Go My Way”. Simon smiles.
In a way, they aren't unlike their own guitar riffs. The three vintages Simon mentioned have three different profiles—powerful, long-lasting, and creamy. The wines’ flavours are even more colourful and powerful. The two musicians burst out laughing and clink glasses. The wines have their own kind of melody thanks to the magic of style and origin.
In the end, the evolution of muscadet is easy to understand. It’s a bit like forming a band only to eventually become the star of the show. You start off at a small venue, in the same way you would enjoy a glass of muscadet with your friends at a bar. Little by little, you start to make music history. Still, it doesn't happen overnight.
According to Simon, every vineyard is like its own instrument. The winemaker's job is to combine them to make a full band. Their goal is to interpret the terroir. When you taste these vintages, time slows down just like a note of music. That’s why muscadets are being featured at more and more gourmet restaurants throughout the world. Muscadets have become incredibly popular wines. But don't worry...you don't have to be a musician to enjoy them.
Contributor
Christelle Zamora
Editor
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