Skip to content
Muscadet (Melon de Bourgogne) grapes on the vine
Photo: Cyril5555, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons (resized)

Grape variety · White

Muscadet (Melon de Bourgogne)

Muscadet is the wine, Melon de Bourgogne the grape: a light, crisp, bone-dry white from near the Loire estuary.

  • White
  • Home: Burgundy, France
  • France

At a glance

Also known as
  • Melon de Bourgogne
  • Melon
Colour
White
Origin
Burgundy, France — a cross of Pinot and Gouais Blanc; moved to the Loire in the 17th century
Main regions
Pays Nantais, western Loire (Muscadet Sèvre et Maine, Coteaux de la Loire, Côtes de Grandlieu)
Varietal or blend
Single variety.
Body & sweetness
Light-bodied, dry, modest alcohol (capped at 12% for basic Muscadet).

Taste & style

Flavour
Lemon, green apple and pear, with a salty, mineral note; lees ageing adds yeasty, bready notes.
Style
Neutral and refreshing; "sur lie" versions have more texture and a slight prickle. Top crus can age for years.

In the vineyard & winery

Growing
Hardy against cold, which is why it replaced vines killed in the severe winter of 1709. Ripens early.
Winemaking
Many wines rest on their lees through winter and are bottled straight off them (sur lie). Oak is rarely used.

Food matches

Notes