History

The vines start about half an hour outside Nantes, on the schist and gneiss between the Sèvre Nantaise and the Maine, and the grape is melon de Bourgogne. What separates Muscadet Sèvre et Maine sur lie from ordinary Muscadet is the élevage: the wine stays on its fine lees through the winter after harvest and is drawn straight off them at bottling, which gives it a faint prickle of carbon dioxide and a texture it would not otherwise have. For decades the appellation was sold as cheap oyster wine and priced accordingly, and only recently have single-parcel growers pushed the region back up.

Common allergens: Sulphites

Make it at home

Yield 4Hands-on 20 minTotal 20 minDifficulty Easy

Ingredients

  • 24 oysters, ideally from the Bourgneuf bay or the Vendée-Atlantique beds
  • 1 bottle Muscadet Sèvre et Maine sur lie, well chilled
  • 2 shallots, very finely chopped
  • 4 tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • Coarsely cracked black pepper
  • Rye or sourdough bread and salted butter, to serve
  • Lemon wedges

Method

  1. Make the mignonette first: stir the shallots into the vinegar with a good grind of black pepper and leave it to sit for 20 minutes so the shallot softens.
  2. Chill the wine hard, to about 8C. Sur lie Muscadet shows its texture better slightly less cold than most people serve white wine, so take it out of the fridge a few minutes before pouring.
  3. Shuck the oysters over a bowl to catch the liquor, working the knife into the hinge and twisting rather than levering. Cut the muscle cleanly from the top shell, then from the bottom.
  4. Set them on a tray of crushed ice, pouring any caught liquor back into the shells.
  5. Serve with the mignonette, lemon, buttered bread and the wine. The saline finish of the Muscadet is doing the same job as the lemon, so go easy on both.

Tip from the editors. Buy from a shop that can name the commune. The gap between a supermarket Muscadet and a bottle from Le Landreau is larger than the price gap.

Where to eat muscadet sèvre et maine sur lie

Muscadet Sèvre et Maine sur lie in Nantes

Muscadothèque ★ 4.6

Wine bar€€GraslinTue-Thu 13:00-23:00; Fri 13:00-00:00; Sat 10:30-00:00; closed Sun-Mon

The Muscadothèque on Quai de la Fosse is the Nantes cave given over to the local vineyard alone, more than 170 wines from 24 nearby growers.

Signature pour: A glass from Château de la Perrière, one of the Nantes federation growers

Wine focus: Pays Nantais only, Muscadet plus local chardonnay and pinot gris

Food: Charcuterie and cheese boards from regional artisans

Tip: Chardonnay and pinot gris sit beside the Muscadet, which is the point the founders are making; tasting evenings run through the month.

61 Quai de la Fosse, 44000 Nantes

La Bourriche ★ 4.2

Wine bar€€GraslinTue-Fri 17:30-22:30; Sat-Sun 11:30-14:30; closed Mon

La Bourriche works one Nantes idea hard on Rue Scribe, oysters from selected producers matched glass for glass with Muscadet and Loire whites.

Signature pour: Muscadet by the glass with half a dozen oysters

Wine focus: Muscadet and regional Loire whites poured against shellfish

Food: Oysters from selected producers and local seafood

Tip: Weekdays are an evening service only; the weekend switches to an 11:30 to 14:30 lunch, which is when the counter is busiest.

30 Rue Scribe, 44000 Nantes

Le Cellier ★ 4.1

Wine bar€€DecréMon-Sat 10:00-20:00; closed Sun

Le Cellier opened on Rue Maréchal Joffre in Nantes in 2024, a traiteur counter and grocery holding over 200 natural, organic and biodynamic wines.

Signature pour: A natural white with the house poultry terrine

Wine focus: More than 200 natural, organic and biodynamic references

Food: Traiteur counter, terrines, charcuterie and croquetas

Tip: Olivier Hochedez and chef Adélie Delajot make a poultry terrine with Muscadet and savory; open bottles are drunk out on the terrace.

66 Rue Maréchal Joffre, 44000 Nantes

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