Muscadet is a white
French wine. It is made at the western end of the
Loire Valley, near the city of
Nantes in the
Pays de la Loire region neighboring the
Brittany Region. More Muscadet is produced than any other Loire wine. It is made from the
Melon de Bourgogne grape, often referred to simply as
melon. As a rule in
France,
Appellation d'origine contrôlée wines are named either after their growing region or after their
variety (the latter in
Alsace only). The name
Muscadet is therefore an exception. The name seems to refer to a characteristic of the wine produced by the melon grape variety:
vin qui a un goût musqué - 'wine with a musk-like taste'. Though wine expert
Tom Stevenson notes that Muscadet wines do not have much, if any, "muskiness" or
Muscat-like flavors or
aromas. The sole variety used to produce Muscadet, Melon de Bourgogne, was initially planted in the region sometime in or before the 17th century. It became dominant after a hard freeze in 1709 killed most of the region's vines.
Dutch traders who were major actors in the local wine trade encouraged the planting of this variety and
distilled much of the wine produced into
eau de vie for sale in
Northern Europe.