The enduring appeal of Muscadet: 18 fabulous wines to try

The river Loire drains into the Atlantic ocean on France’s western coast just south of Brittany. Stretching between the coast and roughly 120km inland are the vineyards of the Nantais.

This area comprises four Muscadet appellations (Muscadet, Muscadet Sèvre et Maine, Muscadet Coteaux de la Loire, Muscadet Côtes de Grandlieu), along with the three lesser-known APs of Gros Plant du Pays Nantais, Coteaux d’Ancenis and Fiefs Vendéens.

Muscadet’s popularity boomed in the 1980s, notably in the UK. In the vineyard, yields exploded but quality inevitably fell. Since then, a number of leading producers – including Jo Landron, Vincent Caillé, Domaine Luneau-Papin and Domaine de la Pépière – have forged a distinct identity for their wines, and overall quality has increased immensely.

Outside interest in the region is growing: Champagne house Billecart-Salmon invested in Muscadet’s Domaine Bretaudeau in 2023.

But Muscadet still suffers from its stereotyping as a simple, high-acid, oyster-friendly wine, not helped by the volumes of mass-produced, over-filtered, over-sulphured wine still made here at entry level; on average, 40 million bottles of Muscadet are produced annually.