A couple weeks ago I got a chance to check out the Muscadet night hosted by the iYellow Wine Club as part of their Wines of France Wine School events they have been hosting since late January. The iYellow events are perfect if you’re looking to get into wine… but by no means is this basic wine knowledge. What is great about the French wine events is that they are going very in depth and teach you that there is much more to French wine than Bordeaux or Bourgogne.
Muscadet is grown in Loire which is in the North West side of France. If you’re a fan of Canadian wine Loire should be of interest to you because it’s climate is closer to Canada than say Bordeaux. Muscadet is made from the Melon de Bourgogne grape which you may or may not be familiar with but there are a few wineries in Ontario that make it. It’s a great wine to help survive the harsh winter we have endured because it is basically sunshine in a glass. The wine is bright and citrus with laser beam focused acidity and is best drunk young.
Our evening was hosted by winemaker Pierre-Jean Sauvion. The evening couldn’t have had a better tour guide to explain the ins and outs of Muscadet. He preached the health benefits… Muscadet (apparently) has more Vitamin C than a glass of Orange Juice. What made the evening really special was having the opportunity to taste a tank sample of the 2013 vintage (which had not yet been bottled) and also taste some back vintages. Tasting wines that new and that old is usually reserved to visits right at the winery. iYellow has managed to bring the vineyard experience from Loire right to a back alley in downtown Toronto! General consensus speaking to other people who attended the night was that Muscadet definitely tastes better young (most people preferred the 2012 Chateau du Cleray). If you are looking to brush up on your knowledge of French wine or get introduced to it this is definitely the place to do it.
You can get tickets to other iYellow French Wine School events here: http://iyellowwineclub.com/upcoming-wine-events-tours/wines-of-france-wine-school
