A match made in heaven

Starters
The famous food match for Muscadet is shellfish and oysters in particular. So, for the sexiest and most sophisticated starter in town, go for six fresh oysters washed down with a glass of chilled Muscadet. However, oysters are not for everyone, so another combination could be simple smoked salmon or trout on buttered brown bread. Otherwise take a look at some of these options:

• Grilled asparagus with lemon butter
• Spiced mussels in a broth
• Lemony couscous salad
• Shrimp tostados
• Warm halloumi salad

Main courses
Again, the obvious match for the main course would be fish. Go for traditional fish and chips, fish pie (Rick Stein combines these favourite dishes with Muscadet in his Cornish restaurant) or a simple fillet grilled with lemon and butter. However, don't be frightened to experiment combining Muscadet with meat dishes. The wine is robust enough to stand against certain meats and the citrus can cut through the richness. Take a look at the recipes below for some ideas:

• Cheese maki
• Fish in a minute marinade
• Chicken tikka
• Oriental-style sesame duck salad
• Lemon and herb crusted pork chops

If it is nice weather, you might want to make your Muscadet meal into a barbeque. The wine would make an excellent accompaniment to the smokey flavours of the grilled fish and meat, as well as being refreshing on a hot summer's day. If you use a herby marinade (but avoid sweet BBQ sauces), this should bring out the aromatic scent in the wine, making you feel you were in the Loire Valley, rather than your back garden!

Cheese or dessert?
Dessert can pose challenges for wine matching, as anything too creamy or sweet can fight with the structure of the wine. With Muscadet, you will want to keep any dessert you have light and clean flavoured, so the wine isn't smothered. Look for things that are fruit based, and not too sweet.

Alternatively, if you want to opt for a cheese course instead, this should work excellently with Muscadet. To really impress your friends with your wine and food knowledge, you could try and track down Fromage du Curé Nantais, a cow's milk cheese which comes from the same region as Muscadet. Having been made in the same environment, this cheese is perfect with the wine. Failing that, a goat's cheese or a Comté would make a sophisticated end to your Muscadet meal.

And finally...
Remember that there are no hard and fast rules. Food and wine matches are very much a matter of taste. This article should have given you a guide to what might work well with Muscadet, but have a play yourself trying different combinations with this elegant and exciting wine.

Drink Muscadet sensibly
The UK Government recommends that men should drink no more than 3-4 units a day regularly, and women no more than 2-3. Most Muscadets are around 12.5 per cent abv. This means that a 125ml glass or a small glass (in a bar) represents just over 1 1/2 units.