Muscadet is a light and refreshing dry white wine, so you want to make sure you match it with the right kind of food, to make the most of its delicate flavours.

Muscadet makes the perfect accompaniment to seafood and fish, however it is a versatile wine and can be combined with any or all stages of a meal, if you choose your dishes carefully. So, if you're having people round for the evening and you're stuck for ideas, have a go at this Muscadet menu.

The principle of matching food and wine is to find something that reflects or contrasts with the wine you are drinking. If you get it right, then the food and the drink should both taste much better for being consumed together. Each course here has five suggested recipes as well as some general guidelines, so you can mix and match to make a meal to suit your tastes.

Aperitif/drinks party
Muscadet is a lovely choice if you have friends around for drinks, or if you are offering people a drink before lunch or dinner. The crisp flavour and structure appeals to almost everyone and because it is dry and has a faint fizz, it will also make people's mouths water in readiness for the meal you have prepared.

Light cheese nibbles are a great idea as the citrus tones in the wine cut against the saltiness in the cheese. Goat's cheese is a particularly good match, as the slight sourness brings out the green apple flavours in the wine. So, for pre-dinner nibbles, here are some options you could try:

• Sweet and savoury squares
• Goat's cheese mini pizzas
• Antipasto platter
• Apricots with Prosciutto
• Smoked salmon on cream cheese biscuits with chive and lemon cream

Alternatively, something simple like salted nuts, olives or salt and pepper crisps would also work as a great appetiser with this type of dry wine.

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.