No Sancerre - try Muscadet

I love red wine, and generally lean to ordering reds in restaurants more than whites...I also tend to drink more red wine at home than white wine, due to the health benefits plus the full bodied flavor of many red wines. However when the weather gets warm, sometimes there is nothing better than a crisp and refreshing white wine. I love a good California chardonnay but at times, especially when I'm outside and just want something refreshing, a chardonnay can be too heavy. When it's 90 degrees outside what I generally crave is a Sancerre. Sancerre is in the eastern portion of the Loire Valley and generally is known for the production of a Sauvignon Blanc grape that is very dry, pretty full bodied and minerally, almost grassy on the palate (there is a hint of citrus at times). A Sancerre doesn't have that melon, heavy fruit on the nose that a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc is known for. The high acidity and citrus undertones of a Sancerre make it very refreshing.

Today I went to a great restaurant in Hastings, Buffet de la Gare; and since it was a warm day and it was a French restaurant I asked for a Sancerre. To my disappointment they didn't have a Sancerre by the glass, however the waiter suggested that I try their Muscadet. I was hesitant at first; yes the Muscadet grape is produced in the Loire valley but unlike the Sancerre it's produced on the west side of the Loire (I won't bore anyone reading this on the nuances between how the grapes differ on the different sides of the valley). Lets just say that I was concerned that there would be a "musk" flavor that would be overpowering (like a muscat), but to my surprise the wine was light, dry and acidic, almost like a lighter bodied Sancerre with a less citrus finish. Nice, very nice...