When news of the viral Forty Ounce Rosé hit last spring, I scoured New York wine shops to get my hands on a bottle. Midtown, downtown, Brooklyn — everywhere I checked, it was sold out. Ironically, it was when I had given up on trying the viral sensation that I wandered into my local shop to find a healthy supply not only of the rosé, but of its under-the-radar white wine sibling. I eagerly snapped up two bottles of each.
Nearly a year later, I craved a simple, fresh white to pair with some of the first asparagus of the season. Hiding in the corner of my fridge was the promise of spring blossoms to come, a reminder of fresh produce, warm days, and endless sunshine. The Forty Ounce Muscadet 2016 is just the thing to banish winter doldrums and pair with an array of green veggies.
Most assume that Muscadet is the name of the grape that produces clean, acid-driven white wines on the coast of France. Not exactly. Muscadet is actually the region in which these wines are produced, situated in the western Loire Valley, where the river spills into the Atlantic Ocean. By law, Muscadet must be made exclusively from the Melon de Bourgogne grape. Since Melon de Bourgogne is rarely found outside Muscadet, the two are almost always linked.
While more intricate styles of Muscadet can be found in nearby regions like Muscadet Sèvre-et-Maine, the Forty Ounce Muscadet is an excellent example of the simple pleasures that the standard Muscadet AOC can provide. In classic fashion for this less aromatic variety, few notes jump from the glass, just giving off hints of citrus and rocky minerality. Prepare for a blast of acidity on the palate, like an icy ocean wave knocking the feet out from under you. The flavors are not complex, merely a squeeze of tart lemon and a dash of sea salt, but they are utterly refreshing and vitalizing. As we muster up the energy to slosh through the final dregs of winter, reach into your brown bag and clutch this forty close. It’ll get you through.
