Oysters and Muscadet for the Summer Entertaining Win

How to arrange a DIY raw bar and wine tasting experience in 30 minutes

Hi wine friends,

Is there anything more magical than a backyard gathering in the summer? Whether I’m the host or guest, I love relaxing with friends on a patio, snacking and sipping wine as daylight fades and fireflies flicker. 

Of course it’s lovely to serve up a cheese and charcuterie board, but sometimes more of a celebration is in order. Such was the case last weekend, when I packed up the family, and we headed out to the south shore of Long Island to visit friends that we hadn’t seen since the beginning of the pandemic. 

For occasions like these, the quickest way to elevate cocktail hour is by serving up a raw bar. Now you may be thinking: Hell no, I have zero interest in shucking oysters and clams myself. But I’m here to tell you that it’s actually pretty easy, and affordable, to boot. 

As for the wine, there are plenty of good oyster pairings — Champagne, Chablis, Aligoté, etc. But IMHO, those all pale compared to Muscadet. 

For me, Muscadet and oysters is the apex food and wine pairing. It’s a combination of textures and flavors I crave year-round, and return to again and again. When celebrations call, Muscadet and oysters is my answer. 

Here’s how to pull off a DIY raw bar and wine tasting experience in a snap.

What to Know

First, a bit about Muscadet, a white wine that’s delicate and dreamy — perfect for a summer evening. It’s a popular misconception, but Muscadet isn’t actually a grape; it’s a region. Muscadet is located in France’s Loire, in a coastal location where the Atlantic Ocean meets the Loire River. 

There are seven growing areas within Muscadet, but the most highly regarded is Muscadet Sèvre et Maine. Southeast of the city of Nantes, on rolling hills, this area consistently delivers high-quality bottles at around $20.

The grape that makes Muscadet is Melon de Bourgogne (or Melon Blanc or just Melon). These wines are actually similar to oysters: subtle and minerally — ephemeral even. Muscadet is dry, though a fruitiness (pear, white peach) and grassiness comes through, along with lemony fresh acidity. And there’s a streak of saline and stony minerality that runs through each sip. The wines are lighter bodied and low alcohol, at around 12% ABV. 

Some Muscadet wines are just so-so: simple and refreshing. But the ones I seek out are the best versions, with layers of flavor and complexity. That’s due to a winemaking technique that appears on bottles as “sur lie.” It means the wine has stayed in contact with spent yeast cells (lees) for weeks or months after fermentation. The lees contact, especially when stirred, give the wines additional bread-like aromas and a creamy texture. 

These attributes work in concert to make Muscadet food friendly, pairing well with lighter fare, like salads, fish, chicken, and goat cheese. But it’s with raw seafood — especially oysters and clams — that Muscadet comes alive. Follow a briny mouthful of oyster with a sip of Muscadet for a revelatory experience: The flavors ebb and flow like a tidal eddy. The wine’s subtle fruitiness, creaminess, and minerality mimics the oyster itself. Muscadet tends to finish on an acidic note with a shot of salinity, leaving your mouth watering. It’s truly delicious. 

How to Do It

I set up my DIY raw bar and wine tasting experience last weekend in under 30 minutes. 

Total cost was $76, broken out to three bottles ($60) and 2 dozen bivalves ($16). That’s pretty incredible — you could hardly get a dozen oysters and two glasses of wine for that price in a restaurant.

For the evening, I chose three of my favorite Muscadets, which had spent different amounts of time on the lees — from several weeks to two years (which is rare!). I was interested in hearing my friends’ opinions on which paired best. 

In the afternoon, I picked up the clams and oysters at a local seafood shop. Other great additions would be stone crab claws, sea urchin, boiled shrimp, or whatever else strikes your fancy.

At the house, I laid out a platter, filled it with ice cubes, and got busy shucking the oysters. I used a Melocean oyster shucking knife, after watching this video. Then I moved onto the clams. Note that you need a different knife for the clams. Mine is from Farberware, and here’s my go-to video. 

While I was shucking, my friend cut lemon slices, picked fennel fronds from the garden for garnish, and whipped up a mignonette. We arranged the seafood on the platter and laid it out on a table.

Then, we took the wines out of the fridge and grabbed some glasses. And added a bowl of fennel-scented taralli crackers on the side. And that’s it — we were good to go.  

The rewards of sipping Muscadet and slurping oysters poolside as the sun set was well worth a bit of elbow grease. It was a memorable evening — and a game plan I’ll be returning to again and again.

Three to Try

For ease of ordering, I sourced all of these wines at Astor Wines, a NYC shop that ships nationally. 

La Pepière, La Pépie, Muscadet Sèvre et Maine 2020 ($16)

If you’re anything like me, you love a sub-$20 stunner. La Pepière is a practicing organic, low intervention producer whose wines consistently overdeliver for the price. This one is racy and crisp, with pear and white flower notes, a hint of creaminess from several months on lees, and a salty zing at the end.

Domaine de la Roche, Goulaine Muscadet Sèvre et Maine 2015 ($22)

If you can find a Muscadet from an older vintage, try it! This bottle, from a biodynamic producer, shows the magic of a Muscadet with age. Notably, this wine was aged for two years on its lees, then a few more in bottle, giving it a complex, almost cheesy note (but in a good way!) and a mouthfilling creaminess, counterbalanced by fresh acidity. It’s one of the more complex Muscadets I’ve tried, and well worth the price tag. 

Domaine Michel Brégeon, Muscadet Sèvre et Maine Sur Lie 2018 ($22)

Top pick. This was the crowd favorite at my tasting. It has an intensity of flavor that wowed us: lemon rind, honeysuckle, sea salt all dialed up to 10. It starts out crisp and tangy and evolves on the palate with richness and a fuller body for a Muscadet. The wine comes from Domaine Brégeon, a benchmark producer of Muscadet that is certified organic. 

That’s it for this week. I’d love to hear from you on social — I’m on Twitter and Instagram. If you haven’t already, please follow me, and feel free to DM with wine questions. I’m always happy to chat. 

Cheers,

Erica