Remember that thirstquenching, bone dry white wine from the Loire we used to knock back by the bucketful before Bridget Jones discovered chardonnay? What ever did happen to muscadet? Once all the rage, it went the way of Hungarian merlot, Romanian pinot noir and prawn cocktail. Why? What happened quite simply was that it was washed away by the New World tsunami of chardonnay and sauvignon blanc because it couldn’t compete on flavour and wasn’t oaky or powerful enough.

It’s more than a bit ironic then that in the face of tough economic times, the muscadet region is actually thinking of allowing its winemakers to grow chardonnay and sauvignon in their vineyards. You can hardly blame them if that’s what it’s going to take to survive, but as Jancis Robinson MW has pointed out recently, such drastic measures, along with permitted higher sugar levels, would transform what’s an essentially mouthwateringly crisp and tangy, seafood-friendly dry white into something considerably, well, considerably less mouthwateringly crisp and tangy.

It would be a crying shame, although to be fair, a lot of basic muscadet doesn’t cut the mustard. Having tasted a number of growers’ sur lie muscadets from the excellent 2012 vintage recently however, I was impressed by their deliciously briney character, concentration and unique ability to match shellfish and seafood or drunk on their own as an appetising apéritif. If this summer runs out of steam by the time you read it, many of these will keep happily for next year too.

At the entry level for sur lie muscadet, the 2012 Taste the Difference Muscadet de Sèvre et Maine Sur Lie, £6.99, Sainsbury’s, has the requisite fresh apple and pear fruit and refreshing spritz, while in similar style, only with delightful lemony freshness, appetizingly textured fruit and a granny smith bite, Domaine des Herbauges’ Le Fiéf Guerin, Muscadet Côtes de Grandlieu Sur Lie, £7.99, Waitrose, does more than what it says on the tin.

I love the smoky aromatics and mouthwateringly bone dry freshness of Pierre Sauvion’s Château du Cléray, £8.99, buy 2 = £6.99, Majestic, the fresh fragrance and lively appley fruit quality behind Jérémie Huchet’s aromatic, saline dry Domaine de la Chauvinière, £8.99, Avery’s of Bristol (0843 224 1224), and the same organic grower’s fragrant and satisfyingly full-flavoured, textured ripe apple Château de le Templerie, £6.50, The Wine Society (01438 741177).

Of course 2012 was a terrific vintage across much of the Loire generally, so let’s not overlook excellent sauvignon blanc either, such as Jacky Marteau’s fine, smoky, tongue-tingling Domaine de la Bergerie Touraine Sauvignon, £7.99 - £8.94, Adnams Cellar & Kitchen (01502 727272), Marks & Spencer, and Florian Mollet’s deliciously complex, classically flinty 2012 Roc de l’Abbaye Sancerre, and his equally stylish Pouilly Fumé L'Antique, both £15.99, Sainsbury’s.

Something for The Weekend

Something for the Weekend 17 August 2013

Night In

2009 Asda Extra Special Chianti Classico Riserva

There’s more to this Tuscan red than meets the eye: a sangiovese-based blend that’s invitingly aromatic with full-flavoured dark sour cherry fruit, a delicate undertone of smokiness infused with savoury cherries and a herbal twist. £9, Asda.

Dinner Party

2009 Skilogalee Basket Pressed Shiraz, Clare Valley

Smoky dark berry aromatics and ripe sweet and blackberry fruit endowed with liquorice spice in a generously smooth-textured framework with a lively twist of acidity that could almost be Italian. £17.95, Great Western Wine (01225322810), www.harperwells.com.

Splash Out

2011 Yabby Lake Single Vineyard Chardonnay

Terrific new wave Mornington chardonnay with complex aromas in Puligny Montrachet vein, delicate toasty oak bringing texture and nuttiness to the restrained, honeydew melon fruit with an appetizingly bone dry and mineral finish. £35, SWIG, Hedonism Wine.