Plateau des Fruits de Mer and a Muscadet Sèvre et Maine Sur Lie at Historic Brasserie Cigale in Nantes, Loire Valley, France (February 2024)

In preparation of the forthcoming Loire Valley Tour 2024 by ombiasy WineTours, Annette and I spent a night in Nantes, where the tour starts. We stayed at Hotel de France, where the group will stay and had dinner at Brasserie Cigale, where the group will have dinner. 

Annette Schiller: What comes to your mind when you hear ‘Loire Valley’? Of course images of glorious Châteaux pop up in your mind. Yes that is true and we will visit some iconic château and dig deep into France’s history. However, during this wine tour we also discover a magnificent, but often overlooked French wine region and one of the most exciting best kept secrets of excellent, high quality wines at very reasonable prices. The Loire Valley wine region is a vast area and consists of several distinct wine regions, each with its own characteristic grapes, appellations, and wine style. We take you on a journey from the Atlantic Ocean to the Auvergne mountains to explore this unique region. We learn to appreciate “Sancerre”, "Pouilly-Fumé", “Vouvray", “Chinon”, as well as many other not so familiar appellations. 

Hotel de France

This 4-star hotel in the center of Nantes, built during the 18th century and recently completely renovated, charmed us with its history, its architecture, its comfort and its bar.

Afternoon Walk

Nantes is a big city and the afternoon walk was quite interesting.

Dinner at Brasserie La Cigale

The restaurant was designed by Émile Joseph Libaudiere in the exaggerated Art nouvou style of the era. On 1 April 1895, the brasserie was opened for business by its first owner, Mrs. Calado.

From the beginning the restaurant attracted a bourgeois clientele that mixed with artists from the nearby theater.  Scenes from several films were shot there.  

Brasserie La Cigale has been clasified as a monument historique.

3-course Menu and Plateau des Fruits de Mer

Annette had a 3-course menu while I had a plateau des fruits des mer. Annette had a glass of Crémant de Loire Brut and I a glass of Muscadet Sèvre et Maine Sur Lie as aperitif.

The Wine: Muscadet Sèvre et Maine Sur Lie

tastings.com: Muscadet Sèvre et Maine Sur Lie refers to a dry white wine from France’s Loire Valley, produced from the Melon de Bourgogne, grape, sometimes mistakenly referred to as the Muscadet grape.

There are three districts that can produce Muscadet Sur Lie (aged on its lees), with Muscadet Sèvre et Maine being the largest and most famous. It is situated southeast of Nantes and is named for two local rivers, the Sèvre Nantaise and the Petite Maine. The soils here are quite rocky, with deposits of quartz and granite.

The typical Muscadet Sèvre et Maine Sur Lie is medium-bodied with a green/straw color with gold reflections. Most are not aged in wood, but have notable texture, thank to the sur lie aging. Acidity is quite good in most years, and because of the soil composition, there is a distinct minerality to theses wines. While they are immediately accessible upon release, most examples drink well for 5-7 years.

The classic pairing for Muscadet Sèvre et Maine Sur Lie is shellfish, especially oysters. It also works well with seafood salad, crab or goat cheese – the tangier, the better! 

Annette: 3-course Menu

Christian: Plateau des Fruits de Mer

Brasserie Cigale offers 3 different seafood plates, for Euro 45, 59 and 75. I took the middle one.

Back to the Hotel 

Next Day: Breakfast with a Gâteau Nantais

This rich yet simple cake has been a specialty in the western French city of Nantes since the 18th century. It’s a tasty mixture of sugar, almonds, butter and Antilles rum from the Antille islands.

The Château des ducs de Bretagne (Castle of the Dukes of Brittany) is a large castle in Nantes. It served as the centre of the historical province of Brittany until its separation in 1956. It was the residence of the Dukes of Brittany between the 13th and 16th centuries, subsequently becoming the Breton residence of the French Monarchy.

schiller-wine: Related Postings 

Announcement: 2024 Tours by ombiasy (Annette Schiller) - Loire Valley, German Classic, Rhône

Summary: Germany "From Berlin to Frankfurt" 2023 (Saale Unstrut, Sachsen, Franken, Württemberg) by ombiasy WineTours

Summary: From Lyon to Paris - Total Immersion in Burgundy and Champagne 2023 by ombiasy WineTours (July 02 - 13, 2023)

Summary: Austria 2023 by ombiasy WineTours - 12 Days: May 28 - June 08, 2023

Maison Guigal in Ampuis, Côte Rôtie, Northern Rhône: Cellar Tour, Tasting and Vineyard Tour - Rhône Valley Tour 2022 by ombiasy WineTours: Wine, Culture and History, France

Tour and Tasting at Château Haut-Bailly, Graves, Appellation Pessac-Léognan, Grand Cru Classé, with Cellar Master Jean Christoph - Bordeaux Tour 2022 by ombiasy WineTours, France

2022 Annual Riesling Party at the Schiller Residence in McLean, Virginia, USA 

Massive Tasting of Bordeaux 1982 - the Vintage that made Robert Parker a Star, USA/ France

Carl Willner, Christian Schiller and Ken Bensley of the German Wine Society/ Washington DC Chapter (Re-)elected to the National Board, USA, Germany 

Kékfrankos - Blaufränkisch - Lemberger: A Grape’s Immigration Story From Central Europe To The US West Coast - Seminar at the 2023 American Wine Society National Conference in St. Louis/ Missouri/ USA led by Annette Schiller

All Sorts of Sparklers: How do the Bubbles get into that Bottle? - Tasting at the American Wine Society (NoVa Chapter) led by Annette Schiller 

Christian Schiller: Re-elected to the Board of the "Weinfeder", the Association of German Wine Journalists

20 Best Washington DC (USA) Alcohol Blogs + Websites (December 31, 2023): #3 schiller-wine by Christian Schiller 

German Wine Tasting at the German Embassy in Washington DC, USA, Presented by Annette Schiller