In 2003 (zomg, this was 6 years ago!) I spent a college semester in Nantes, France. I believe this was fall quarter of my 2nd senior year of college. Not that it matters.

My host father, Yvon, was a total wino. I have no idea what he did for a day job, but he drank like a fish on the brink of dehydration. One bottle a night was considered “cutting back” in his mind. His wife was a “functionnaire” – a job I aspire to.

My fellow housemates (two Chinese and one Norwegian) and I had a saying for him: une bouteille à six (one bottle for six), because he would break out an entire bottle for dinner and drink it all himself. But since there were six of us at the table, it was a bottle for six. You get the picture. This bottle was almost always Muscadet, an uber-dry, white wine from the Loire valley. Yes, he had a fully stocked wine cellar. Yes, I am totally jealous.

Before my study abroad in France, I rarely drank. If I did, it was usually at a Frat or house party with loads of drunkies about to pass out from the hard-A and roofies. (Cautionary tale: a couple of my friends and I got slipped roofies once or twice. It wasn’t a pretty picture. Females, always know what you are drinking and where it came from.) I never tried wine before my foray abroad, and always thought beer was nasty. You know it is, don’t claim otherwise.

But when I arrived in France, a whole new world was opened before my eyes. Wine is beautiful. It can by dry, sweet, fruity, sour, and everything in between. And it almost never tastes bad. (Unless y0u buy this. It is crap, and I don’t care if it is cheap. Three buck Chuck is better than this shit unless you are already drunk, at which point who cares?)

But by far, Yvon’s favorite wine was Muscadet. To my knowledge, it is only produced in the Loire Valley. For lovers of uber-dry wine, it is worth every penny. And this is coming from someone who was taught that any wine over $4 was too spendy.

If you don’t like really dry wines solo, try it with steamed muscles and clams or shrimp pasta. It is sure to become an instant favorite.