Melon

A white grape variety that grows largely in France’s Loire Valley, Melon de Bourgogne—also known simply as Melon—originated in Burgundy, until it was transported to the Nantes. A pale green grape in the vineyard, Melon thrives in cooler climates and in vineyards with mineral soils.

It is now famous for its light, clean, seafood-friendly style of wines that are made entirely from the Melon grape. The appellation with which the grape is associated is called Muscadet.

France

In the Loire, Muscadet is often produced “sur lie,” meaning it is left to age atop the lees, or dead yeast cells. This process softens the resulting wine and rounds off the edges from what can be a very acidic and sharp wine. Bottles produced in the sur lie manner can age for several years, but bottles that do not have lees contact are typically consumed younger and are better as youthful expressions of the Melon grape. One of the most common pairings of Muscadet from the Loire Valley is with oysters, which come from the same region as where this wine is produced.

Global Production

Although Melon de Bourgogne was, until recently, almost exclusively grown in France, it is now grown in Washington State and Oregon, too. In Oregon, the grape is known only as Melon, and has been grown since 2007. In Washington, the grape is grown on Bainbridge Island, across the Puget Sound from Seattle.

Synonyms: Auxerrois Gros, Biaune, Blanc de Nantes, Bourgogne Blanche, Bourgogne Vérde, Bourgogne Verte, Bourguignon Blanc, Clozier, Feher Nagyburgundi, Feuille Ronde, Gamay Blanc, Gamay Blanc à Feuilles Rondes, Gamay Blanc Feullies Rondes, Game Kruglolistnyi, Gros Auxerrois, Gros Blanc, Grosse Saint Marie, Latran, Lyonnais, Lyonnaise Blanche, Malin Blanc, Mele, Melon, Meurlon, Mourlon, Muscadet, Perry, Petit Bourgogne, Petit Muscadet, Petite Biaune, Petoin, Petouin, Picarneau, Plant de Bourgogne, Plant de Lons-Le-Saulnie, Roussette Basse, Pourisseux, Roussette Basse, Später Weisser Burgunder, Weisser Burgunder