France
Maison Henri Poiron traces its winemaking roots to the early 1800’s. The family estate Domaine des Quatre Routes consists of 40 hectares in Maisdon sur Sèvre, in the center of the Muscadet wine region outside of Nantes. Moderate breezes from the Atlantic assure ideal conditions leading up to harvest. The wine is bottled on the lees to preserve maximum freshness. Eric Poiron now runs the domaine, where he makes traditional Muscadet sur lie from 3 specific sites, using sustainable farming methods and both manual and machine harvesting. The domaine follows the principles of Terra Vitis, an organization that promotes using only natural products, no chemical pesticides or herbicides, and farming techniques that respect nature and the patrimony of the land. Hugh Johnson refers to Muscadet as “Neptune’s Vineyard”, as Muscadet is the perfect wine with oysters, shrimp and other “fruits de mer.”
