Blackberry bush. The wild prickly bramble, the fruit of which ripens in September-October.
A doughnut of firm, elastic cheese made with cow's milk. It has white smooth paste and a red, beer washed rind with chillis. It is an industrial cheese made in the Auvergne and is made with pasteurised, with 45% fat (dry). The curds are uncooked and pressed. Cheeses weigh around 450-500 g (1 lb) and the doughnut is 12 cm (5") in diameter. Affinage is one month. The middle section, when cut out, is coated in red wax and sold as Murolait. This cheese is piquant, not to say bitter.
Blackberry (US: bramble berry). Adeline Douard says that, though sources show this to be the 'correct' name for the blackberry, in fact most people call them 'mûre', which is, correctly, a mulberry.
Muscadet is a tart, dry white wine produced around the mouth of the Loire, in 4 wine terroirs around the city of Nantes. Among the best of these are Muscadet Côtes de Grand Lieu, Muscadet Coteaux de le Loire and Muscadet de Sèvre-et-Maine, the latter having the best reputation of these three appellations. It is good with fish, particularly oysters though some migjt prefer Chablis. More Muscadet is produced than any other Loire wine. It is made from the Muscadet grape, a lesser quality variety also known as Melon de Bourgogne, often referred to simply as Melon. In the Muscadet region, wine makers leave the grape juice to rest during winter before putting the wine in bottle. When buying Muscadet look for the words 'sur lie' on the label. This means that the wine has been allowed to rest on its lees (dead yeast cells) for some time after fermentation, imparting a touch of richness to the otherwise dry and steely wine.
A grape variety producing wines which range from pale and dry through to treacly and dark. They are likely to be dry and grapey in Alsace and very strong and sweet if they are from Beaumes de Venise or Rivesaltes.
