Moulin de Gassac Picpoul de Pinet 2024

The grape's name translates roughly as "lip-stinger," and the acidity earns it: this is the wine that gets called the Muscadet of the Midi, all lemon, green apple, and a saline snap on the finish, with none of the Mediterranean weight you might expect this far south. The Guibert family's version keeps it clean and unadorned — stainless steel, no oak, drink it young and cold.

Picpoul grows on the flat, wind-scoured ground around a saltwater lagoon that produces roughly a third of France's oysters, which tells you everything about what to do with it.

Food pairing: Oysters, first and last. Then grilled sardines, fried whitebait, ceviche, or a plate of raw shellfish on ice