VinoLoverThe Jura is a small region, covering some 80 kilometres of mountains, forests, meadows and vineyards halfway between Burgundy and Switzerland, with a diversity of very gastronomic wine styles just like the wines of Jerez.
The appellations of Arbois, L’Etoile, Côtes du Jura and Château Chalon are all popular with connoisseurs of wine and gastronomy. Here we explain you all about this region so respected by the best sommeliers in the world.
Characteristics of the Jura
The region is quite similar to neighbouring Burgundy in that they share the same semi-continental climate, with cold winters and warm summers, with rainfall of over 1,000 mm, although winters in Jura are perhaps harsher.
The soil is characterised by Jurassic limestone. In fact, the name L’Etoile is given this particular name because of the star-shaped remains of marine fossils.
Before phylloxera, the area of vineyards was about ten times larger than it is today, at around 2,000 hectares. At the moment, some 50 grape varieties have been catalogued, most of them indigenous.
In Jura there are five grape varieties authorised for AOC wines, two white -Savagnin and Chardonnay- and three red -Poulsard, Trousseau and Pinot Noir-.
Of the six DOs that exist in Jura, four of them are geographical, the AOC Côtes du Jura, AOC Arbois, AOC L’Étoile and AOC Château-Chalon, and two refer to wine styles, AOC Crémant du Jura and AOC Macvin du Jura.
The wines of Jura
The best Jura wines are made from indigenous grape varieties, such as Savagnin, which is used to make a white wine aged with oxidation, and sometimes accompanied by Chardonnay. These are full-bodied wines with notes of nuts such as hazelnuts.
From the Savagnin we also find great examples of a wine known as vin jaune, something similar to the Sherry wines aged under flor. Wines that rest in barrels for a minimum of six years under oxidative ageing and develop pungent aromas of salted almonds. They are ideal with white meats such as roast pork.
For the red wines of Jura, the Poulsard variety is used, which produces perfumed wines with an intense colour but soft on the palate, ideal for accompanying game dishes.
There are also intense wines, made from the Trosseau variety, typical of the north of Arbois. Not to be overlooked, the area produces interesting Pinot Noir wines in the Côtes du Jura appellation.
The most outstanding vignerons of the Jura are André et Mireille Tissot, Jacques Puffeney, Domaine Macle and Pierre Overnoy.
VinoLover
