After a year of absence due to the pandemic, the Jura department is getting ready to celebrate the Percée du vin jaune. The opportunity to discover a vineyard of great quality through its villages, including Cramans, which will celebrate on April 2 and 3 the breakthrough of the barrels. An event not to be missed in the region

Vineyards and beautiful nature

The Jura vineyards used to stretch from the north to the south of the department. It is in the "Revermont country", aroundArbois, city of Pasteur, Poligny, capital of the county, and Salins-les-Bains, a spa town marked by the history of salt, that it is the densest today: beautiful small towns of character, winegrowing villages, animations around the heritage, this country has earned the label "Art and History". Arlay, gateway to the Jura, is said to have seen the first arpents of the history of the Jura vineyards. You can also get to the department via Dole, the former capital of Franche-Comté, a beautiful city set above the Doubs and the canal, dominated by the proud 16th century collegiate church of Notre-Dame. Above the vineyards, the first plateau stretches between 500 and 600 m in altitude. At the very top, the summits culminate at about 1,700 m. At all levels, water has dug chasms and caves along sometimes mysterious underground paths, and has cut deep and astonishing "reculées" into the plateaus, narrow valleys overhung by vertical cliffs. On the first plateau, Champagnole is in the heart of the "Jura Monts Rivières", the cradle of the Ain and other rivers sometimes rushing through gorges, such as the Saine, whose upper valley is now a protected natural site.

Wines of character, emblems of the terroir

Between the peaks of the massif and the vineyards of the Jura, there is a whole world of multiple facets, united however by the singularity of the Jura character. Yellow wine is a surprising product of an unusual terroir and a very specific vinification process, and expresses this singularity magnificently. It is during its long maturation in barrels that the magic of this wine from the Savagnin, the most typical grape variety of the Jura, takes place, escaping the laws that govern all other wines. The Jura winegrowers do not "fill" the barrels with "jaune", i.e. fill them to compensate for evaporation. The legitimate pride of the latter, the emblem of the Jura terroir, the "jaune" would tend to hide the incredible diversity of the wines of this vineyard. One must discover the effect of the terroir on the Chardonnay, learn about the Savagnin by starting with wilted wines, try the reds and in particular the Poulsard (or "Ploussard"), a specialty of Pupillin, near Arbois, through classic or daring food-wine combinations. Get in touch with the Jura and learn to appreciate its jewel, the yellow wine.

Arbois, the capital of Jura wines

Capital of the Jura wines, Arbois is a true condensed history. The Saint-Just church, the Pécauld castle, the Bontemps castle, both built in the 12th century, the Notre-Dame church, which dates back to the 14th century, and the remains of the old city walls remind us that the city was already an active town in the Middle Ages. These constructions were then enriched, in the 15th and 16th centuries, by the Gloriette and Priory towers as well as by the winegrowers' houses that can still be seen today. The Minimes and Ursulines convents as well as beautiful private mansions were built in the 17th and 18th centuries. The arcades of the Place de la Liberté, the main point of convergence between the different streets of Arbois, also date from this period. The fountain in the center of the square is decorated with four lions symbolizing Franche-Comté. There are also some beautiful bourgeois houses from the 19th century. Along the Cuisance, an impetuous river, old bridges and old mills give a bucolic side to the stroll. Finally, don't hesitate to explore the surroundings of this beautiful city: the Planches retreat, its waterfalls, its caves and, of course, all the charming wine villages of the area.

Yellow wine, a mythical grape variety

If the legends date the origin of the yellow wine back to the 13th century, the first writings mentioning this exceptional wine are more recent. The grape intended for the yellow wine is the object of all the attentions from the beginning of the vegetative cycle. Severe pruning, vineyard work, control of yields (50 hectoliters/ha maximum, but often in practice 30 hectoliters/ha), very controlled maturity to determine the day of harvest... The people of the Jura say that you either love it or hate it, but if you love it, it's for life, and if you hate it, it's because you didn't taste it well! And if we easily associate the Jura with Savagnin, the grape variety of the yellow wine. However, there is another white grape variety, the chardonnay, and three reds, less famous but nevertheless very interesting.

Because in the region, there is an excellent wine route.

Between the Bresse plain and the Jura mountains, from Salins-les-Bains to Saint-Amour, the Jura vineyards stretch over the Revermont, a land 70 km long and 6 km wide. Vines have been planted there since ancient times, and were largely destroyed in the 17th century, but were reborn in the early 18th century.We wind our way through, a string of villages and winegrowing towns, all at the foot of sunny hillsides covered in vines. The Comité interprofessionnel des Vins du Jura (CIVJ) proposes to follow the "wine route" on which are listed more than 250 establishments: wine estates, places of accommodation, sites to discover... By following it, you will meet men and women who perpetuate the tradition and produce with a lot of passion wines of exception. They will know how to welcome you and transmit their knowledge and their love of the country. Along the way, you will also discover castles, abbeys, churches, houses and other heritage treasures. A beautiful escapade in perspective.

The Percée du vin jaune, a unique event

And, in your opinion, does the first wine festival in France take place in the Bordeaux region? In Burgundy? In Beaujolais? Not at all! It takes place in the Jura! It is the Percée du vin jaune. After a one-year break in 2021, it is back in Cramans. To deserve the name "yellow wine", the savagnin juice ages in barrels for six years and three months. The breakthrough of the barrel is an event! Wine professionals designate, at the end of a tasting, the best yellow wines: it is the "clavelinage"; each winegrower hopes that his yellow wine will be "claveliné", guarantee of quality. And the public enjoys many shows and festivities with Laurent Gerra, the godfather of this 2022 edition.

Smart info

When will it be held? See you on April 2 and 3, 2022. Attention, this year, the ceremony of the piercing and the mass take place on Saturday. Weekend pass: 35 € per person (including access to the site + 1 tasting glass + 10 tasting tickets per day + shuttles)

How to get there. By car (highways A5, A6, A31, A36, A40 and A39), by train (stations of Dole, Mouchard, Bourg en Bresse, Frasne, Vallorbe or Bellegarde), or by plane (airports of Dole-Jura, Lyon Saint-Exupéry or Geneva).

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