Jura

Question 1

Where is Jura located?

Answer 1

Mountainous region between Bourgogne and Switzerland, eastern uplift of Saone grabin; 48 miles from north to south (5000 acres, 400 wine growers)

Question 2

What percent of Jura is exported?

Answer 2

10%, but has developed cult following in many countries

Question 3

What wines did Jura historically make?

Answer 3

Red wines for immediate consumption, now make white wines for long term aging

Question 4

Who was an important scientist from Jura and what discovery did he make relating to wine?

Answer 4

Louis Pasteur, discovered and named yeast as the microbe responsible for fermentation

Question 5

What is Jura known as? Why? What is misleading about this?

Answer 5

Mirror image of Cote d’Or, on opposite side of Saone grabin; soils are the exact opposite (Cote d’Or is 80% limestone/20% clay, Jura is the reverse)

Question 6

What is the soil of Jura?

Answer 6

Heavy clay soils- challenging, hard to work when weather wet, dry out quickly when warm and sunny; varied top soil- marl (clay-limestone) in many colors, gravel, and outcrops of pure limestone

Question 7

What is the climate of Jura?

Answer 7

Semi-continental, very cold winters and potentially very warm summers, summer nights tend to stay relatively cool; compared to Burgundy, Jura receives much more rain, creates more disease pressure; risk of spring frost in low-lying vineyards or hail storms

Question 8

When did Arbois AOC get its AOC status? What does the name mean?

Answer 8

Fertile Land; one of first to receive AOC status (1936) due to work of Alexis Arpin

Question 9

How does Arbois AOC compare to other Jura AOCs in terms of size? What is the production? What is the sub-appellation?

Answer 9

It is the largest by volume and size, all five grapes grown there (70% red, 30% white- atypical for Jura); Arbois-Pupillin is sub-appellation

Question 10

What wine is made in Chateau-Chalon AOC?

Answer 10

Wine made as Vin Jaune from Savignin, vineyard evaluated each year with regards to grapes’ alcohol potential, health, and yield

Question 11

Where does L’Etoile AOC derive its name? What wines are made here?

Answer 11

L’Etoile means star, wine region surrounded by five hills form points of a star, limestone soil dotted with star-shaped fossils; Chardonnay most widely planted, then Savignin and Poulsard, only whites can be produced

Question 12

What are the AOCs of Jura?

Answer 12

• Arbois AOC
• Chateau-Chalon AOC
• L’Etoile AOC
• Cotes du Jura AOC
• -Macvin du Jura AOC
• Cremant du Jura AOC

Question 13

What is the size and location of Cotes du Jura? What wines does it produce?

Answer 13

Second largest (after Arbois) mostly in south of region, white wine and cremant top production but all wines can be made

Question 14

How is Macvin du Jura AOC wine made?

Answer 14

Add marc (1/3 volume) to grape must, fortified slurry is pressed and aged in cask minimum ten months; final alcohol 16-20%; mark used is distilled Jura wine pomace, must be aged 14 months in barrel before can be used to fortify must

Question 15

What grapes are used in Macvin du Jura?

Answer 15

All five grape varieties allowed and can be red or white, predominately white, mainly from Chardonnay

Question 16

When was Cremant du Jura awarded AOC status and what % of Jura’s total wine production does it comprise?

Answer 16

1995; over 1/4 of production

Question 17

What are the styles of Cremant du Jura?

Answer 17

90% is white, much 100% Chardonnay (all five grapes allowed), must be at least 70% Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, or Trousseau; brut or demi-sec; Rose Cremant du Jura must be 50% Pinot Noir, Poulsard, or Trousseau

Question 18

What is the term in Jura for aging oxidatively?

Answer 18

With Ullage

Question 19

What does Ouille mean? What wines are made this way?

Answer 19

Without ullage, not legally defined by AOC, means ‘topped up’, mostly seem on whites made from Savignin (since only a few Savignins and blends aged in this manner)

Question 20

What does Sous Voile mean? What wines are made this way?

Answer 20

Under flor/with ullage, most Savignins made in this way were originally going to be Vin Jaune but withdrawn early from aging process; wines made this way experience “Controlled Oxidation” due to semi-permeable surface of yeast; byproduct is aldehyde- aromas of walnut, hazelnut, and spice; usually put “Tradition” on label

Question 21

What style of red wines does Jura make?

Answer 21

Typically light in color, high acid, low tannin; many made for early drinking, matured only in tank or large oak and bottled within first year; some Poulsard made with semi-carbonic maceration

Question 22

Where is Vin Jaune produced? From what grape?

Answer 22

Chateau-Chalon, Arbois, L’Etoile, and Cotes du Jura. Produced from Savignin

Question 23

How is Vin Jaune made?

Answer 23

After fermentation complete wine is transferred to old barrels, not always completely filled, stored in aerated environment with natural temp variations; wine barrel not topped up or moved for 60 months; film of surface yeast (similar to Sherry’s flor) forms- metabolizes ethyl acetate and acids into aldehydes, film protects wine from direct contact with air; unique sherried characteristics and long aging potential, can last for decades; can’t be bottled for 6yrs 3mo after vintage (Jan)

Question 24

How is Vin Jaune bottled? Why?

Answer 24

Must be in 620ml Clavelin, history of bottle says that because significant volume is lost during aging period, myth is a liter of wine is reduced to 620ml

Question 25

What does Vin de Paille mean? Why is the wine called this?

Answer 25

Straw Wine; bunches of grapes historically dried on bed of straw

Question 26

How is Vin de Paille made?

Answer 26

Unblemished Chardonnay, Savignin, Poulsard, and/or Trousseau clusters picked at start of Jura harvest and dried minimum of 6 wks (usually in plastic or wooden boxes stacked in aerated loft space, sometimes hug from rafters); between December and February dehydrated grapes are pressed, fermentation is slow and does not ferment to dryness with natural sweetness and 14-15% alcohol; aged at least 18 months; released at least 3 years after vintage, in 375ml bottles, ages well

Question 27

What are the characteristics of Vin de Paille?

Answer 27

Most made from Chardonnay, Savignin and Poulsard, Pinot Noir not allowed; aromas of candied orange, prune, honey, and caramel

Question 28

When should you drink Jura wines?

Answer 28

Vin Jaune ages well for at least a decade, good vintages last a century
Vin de Paille lasts a decade or more
Macvin matures 5-20 years
Most other bottlings for immediate consumption (2-4 years)

Question 29

What temperature should you serve Jura wines at?

Answer 29

Vin Jaune- 57-60 degrees (not overly chilled), most served at room temp after several hours in wide neck decanter
Vin de Paille- chilled, 43-46 degrees
Macvin du Jura: chilled 43-46 degrees, served as apertif

Question 30

What is the major food production in Jura

Answer 30

Cheese