Jura Flashcards
What is Jura’s signature white grape variety?
Savagnin
This variety is native to Jura.
What is the Savagnin grape descended from?
Wild grapes
Which grape varieties are related to the Savagnin grape variety?
- Sauvignon Blanc
- Chenin Blanc
- Petit Manseng
- Sylvaner
- Gewurztraminer (its pink-skinned variant)
What unique wines does Jura create?
- Vin Jaune: France’s only wine product created through the action of suface yeast.
- Vin de Paille: straw wine
- Macvin: fortified must
What styles are white wines of Jura produced in?
- Sous voile (under veil): dry white in oxidative style
- Ouille: non-oxidative
What is an indication of the diversity of wine and stylized wine products in Jura?
It is not uncommon for even small producers to produce 10-15 different wines each vintage.
What factors have wreaked havoc on Jura’s wine industry?
- Mildew
- Phylloxera
- Wars
- Frosts
- Freezes
- Economic depressions
- Recessions
These all wreaked havoc and whittle away the productions numbers to just one-tenth of what they used to be.
What percentage of Jura’s total production is carried out by 3 wineries?
53%
- 1 co-operative
- 2 negociants
Note: the top 11 producers are responsible for 60%.
What are the characteristics of Jura wines?
Good, fresh, vibrant, mineral and moderate in alcohol.
How much of Jura wine is exported?
16%
Where does the Jurassic geological time period (200-145mya) take its name from?
The Jura Mountains
Rock strata dating back to when dinosaurs roamed the earth were first identified here.
What percentage of France’s total wine production is produced in Jura?
Less than half a percent.
What percentage of Jura’s wine production is Cremant?
29% and growing
Who is Louis Pasteur?
A French chemist & microbiologist born in the town of Dole in Jura. He developed milk pasteurization, the anthrax/rabies vaccines, and performed groundbreaking work on alcoholic fermentation. He discovered that yeast is responsible for the fermentation process. (1822-1895)
Who is Charles Rouget?
A winegrower from Salins-les-Bains who wrote an ampelographic compendium in 1897. He was a life-long student of the vine who noted that identical grape varieties often assumed alternate names, especially when grown on different sites and soils. (1828-1899)
Who is Alexis Arpin?
A winegrower and Secretary of the Arbois Viticulture Society, who campaigned against fraud and championed the idea of an appellation of controlled origin for Arboir. His work to authenticate wine origin set the stage for him to be among the first to receive AOC approval in 1936. (1867-1946)
Who is Pierre-Marie-Alexis Millardet?
A Jura-born botanist and mycologist who studied vine diseases. He taught at the Universitites of Strasbourg, Nancy and Bordeaux. He is the creater of the famous “bouillie bordelaise” or “Bordeaux Mixture” that was used to combat mildew.
Together with botanist Jules-Emile Planchon, the two pioneered the grafting of French vines onto American rootstock to protect the vines from phylloxera.
Where is Jura located?
This mountainous region is sandwiched between Bourgogne and Switzerland in Eastern France.
The vineyards lie entirely within the Jura departement which is located in the region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comte.
It stretches from Salins-Les Bains in the north to the town of Saint-Amour in the south.
What name is the Jura winegrowing region known by?
Revermont
What is the climate in Jura?
Continental with alpine influences.
What are the seasons like in Jura?
- long, cold winters
- potentially very warm summers
- summer nights tend to stay relatively cool
How do the Jura Mountains affect the weather in Jura?
They block moisture-containing west winds, so precipitation falls year-round on the mountains’ western flanks (where the vineyards are located).
How much annual rainfall does Jura receive?
Approx. 39-59in/1,000-1,500mm.
(more than Bourgogne)
How much sunshine does Jura receive each growing season?
Between 1,800-1,900/ hours of sunshine.
(more than Bourgogne)
What climate hazards present a threat to Jura?
Similar to other northerly winegrowing areas:
* frost
* hailstorms
* disease pressure (due to moisture)
* etc.
What is a Reculee?
A “blind valley” is a deep, narrow valley common in limestone/karst landscapes. The valley starts abruptly at the point where its stream emerges from underground. Such a valley is formed when permeable soil or rock, such as limestone, rests atop an impermeable sublayer (of dolomite, sandstone, shale, flysch). Water moves through the permeable top layer and erodes it down to the impermeable layer, thereby forming the valley.
How was the Jura landscape created?
During the Triassic through the Middle Jurassic (230-160mya), the area was submerged under a sea. Over these millenia, layers of marl (limestone-clays) formed as sea creatures died, accumulated and compacted. Eventually the land emerged from the sea.
When the Alps rose, the Jura Mountains rose, and the Saone Graben formed. As the Alps continued to rise, they pushed the Jura Mountains westwards, creating a series of folds comprised of sedimentary bedrock that are now plateaus and buttes.
The graben’s uplifts (the Morvan uplands/escarpments of the Cote d’Or and the Jura Mountains) were separated by the Bresse Plain. Over time, blind valleys formed in Jura, creating a distinctive topography.
Where are the vineyards of Jura planted?
- some lie on the south- or southwestern-facing Jura foothills below the first/lower plateau.
- some on the slopes of small limestone hills that detached themselves from the sedimentary bedrock during all the geological upheavals.
- most are positioned between 720-1,475ft/220-450m in elevation.
How do the soils of Jura compare to those of Cote d’Or?
Exactly the opposite despite being positioned opposite one another across the Bresse Plain.
* the base rock in the Cote d’Or is composed of 80% limestone & 20% clay
* Jura is the reverse
Which topsoils are ideal for which grape varieties in Jura?
- Red grapes: red marl
- Savagnin & Poulsard: gray/blue marl (sometimes accompanied by shale)
- Trousseau & Pinot Noir: Gravel
- Chardonnay: pure limestone with sea fossils or limestone-rich marls
How many different grape varieties were planted in Jura by the end ot the 19th century?
42
There were unsuccessful attempts to limit the number of varieties.
How did Jura reduce their large variety of grape plantings?
Phylloxera did what wine law could not. It separated the marginal grapes from those more suited to Jura’s climate.
Name the grapes of Jura.
White:
* Chardonnay
* Savagnin
Rose/Gris:
* Pinot Gris
Red:
* Poulsard
* Pinot Noir
* Trousseau
How long has Chardonnay been documented in Jura?
Since the 14th century.
How much of Jura’s white wines are crafted from Chardonnay?
Two-thirds
Note: most of it is used in cremants
What are the characteristics of the Savagnin grape variety?
- high in acidity
- thick skins
- resistant to mildews/rot
- prefers gray/blue marl soil
What iconic wine is produced from the Savagnin variety in Jura?
Vin Jaune (yellow wine)
Jura’s signature long-aged and long-lived oxidative wine.
What style of wine is the Pinot Gris variety used for in Jura?
It is authorized for Cremant du Jura but is rarely found. It is not considered to be a principal variety.
What is another name for the Poulsard grape variety?
Ploussard (in the village of Pupillin)
What styles of wines are produced from the Poulsard variety?
- Iconic pale-coloured reds & roses
- sparkling Cremant du Jura rose
- Vin de Paille (it forms part of the blend for this sweet wine)
What are the characteristics of the Poulsard grape variety?
- very site-sensitive
- disease-prone
- difficult to grow
- prefers gray/blue marls
Rank the red grapes grown in Jura from most to least widely planted.
- Poulsard (40%)
- Pinot Noir (37%)
- Trousseau (23%)
What styles of wine are produced from the Pinot Noir grape in Jura
- Macvin du Jura
- Cremant du Jura
- some red wine as well
Where in Jura is the Pinot Noir variety grown?
Mainly in the southern portion of the region.
Although it is vulnerable to frost, it ripens dependably and is usually the first grape to be harvested.