Jura

Question 1

Jura shares a border with what other country

Answer 1

Switzerland

Question 2

What are the three main red grapes of the Jura

Answer 2

Poulsard (Ploussard), Trousseau, and Pinot Noir

Question 3

What is the variety of dry white wine of the Jura

Answer 3

typically 100% Chardonnay (Gamay Blanc), although Savagnin—known locally as Naturé and elsewhere as Traminer, the relative of Gewurztraminer—may be added as a blending partner. Rosés can include all five grapes, and are usually made in the vin gris style.

Question 4

What is the grape variety of Vin Jaune

Answer 4

Savagnin

Question 5

Which grape variety is excluded from vin de paille production

Answer 5

Pinot Noir

Question 6

Beyond Côtes du Jura, what are the three communal appellations in the region of Jura

Answer 6

Arbois AOP
L’Etoile AOP
Château Chalon AOP.

Question 7

Arbois

Answer 7

Arbois, the Jura’s leading wine village and home of Louis Pasteur, covers 12 communes producing all styles of Jura wine. A single commune, Pupillin, may append its name to Arbois.

Question 8

L’Etoile

Answer 8

L’Etoile, a white wine-only appellation, takes its name from a local fossil, shaped like a five-pointed star. The wines may contain Chardonnay, Poulsard, and Savagnin, and are generally bottled late in an oxidative style.

Question 9

Château Chalon AOP

Answer 9

Château Chalon AOP is a commune—not a producer—specializing in the vin jaune, or yellow wine, of the Jura. Produced exclusively from Savagnin grapes grown on the local limestone and marl, the wine is deliberately oxidized and may age for decades. After fermentation, Savagnin—also called Naturé—is kept in barrel until December 15 of the sixth year following the harvest. The wine is not topped off during this period, and a voile, or veil, develops. The voile is a film-forming yeast that covers the wine’s surface, similar to the flor of Jerez. The resulting wine is aldehydic, with nutty, almost curried flavor carried on a delicate, dry palate. Unlike sherry, vin jaune is not fortified. Château Chalon wines must be bottled in a clavelin, a squat 62 cl bottle, and represent the classic vin jaune style. In poor vintages like 1980 or 1984, the Château Chalon wines may be declassified to the less-specific Côtes du Jura AOP.

Question 10

What is Nature in the Jura

Answer 10

Savagnin

Question 11

Macvin du Jura AOP

Answer 11

Vin de liqueur is produced as Macvin du Jura AOP, wherein aged Marc is added to unfermented grape must, resulting in a sweet, unfermented but alcoholic grape juice. Macvin du Jura may be red, white, or rosé, and must be aged for one year in oak after mutage.

Question 12

Crémant du Jura AOP

Answer 12

Méthode traditionelle sparkling wines are released under the Crémant du Jura AOP, a newer designation established in 1995