FRANCE - A Weekend Escape to Jura



One of the best parts about living in France is being able to take weekends away in old wine regions that are bursting with regional flare and flavour. Jura is a 'small' and often overlooked wine region in Eastern France and only a 2.5 hour drive from where I am living in Alsace.





The winter here is a bit longer than most other regions in France which allows vignerons to produce stellar whites and fresh fruity reds. But the region is mostly know for producing Vin Jaune - a nutty oxidative style white wine aged for at least 7 years in barrel. Its lush green landscape with rolling hills also provides the ideal environment for producing (in my opinion) the best cheese in France - Comté. So when I found out about Le Nez Dans Le Vert, a natural wine show showcasing the best of the region I knew it would be the perfect weekend escape. 

We went with a group of friends and rented an AirBnB in Arbois, a beautiful village in the heart of it all. When you travel with a group of French Foodies naturally you make a stop at the best Formagerie and Cave du Vin, before having lunch at a classic Bistro. 
Cheese and Wine Shop 


Lunch at Bistrot Des Claques in Arbois

The region has more to offer than just the wine and food. There are great day walks around the vineyards and through the forests.

Vineyard around Arbois

Finding waterfalls on our walk - Cascade Des Planches

The weekend was off to a good start, as you can see. A highlight was being invited to a tasting at Pierre Overnoy, a humble vigneron who is known around the world for his famous natural wines. Pierre is in his 80's now so his 'spiritual son' Emmanuel Houillon has now taken over after spending the last 20 plus years working alongside Pierre. Tastings at places like these often mean being invited into the home of the winemaker and sitting at a table while you taste a couple wines that aren't available to purchase because everything is already sold out or not yet in bottle.


Inside the home of Pierre Overnoy tasting around the dinning room table

So after a jam packed day of wine and food focused fun, what does one plan for the evening? Stop at the Patisserie for chocolate then back to the house for...more wine!
a nice selection

Artisan Chocolate Patisserie at Hersigner in Arbois

By Sunday morning we were all ready to get to the wine show and start tasting some of the small regional producers wines. The show was hosted at Domaine De La Pinte in their cellar. By 12 noon the place was packed with people chatting and tasting. The smell of freshly fermented wine was in the air and I was ready.

The Jura region produces outstanding wines with old varieties like Poulsard, Trousseau and Savagnin alongside classics like Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Pét-Nat wines are also hugely popular in this region and the fizz is always fun! Well known producers like Domaine Des Cavarodes and Phillippe Bornard were showing some great stuff but the standout wines for me came from Domaine De La Loue and Domaine De La Cibellyne. with a fresh and fruity Trousseau and oxidative chardonnays that truly expresses the regions terroir. 
inside the cellar at the wine show

Domaine Des Cavarodes

Domaine De La Cibellyne- he works only with a horse in the vineyard

Phillipe Bornard



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