Top 100 wines of Jura - Page 10

Discovering the wine region of Jura

The Jura is a small wine region in eastern France that is responsible for some very special and traditional wine styles. It is close to the Swiss Jura, but quite distinct from it. Wedged between Burgundy to the west and Switzerland to the east, the region is characterized by a landscape of Wooded hills and the winding topography of the Jura Mountains. The Jura vineyards cover just over 1,850 hectares, forming a narrow strip of land almost 80 km Long from North to South.

The total area is steadily increasing, but is still less than one-tenth of the area planted with vines two centuries ago, before Phylloxera decimated the region's vineyards. Jura wines are sold under five main appellations, the most important of which are Arbois">Arbois and Côtes du Jura. Five main Grape varieties are used in the region's wines - three traditional and two more modern imports. The first of the local varieties is Poulsard (or Ploussard as it is called in the communes of Arbois and Pupillin), a red grape that accounts for about a fifth of the region's plantings.