THE MORNING LIST
During the cooler months of the year, the vine is like us: in “dormancy”. No leaf or fruit on the horizon, except forgotten bunches, dried on the vine, but, for the mountain vineyards, the promise of beautiful landscapes of hillsides drowned in mist or buried under snow. Some are less than thirty minutes from an alpine ski resort or close to cross-country ski trails. Even if the weather is nice, we equip ourselves with snow tires to get there.
In the Jura, for the Yellow Wine Breakthrough
A major wine festival in the Jura vineyards, the Percée du vin jaune celebrates, after six years and three months of aging, the tasting of barrels of vin jaune ready for bottling. The symbolic act consists of piercing the barrel to release the juice that had been trapped until then. This event takes place every first weekend of February, in a producers’ village which changes every year. This twenty-sixth edition marks a return to basics, since it will take place, from February 2 to 4, in the town of Arbois, considered the capital of the vineyard. Arbois is also the very first controlled designation of origin (AOC) in France, recognized in 1936.
This edition therefore promises to be particularly auspicious. As is customary, the public can taste the region’s wines in all the open cellars. It is therefore an opportunity to stroll through the ocher-yellow toned streets of the old town, to admire the historic facades, to pass under the romantic arcades and along the Cuisance, the river which winds along the town. By taking, of course, frequent winemaking breaks. We will have taken care to leave the car at the entrance to the village, and not to pick it up until the next day, after a stop at a hotel. And after a meal with vin jaune.
In Savoie, wines not just for raclette
If the Savoie vineyard only evokes memories of sour wine accompanying cheese fondues for you, it’s time to update your knowledge. Because this vineyard, which appeared in Antiquity, is full of riches under the layer of snow. Savoie produces white, red, rosé, sparkling, and also sweet wines.
Spread over 1,800 hectares, straddling four departments, the Savoyard vineyard is also characterized by the diversity of its grape varieties: twenty-three coexist on this small area. For reds, it ranges from the classic Gamay and Pinot Noir to the more confidential Mondeuse and Persian. In white, Jacquère and Altesse complement the best-known Chasselas, Chardonnay and Aligoté. Unearthing the discreet verdesse, gringet, étraire de la Dui, servanin or joubertin is a treasure hunt, a good activity for those who don’t go up to the ski resorts. Between Chambéry and Montmélian, vines are almost everywhere. A winter hike between Saint-Baldoph and Apremont, or around the vineyards of Chignin, offers a fresh and often sunny breath of fresh air. The regional natural parks of the Bauges and Chartreuse massifs are more sporty. To do with snowshoes on your feet or a drink in your hand, or even both at the same time, accompanied by a mountain guide and oenologist, specialized in this type of route.
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