Wine-making in the Jura

Hi

Today is Liberation Day in France and a Bank Holiday. Mummy (M) and Daddy (D) are playing in threeconcerts at Schools/local towns. M plays the flute and D the trombone, so already I'm pretty musical. Can't wait to have a go myself. Still no sign of me emerging into the big wide world, but I'm beginning to get a bit restive and M has her bag packed. D is likely to be in the vines on the other side of town when I decide to venture forth and the hospital is 20 miles away, so it could be a close-run thing.... The names are narrowing down too, and so I may not be called Cadwallader or Cressida. Pity, as I was getting to like them.

Thought that I might bring you up to speed on wines in the Jura which, as with every other wine region in France, have their own individuality.Firstly here is where we live http://www.maplandia.com/france/franche-comte/jura/lons-le-saunier/mesnay/ next to the church in Mesnay. Daddy has vines here and at Pupillin, just south of Arbois. Because his wines are in the Appelation area, his wines will be AOC Arbois and AOC Arbois-Pupillin.

The Jura is a department of Franche-Comte, famous for its gorgeous cheese Comté, and it adjoins Switzerland. The Jura mountains dominate the department and Arbois is in the foothills approx 1000ft above sea level. For this reason, the winters are cold with plenty of snow and climatic conditions differ from most other wine-growing regions. As a result their grape varieties are, in the main, unique to the Jura, resulting in fine wines unlike any others.Here is a good guide:
www.jurawine.com/jura-pdf.pdf. Daddy has Savignin, Poulsard, Chardonnay and Trousseau.

M & D still haven't decided on a brand-name for their wines and so GP will continue to call it Ashby Wines for the time being (Hughes Beguet- HB is hache-bé in French). Suggestions on a postcard or by email to patrice@hughesbeguet.com, welcome.
Ashby Organic Wines will probably offer something along these lines:
WHITE
Sparkling White, Light White, Serious White
RED
Light Red, Serious Red
YELLOW
Dessert Yellow, Mellow Yellow

Because it's Year One it isn't strictly organic yet, but Mummy and Daddy are very much into the whole organic and bio-dynamic culture and so they are only putting into the vines and soil what qualifies for organic status. Apparently Organic wine gives you less of a hangover which is good news for GP!

I might get one more post in before I emerge. Clover is a hot favourite at the moment, marginally preferable to Cressida. Should I be a boy, the jury is still out on names, with Auntie Vicky rather dismissing Cyprien, a former front-runner. Ashby seems OK to GP!