I have spent many weekends at different wine fairs and tastings since moving to Dijon, most of them indoors in conference centers. This is what I expected this when I headed to Jura for the La Percée du Vin Jaune, but I was in for a surprise.
Every street was decorated
Even the windows were painted
Street signs hint at a normal village
My friend and I took the train towards Poligny. When people started pulling out wine bottles we quickly realized that this would be a different tasting event than what we had been to before. People boarding the train in an array of costumes confirmed out thoughts. Arriving in Poligny we joined the crowds to walk through the outskirts of town towards what we had now realized would be a festival rather than a tasting.
Crowds walking towards town
Even painted barrels are used as decoration
Arriving at the gate, we realized that this event would be similar to the one in Auxey-Duresses where we walked from cellar to cellar within the town center. After showing our tickets we were issued with a glass, a glass pouch and 10 vouchers for glasses. To our surprise the vouchers we not just for vin Jaune, but also for normal wine, Crémant and even Sherry. Made in a way similar to Sherry, Vin jaune is late harvest Savagnin grapes, aged in barrels under a protective layer of yeast – this limits the oxidation of the wine. Unlike Sherry, Vin jaune is not a fortified wine.
The glass and ticket pouch
Joining the party at the village square
One of several bands playing music in the streets
As we entered the city center we tried some Crémant from the first place we could find. It was good with nice bubbles, but a quite acidic – something that would become the theme for the day. Moving on, we ended up in a big square with a DJ playing music and people already dancing in the early afternoon. I had seen a bunch of people with super pretty green and white beanies with the logo for Compté cheese that I ended up finding in one of the cheese shops – of course I had to buy one.
Tasting all the cheese!
Making Comté cheese
We spent the next few hours walking around taking in the sights of the town and trying various wines. The Vin jaunes were a bit sweeter than the Sherries, so I liked them better. The only wine that was not from Jura was in fact Sherry. This was the place with the longest line, but it was worth the wait. The best wine I found was a sparkling rosé made from Pinot Noir grapes which I ended up buying a bottle of. We also bought a bottle of BIO Chardonnay which we enjoyed as we walked around as well as on the train back home.
A portable wine making truck
Awesome way to grow plants!
As the day moved on more and more people arrived. The lines became really long, and at one point we were not sure we would be able to use all our tickets. We realized that if we gave two tickets we would get a double pour, so that is what we ended up doing. As we walked towards the outskirts of town it started pouring, and after a full day of walking I was very excited to sit down on the train. While it was not the day I thought I would have, it was definitely a fun adventure.
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