''Vin jaune'' ( French for "yellow wine") is a special and characteristic type of white wine made in the Jura region in eastern France. It is similar to dry fino

Sherry Sherry ( es, jerez ) is a fortified wine made from white grapes that are grown near the city of Jerez de la Frontera in Andalusia, Spain. Sherry is produced in a variety of styles made primarily from the Palomino grape, ranging from light versi ...

and gets its character from being matured in a barrel under a film of yeast, known as the ''voile'', on the wine's surface. ''Vin jaune'' shares many similarities with Sherry, including some aromas, but unlike Sherry, it is not a fortified wine. The wine is made from the

Savagnin Savagnin or Savagnin blanc (not to be confused with Sauvignon blanc) is a variety of white wine grape with green-skinned berries. It is mostly grown in the Jura region of France, where it is made into Savagnin wine or the famous vin jaune and vi ...

grape, with some of the most premium examples coming from the marl based vineyards in the Château-Chalon AOC. In other French wine regions, there has been experimentation in producing similar style wines from Chardonnay and other local grape varieties using cultured yeast such as the ''vin de voile'' wine produced in the

Gaillac Gaillac (; ) is a commune in the Tarn department in southern France. It had in 2013 a population of 14,334 inhabitants. Its inhabitants are called Gaillacois. Geography Gaillac is a town situated between Toulouse, Albi and Montauban. It has ...

.J. Robinson (ed), ''"The Oxford Companion to Wine"'', Third Edition, p. 750, Oxford University Press 2006,

Production

Vin jaune is made from late harvest Savagnin grapes, a white variety in the

Traminer Savagnin or Savagnin blanc (not to be confused with Sauvignon blanc) is a variety of white wine grape with green-skinned berries. It is mostly grown in the Jura region of France, where it is made into Savagnin wine or the famous vin jaune and vi ...

family which is less aromatic than the better-known

Gewürztraminer Gewürztraminer () is an aromatic wine grape variety, used in white wines, and performs best in cooler climates. In English, it is sometimes referred to colloquially as Gewürz (; although this is never the case in German, because "Gewürz" me ...

. The grapes are usually harvested in late October when the sugars have developed enough to have a potential

alcohol level Alcohol by volume (abbreviated as ABV, abv, or alc/vol) is a standard measure of how much alcohol (ethanol) is contained in a given volume of an alcoholic beverage (expressed as a volume percent). It is defined as the number of millilitres (mL) o ...

of 13–15% for the finished wine. The grapes are

fermented Fermentation is a metabolic process that produces chemical changes in organic substrates through the action of enzymes. In biochemistry, it is narrowly defined as the extraction of energy from carbohydrates in the absence of oxygen. In food p ...

slowly and then kept in small old oak casks that hold 228 liters (60 gallons). The casks are not topped up, as they are with most wines, so an air gap appears above the wine due to evaporation. A film of yeast grows over the wine, protecting it partially (but not totally) from oxidation. In Jura, this film is called the ''voile'' ( veil), but it is similar to the more familiar " flor" in Sherry production. The ''voile'' yeast has many similar properties to "flor" but thrives better in a lower alcohol environment and develops less heavily and thickly than "flor" does. The ''voile'' typically takes two to three years to develop fully. During this time the wine is exposed to slight levels of oxidation that provoke chemical changes that produce acetaldehyde (as well as ethanol, standard alcohol) and the

aroma compound An aroma compound, also known as an odorant, aroma, fragrance or flavoring, is a chemical compound that has a smell or odor. For an individual chemical or class of chemical compounds to impart a smell or fragrance, it must be sufficiently v ...

of sotolon. These compounds contribute to the unique flavors and aromas associated with vin jaune. Winemakers must carefully observe the wine throughout the aging process as there is a risk of it developing the

wine fault A wine fault or defect is an unpleasant characteristic of a wine often resulting from poor winemaking practices or storage conditions, and leading to wine spoilage. Many of the compounds that cause wine faults are already naturally present in wine ...

of volatile acidity. The wine acquires its characteristic yellow color and nutty flavors as it ages for the requisite time of six years and three months, the time that must elapse between harvest and bottling, although at certain points during this time the wine is not necessarily in the cask. After the allotted time, only about 62% of the original wine remains. The ''vin jaune'' is then bottled in special squat

bottles A bottle is a narrow-necked container made of an impermeable material (such as glass, plastic or aluminium) in various shapes and sizes that stores and transports liquids. Its mouth, at the bottling line, can be sealed with an internal stop ...

that hold 62 cl (21

ounce The ounce () is any of several different units of mass, weight or volume and is derived almost unchanged from the , an Ancient Roman unit of measurement. The avoirdupois ounce (exactly ) is avoirdupois pound; this is the United States customa ...

s), called ''clavelins''. Historically the bottle size alludes to the amount of wine left over after six years of aging and evaporation.

Wine regions

The '' Appellation d'origine contrôlée'' regions permitted to produce vin jaune include Château-Chalon AOC, Arbois Vin Jaune AOC, Cotes du Jura vin Jaune AOC and Vin Jaune de L'Etoile. Those protected "appellations" have existed since 1936. There are also a few other vin jaune-style wines made in France outside the Jura region, such as Gaillac. The term ''vin de voile'' referring to the yeast film, thus indicates this style of wine.

Wine style and serving

Vin jaune is often served at cellar temperature 13–15 °C (55–60 °F) and the wine is sometimes decanted, exposing it to more oxygen prior to serving in order to stimulate the wine's unique aromas. The wine can be paired with savory food dishes with local Jura cuisine often including chicken recipes where the wine is cooked with the chicken itself and as a sauce component. Another common pairing is the local Comté cheese that is produced in the Franche-Comté region.

La Percée du Vin Jaune

A festival called ''La Percée du Vin Jaune'' (Opening of the Yellow Wine) is held in the last week of January or the first week of February each year to celebrate release of the newly released vintage, which due to the legal requirements for aging will be the one harvested in the autumn seven years earlier. Recent events, including tasting sessions, have attracted over 30,000 visitors. Each year, a different venue is chosen. They are as follows: * 1997 : Poligny * 1998 : Arbois * 1999 : Château-Chalon and Voiteur * 2000 : L'Étoile * 2001 : Gevingey * 2002 : Montigny-lès-Arsures * 2003 : Arlay * 2004 : Cramans * 2005 :

Saint-Lothain Saint-Lothain () is a commune in the Jura department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in eastern France. Population See also *Communes of the Jura department The following is a list of the 494 communes of the Jura department of F ...

* 2006 : Lons-le-Saunier * 2007 :

Salins-les-Bains Salins-les-Bains (), commonly referred to simply as Salins, is a commune in the Jura department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in Eastern France. It is located on the departmental border with Doubs, 34.8 km (21.6 mi) to the south-southw ...

* 2008 : Vincelles * 2009 : Passenans and

Frontenay Frontenay () is a commune in the Jura department in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté in eastern France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, ...

* 2010 : Poligny * 2011 : Arbois * 2012 : Ruffey-sur-Seille * 2013 : Voiteur * 2014 : Perrigny and Conliège * 2015 : Montigny-lès-Arsures * 2016 : Lons-le-Saunier * 2017 : Not held * 2018 : L'Étoile * 2019 : Poligny * 2020 : Ruffey-sur-Seille * 2021 : Not held ( Covid-19) * 2022 : Cramans * 2023 : Voiteur

Chemical composition

Vin jaune is marked by the formation of sotolon from alpha-ketobutyric acid.

Connection with Medieval Wines

Vin jaune has been found to be produced from grapes that possess identical DNA to grape seeds unearthed in archaeological digs of medieval sites.

References

External links

La Percée du Vin Jaune
mainly in French {{wines French wine Wine styles Jura (department)