Series:

The Classic Wine Library

1 total work

Cover of The wines of Jura, Savoie and Bugey
Between them the three eastern French regions of Jura, Savoie and Bugey cover an area of less than 5,000 hectares of vines and produce less than one per cent of French appellation wines. For years these wines were drunk mainly in their respective regions and hardly sold even in Paris, let alone on export markets but that situation has changed dramatically over the last decade or so as wine lovers have begun to seek out lighter wines, wines from unusual grapes and less conventional wine styles, all of which can be offered by one or other of these regions.

Jura leads the pack, not in quantity, but in worldwide interest, with exports having risen from 2% to 10% of its production during the last decade. The region has developed an almost cult following in cities as far flung as New York, Copenhagen, Tokyo and Sydney and its hugely varied wine styles have become the sommelier's choice in trendy wine bars and restaurants in London, Paris and in many US cities. Jura has the highest proportion of organic vineyards in France and it offers wines that suit today's wine lovers. Savoie has its followers too, especially in the US and increasingly in the UK, and exports are rising as quality improves. Bugey is the smallest of the three by far and is often tagged onto Savoie. Its pink fizz, named Cerdon is the only French appellation rose made by the Methode Ancestrale, which gives a semi-sweet low-alcohol sparkling wine, another wine that has a cult following among wine lovers in the US.

Wink Lorch's The wines of Jura, Savoie and Bugey is a comprehensive guide to all three regions, structured to highlight the differences between them, and providing the facts and anecdotes behind the vineyards, the wines and the people making them. Beginning with a thorough and entertaining evaluation of the geographies and histories of the three regions the book goes on to provide an assessment of their climates and soils, grape varieties and methods of production. A whole section is devoted to the producers themselves with an introduction to the trade structure of negociants, co-operatives and single growers in each region.

The wines of Jura, Savoie and Bugey will broaden the knowledge of anybody already interested in this up-and-coming wine-growing area and entice new enthusiasts by introducing the most exciting wines and producers of twenty-first century Jura, Savoie and Bugey.