Jura Wine Book receives worldwide support

I am delighted to share with you that the Kickstarter Campaign for funds to publish the Jura Wine book reached its target amount yesterday with pledges flowing in from all over the world. It is a testament to the growing interest from wine lovers for this tiny region, thirsty not only for the wines but for more information too.

The verdant Jura scenery: Montbéliard cows for Comté cheese and vineyards close to Poligny ©Mick Rock/Cephas

If you have already pledged, thank you so much and you will have read on the Kickstarter update I posted yesterday that the project now has professional wine photographer Mick Rock of Cephas Picture Library on-board. Mick’s photos,along with some from me, from Brett and others, together with brand new maps by Steve de Long will bring the region and the text to life. Steve has also agreed to design the book and help with the printing logistics.

The Jura Wine Book Kickstarter campaign continues for another 11 days and extra funds will be put to very good use for a more sensible print-run, extending the photography budget and eventually converting this blog into a proper website to help sell the book. I really hope that the sum can be pushed up to £10,000 and beyond (Kickstarter of course take a commission and credit card fees, so what I actually will receive is about 10% less).

Want five books to give away or sell?
Recognizing how many wine professionals were interested, a few days ago I added a new Reward to the Kickstarter campaign for those who pledge at least £95 (about €115 or US$140) to receive five books delivered to one address worldwide next year on publication. If you have already pledged £25 for one book, you can click ‘Amend my pledge’ and then change to the five book option. Of course all who pledge will have their name mentioned in the book as the people who helped get the book published.

Read all the Kickstarter updates here including links to some of the many blog posts written in support.

For those interested in some of the motivation for me using Kicksarter and how it is working, you can listen to an interview with me for IWineRadio recorded a few days ago.

Update on other news
We had some wonderful tastings at Le Nez dans le Vert and in visits afterwards, all good research for the book. We also had two amazing meals in Arbois at La Balance and at the great Jean-Paul Jeunet, and experienced eating local fresh frogs (whole), in season only mid-March to Aprilm at a restaurant outside the region up towards the Jura mountains, Le Moulin des Truites Bleues. I’m hoping that my partner Brett will post a series of articles on these food experiences here or on his own blog soon.

Promoting a prospective and a current wine book with Olif ©Brett Jones

At Le Nez dans le Vert blogger Olivier Grosjean was signing copies of his new book in French Tronches de Vin (slang for ‘faces of wine’), a series of wine producer profiles written by five wine bloggers all with an interest in organic and/or natural wines (it has a preface from Alice Feiring). For anyone who reads French this is well worth buying. Olivier’s writing style on his blog I find hard to understand, but his insightful profiles on 11 Jura producers in this book are much clearer and easier, with somewhat less local dialect and popular argot.

Plans for the Jura trade tasting in London on May 14th are going really well, and I think that the producers are excited, or at least they should be because I hear there have been some great acceptances already. Perhaps this will finally help create a buzz for Jura wine in the UK.
UPDATE: Take a look at the page listing all the producers at the London trade tasting, plus one suggested wine from each if you are short of time.

So all we need now is a book on Jura wine – your support is hugely appreciated!
UPDATE: £14k+ raised – thank you all!