After three years of presenting their wines in New York, this year an important group of 25 Jura wine producers are descending on Chicago, before continuing onto Canada for tastings in Quebec, Montreal and Toronto. The group includes large and small producers, some already exporting to certain US States and/or Canada, others hoping to gain their first export contracts.
Dates for the tastings are:
Monday April 16th: Chicago
Tuesday April 17th: Montreal
Wednesday April 18th: Quebec
Friday April 20th: Toronto
Note these tastings are for trade only. For an invitation contact Vincent Lafortune.
Exports from the Jura have risen steadily, especially in the past 3 years, and although figures are not available specifically for exports to the USA and Canada, in talking to producers (and seeing for myself the wines widely stocked in New York and San Francisco) these two markets are certainly of growing importance. However, total exports from the Jura remain below 7% compared to, for example, Alsace at 25% and about 33% for France as a whole.
The mix of producers present is interesting. Included are the region’s three largest producers, La Maison des Vignerons (part of Grand Chais de France), Henri Maire and the Fruitière Vinicole d’Arbois (the Arbois wine co-operative); several well established producers are present including Stéphane (Domaine A & M) Tissot, Domaine Rolet, Domaine Montbourgeau, Domaine Berthet-Bondet, Caves Bourdy, Domaine Jacques Tissot and Château d’Arlay; others that should be much better known than they are include Domaine Dugois, Domaine Labet, Jean Rijckaert, Julien Mareschal, Domaine Baud and Domaine Badoz. Also showing are some rising organic stars including Domaine Octavin, Domaine La Pinte, Hughes-Béguet, Champs Divin, Philippe Bornard and Ludwig Bindernagl (Chais du Vieux Bourg).
Each producer will present six wines and no doubt all the myriad of different Jura styles will be available to taste. It’s a fabulous opportunity to get to know these wines for the wine trade and media in the cities represented, and I wish the producers every success.
Jura Wine, Food and Travel 