Vin de Paille — Jura's Straw Wine

The tradition of drying grapes to make sweet wine in the Jura has deep historical roots. The village of Arlay, in the Côtes du Jura, is considered according to local legend the historic birthplace of Vin de Paille, and it hosts an annual winter festival called La Pressée du Vin de Paille each January or February to celebrate the style. English wine writer Cyrus Redding, writing in the early 19th century, documented passerillage wines in Jura as well as Hermitage and Alsace, confirming how widespread the practice once was across France. The style was far more prevalent in the 19th century, and post-phylloxera replanting in the late 19th and early 20th centuries dramatically reduced its production. Wines from the 19th century still occasionally surface at the annual auction held during the Percée du Vin Jaune festival, testament to the extraordinary longevity these wines can achieve.

• The village of Arlay is celebrated as the legendary birthplace of Vin de Paille; its annual La Pressée du Vin de Paille festival takes place every January to February
• Documented by English writer Cyrus Redding in the early 19th century as a well-established style across Jura, Hermitage, and Alsace
• Far more common in the 19th century; post-phylloxera vine loss nearly eliminated production, and today it accounts for less than 1% of Jura's total output
• 19th-century bottles occasionally come to auction at the Percée du Vin Jaune, demonstrating the wine's exceptional aging potential

The Jura wine region sits in eastern France, located between Burgundy to the west and Switzerland to the east, covering approximately 2,100 hectares under vine. Its semi-continental climate, with warm summers and cold winters, plays a crucial role in Vin de Paille production: grapes are harvested at the start of the main vendange, while the long indoor drying period stretches through the cold autumn and winter months in well-ventilated lofts or cellars, preserving acidity as sugars concentrate. The three authorized appellations, Arbois, Côtes du Jura, and L'Étoile, sit on Jurassic-era limestone and marl soils that give Jura wines their distinctive mineral character. L'Étoile takes its name either from the star-shaped pentacrinite fossils found in the limestone soils or from the star-like arrangement of five surrounding hills, and only produces white wines, including Vin de Paille and Vin Jaune.

• Jura encompasses approximately 2,100 hectares under vine, making it one of France's smallest major wine regions, located between Burgundy and Switzerland
• Semi-continental climate with cold winters allows indoor grape drying to proceed slowly, preserving natural acidity over the three-to-five-month drying period
• Soils are predominantly Jurassic-era limestone and marl, varying in color and composition across the three authorized appellations
• L'Étoile, the smallest of the three zones, produces only white wines; its name is linked to star-shaped pentacrinite fossils found in the local limestone

Vin de Paille is typically a blend of Chardonnay, Savagnin, and Poulsard, though Trousseau is also permitted in the Côtes du Jura appellation. Pinot Noir is explicitly not allowed. Grapes are picked early in the harvest season, selected specifically for health and good acidity, and then set aside to dry. Traditionally this drying took place on beds of straw (hence the name), but today only a small number of producers still use straw; most lay bunches in wooden or plastic crates stacked in warm, well-ventilated attics, where they are checked regularly for rot. The legal minimum drying period is six weeks, but in practice three to five months is common, with pressing typically occurring between Christmas and the end of February. The must, with sugar concentrations of 320 to 420g/L, ferments slowly and naturally until alcohol reaches 14 to 16%, leaving residual sugar of roughly 60 to 130g/L. The wine then ages a minimum of three years total before release, with at least 18 months in oak barrels.

• Permitted grapes: Chardonnay, Savagnin, Poulsard, and (in Côtes du Jura) Trousseau; Pinot Noir is explicitly not allowed
• Drying lasts a legal minimum of six weeks but typically runs three to five months; pressing usually occurs between Christmas and February
• Press yield is only 18 to 25 litres per 100kg of dried grapes; must sugar concentrations reach 320 to 420g/L before fermentation
• Fermentation is slow and natural, stopping when alcohol reaches 14 to 16%, leaving 60 to 130g/L of residual sugar; three years total ageing is required before release, at least 18 months in wood

Given that Vin de Paille represents less than 1% of total Jura production, only a small number of estates make it in any given vintage. Domaine Rolet, founded in 1942 by Désiré Rolet and based in Arbois, is one of the region's largest and most established estates with around 65 hectares across Arbois, Côtes du Jura, and L'Étoile; since 2018 the estate has been run by the Devillard, Dupuis, and Flambert families, who have continued its tradition of producing Vin de Paille. Domaine Berthet-Bondet in the Côtes du Jura is another well-regarded producer, making a blend of Chardonnay, Savagnin, and Poulsard that typically reaches 14 to 15% alcohol with 100 to 110g/L of residual sugar. Domaine Jean-Louis Tissot in Arbois, a 17-hectare family estate founded in 1969, also produces a respected Arbois Vin de Paille from Chardonnay, Savagnin, and Poulsard aged three years in barrel. Benoit Badoz in Poligny, a family winery with roots back to 1659, typically dries its Vin de Paille grapes on straw beds for around four months before a three-year barrel aging.

• Domaine Rolet (Arbois), founded 1942 by Désiré Rolet, now run by the Devillard, Dupuis, and Flambert families since 2018; one of Jura's largest estates at approximately 65 hectares
• Domaine Berthet-Bondet (Côtes du Jura) produces a Chardonnay, Savagnin, and Poulsard blend, typically 14 to 15% alcohol with approximately 100 to 110g/L residual sugar
• Domaine Jean-Louis Tissot (Arbois), founded 1969, produces Arbois Vin de Paille from Chardonnay, Savagnin, and Poulsard, aged three years in barrel before release
• Benoit Badoz (Poligny, Côtes du Jura), a family estate with roots to 1659, dries grapes on straw for approximately four months and ages the wine three years in oak

Vin de Paille is produced under the Arbois, Côtes du Jura, and L'Étoile AOCs; it is not a separate appellation but a designated style within each. Arbois was France's very first AOC, granted in 1936, while Côtes du Jura received its AOC status in 1937. The AOC regulations for Vin de Paille require hand-harvesting, a minimum six-week drying period on straw or wooden racks, and three years of total ageing before release, at least 18 months of which must be in wood. Vineyard yields are capped at 20 hectolitres per hectare. The finished wine must reach a minimum of 14% alcohol. All Vin de Paille is bottled exclusively in half-bottles of 37.5cl; a designated Vin de Paille bottle shape was introduced around 2004, though its use is not mandatory. Wines that do not meet the 14% minimum or the ageing requirements cannot use the Vin de Paille designation and must be labeled under alternative categories.

• Three authorized appellations only: Arbois (France's first AOC, 1936), Côtes du Jura (AOC 1937), and L'Étoile; Vin de Paille is a style within each, not a standalone AOC
• Mandatory requirements: hand-harvest, minimum six weeks drying, minimum 14% alcohol, and three years total ageing (at least 18 months in wood) before release
• Vineyard yields for Vin de Paille are capped at 20hl/ha; all bottles must be 37.5cl half-bottles
• Wines failing to reach 14% alcohol or complete the full ageing requirement must be sold under alternative designations such as 'moût de raisins partiellement fermenté issu de raisins passerillés'

The Jura wine region is well suited to wine tourism, with the town of Arbois serving as its historic capital. Arbois is home to a number of producer tasting rooms as well as a museum dedicated to Louis Pasteur, who was born and raised in the region and owned a vineyard near the town. The village of Arlay, in the Côtes du Jura, is celebrated as the traditional home of Vin de Paille and hosts La Pressée du Vin de Paille each winter, an annual festival running from January through February featuring wine pressing demonstrations, tastings, parades, and medieval costumes. L'Étoile, a small village producing only white wines including Vin de Paille, offers a quieter, more intimate experience with direct producer access. For those wishing to observe the drying process firsthand, visits during the autumn and early winter (September through January) are ideal, though appointments are essential given the tiny scale of production.

• Arbois, the historic capital of Jura wine, houses several producer tasting rooms and the Maison de Louis Pasteur, the scientist born and raised here who owned a local vineyard
• Arlay village (Côtes du Jura) is the traditional home of Vin de Paille; its La Pressée du Vin de Paille festival runs January to February each year with wine pressing, tastings, and parades
• L'Étoile offers an intimate, small-scale alternative for direct producer visits; the appellation produces only white wines, including Vin de Paille
• Autumn through early winter visits allow observation of the drying-room process; advance booking is essential given minuscule production volumes