Arbois
Discover the Arbois wine appellation
In the Jura department (part of the French region of Bourgogne Franche-Comté), you will find the vineyard of Arbois. With its 850 hectares of grapevines, it represents 50% of the entire Jura wine region. It stretches across 12 communes, among which Pupillin, Mesnay and Les Arsures. The Arbois appellation produces some of the best Jura wines (red wines, yellow wines, straw wine - also called raisin wine), thanks to the local grape varieties like Savagnin, Trousseau, Poulsard and Chardonnay. Arbois is one of the 7 official appellations available in Jura. The 6 others are the following: Château-Chalon, Macvin du Jura, L'Étoile, Côtes du Jura, Crémant du Jura and Marc du Jura.
The Arbois wines were known as the "wines of kings" during the Middle Ages. A time when winemaking was flourishing, because of a strong push by the local bourgeoisie and the Church. The vineyard itself has existed since the Celtic period (around the 5th century BC). The name of the region, "Arbois", actually comes from the Celt terms "ar" (meaning, the soil) and "bos" (used to describe fertility).
Arbois is also the birthplace of Louis Pasteur, the famous French chemist and microbiologist. Due to his work on pasteurization, the winemaking methods of the early 19th century greatly improved. Today, Arbois is known all over the world for its eponymous Arbois AOC (Appellation of Controlled Origin, in English), which is even the very first French AOC, since it was created back in 1935.
Browse our selection of wines from Arbois.
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