Now for Something Completely Different

If you're lucky enough to have been dining out in London in recent years, you may have noticed that wine lists are increasingly showcasing wines that you may never have heard of. This is a trend I love as it challenges people to try something different and it also challenges restaurants to be more and more interesting with their selection. 

You'll no doubt also have seen the increased number of bars and restaurants touting "natural" wines. "Natural" is not a legally defined term so a wine could be labelled as such for many reasons, but the natural wine preachers will tell you that a wine is only natural if minimal chemicals have been used in either its viticulture or vinification, including sulphites which are used as a preservative. As a result, you will find that a lot of these wines will taste, well, a bit off. That's not to say that some natural wines aren't stunning (Morgon from Marcel Lapierre is a personal favourite) but some can take a little bit of getting used to. For example, my husband thinks that "all natural wines taste like cider."

But give my husband a glass of dry Sherry such as a Fino or a Manzanilla and he'll be in seventh heaven, which goes to show that everyone's palate is different. And his love of Sherry meant that he loved the latest wine I introduced him to. 

Jura wines are very unique and very difficult to come by in this country. This is mainly because the French drink them all! What makes them so distinctive is that traditionally they are made in an oxidative style - hence the similarity with Sherry - using a little known grape variety called Savagnin. If you are not familiar with Sherry, imagine bone dry wines with a hint of nuts and Marmite. Utterly delicious alongside smoked almonds, olives and charcuterie. We have just got back from a weekend in Paris (God Bless Grandparents) and we stumbled across an awesome little wine shop called Le Vin Qui Parle, who sold not one but TWO Jura whites: one light dry style (which went exceedingly well with our roast pork when we got home) and a "Vin Jaune" which is another level of craziness - aged for 6 or more years in partially-filled casks so that the oxidation is more intense, and the wine takes on an oiliness and richness that is not for everyone but well worth trying if you ever get the chance. 

Jura winemakers also make whites from Chardonnay and red wines from Pinot Noir and the lesser-known Trousseau grape. The one producer I have seen more than others is Tissot which I believe you can buy through Berry Bros & Rudd. But keep your eyes peeled - hopefully you'll see more of these on the market as our taste for more interesting wines grows.