The Percée du Vin Jaune is a major annual event that takes place in the Jura and showcases its unique wines – the Jura yellow wines. After 6 years and 3 months of maturing, wine professionals and wine lovers can discover and appreciate its new vintage. The event has become the largest wine festival in France and attracts thousands of visitors every year.
25th edition 2023 of the Percée du Vin Jaune
The first edition of the Percée du Vin Jaune took place in 1997, one year after the creation of the Association des Ambassadeurs des Vins Jaunes. Each year, dressed in the traditional gold-coloured outfit, they parade through the village hosting the event, accompanying the 228-litre barrel of “vin jaune” carried in the procession.
Each year, a new village is chosen for this travelling festival and a new theme is selected in a regional competition. The 25th edition of 2023 took place in Voiteur, under not one, but two themes: the tree of life and golden and silver colours.
The roots of the tree of life represent 5 grape varieties of the Jura vineyards: Savagnin, Chardonnay, Trousseau, Poulsard and Pinot Noir, which are at the origin of a wide range of Jura wines.
Silver and golden have been chosen as the colours of the 25th anniversary, because the golden-coloured “vin jaune” is celebrating the silver anniversary (25 years) of the Percée du Vin Jaune this year.
For two days, over a weekend, thousands of people participate in the festivities and parade through the streets of the decorated village, where the Jura winegrowers offer tastings of their wines.
The highlights of the Percée du Vin Jaune
Being first and foremost a moment of sharing and conviviality, the event can also offer unique experiences to amateurs and professionals. For the past two years, the Percée du Vin Jaune has begun with a prestige evening, which takes place on Friday, the day before the events. In partnership with the Burgundy-Franche-Comté gourmet products embassy, the Percée du Vin Jaune offers to taste the wines of Jura winegrowers in association with regional dishes. The evening takes place in three stages: in three slots corresponding to each moment of the meal – the starter, the main course and the dessert. Three wineries are selected from 34 candidates for this prestigious evening, and in each winery visitors can discover the pairing of regional products with 5 wines presented by the winemaker, in a friendly and intimate atmosphere.
The long-awaited moment, the tapping of the barrel, takes place on Saturday morning after the mass and the blessing of the barrel. The host of the edition, accompanied by the president, pierces the barrel of “vin jaune” and opens the tasting of the new vintage in the cellars.
The “clavelinage” operation during the Percée du Vin Jaune is a blind tasting of “ vins jaunes” of four appellations: Château-Chalon, Arbois, L’Étoile and Côtes du Jura by professionals and wine lovers. The jury selects the best “vins jaunes”, the most representative of their vintage and their appellation. A third of the wines are selected, “claveliné”, during this competition.
Finally, on Sunday afternoon, the auction of old vintages of “vin jaune” and eaux-de-vie of Jura highlights the exceptional ageing potential of these wines.
The 2023 edition of the Percée du Vin Jaune de Jura in Voiteur ended on 5 February and this year brought together 21,500 people who had the opportunity to taste the magnificent products of Jura vineyards and the Franche-Comté region in a festive and friendly atmosphere.