Adventures In Wine

Following on from last episode’s climate-conscious look at wines grown beside the seaside, Jason assembles a flight (pun intended) of seven wines that hale from high places, where cool air and steep, free-draining slopes go some way towards mitigating the higher temperatures that otherwise put way too much bang in your Bourboulenc and vavavoom in your Viognier… First up; it’s creamy, it’s toasty and it’s a big deal in the Big Apple… it’s Crémant de Jura from the Tissot vineyard at Arbois. Pure Chardonnay and bottle-fermented. You want high? The mousse alone will take you to a new one! Secondly, whether skiing on the slopes or chillin’ in the chalet, Jacquère is the grape to which all Alpine aspirants inevitably gravitate. Domaine de l’Idylle’s Cruet from the Tiollier family vineyard above Isère, has a low ABV but more zing and fruit than Julie Andrews on the Mehlweg. The hills will very definitely be alive after just one bottle. Thirdly, Nathalie Margan’s highly-regarded Chateau La Canorgue Blanc wears its