©Harvest 02 La Cave De Jurancon|Cave coopérative de Jurançon – Gan

Jurançon know-how Harvest time

We’ve got it! As September rings in autumn, Pau and Béarn are decked out in gold… The grapes are ripe and the vines resound with the noise and bustle of the harvest. It’s an intense, festive time of year, marking Béarn’s Indian summer in the shadow of the Pyrenees. From October to December, the gros manseng and petit manseng grapes will be the centre of attention. Skilful harvesters, selection of bunches, pressing… The grape juice rises to become a precious golden beverage, the wine of kings, the king of wines… This Jurançon, lively and tender, luscious and mellow, is best enjoyed in the evening, facing the Pyrenees!

©Vendange 12 La Cave De Jurancon|Cave coopérative de Jurançon - Gan

©Grape harvest Cave De Jurancon 4|Cave coopérative de Jurançon – Gan

©Jurancon harvest 03 Pierre Carton|Pierre Carton

Harvest in Jurançon

In Pau, it’s Indian summer, while in the Jurançon appellation, it’s harvest time! Done by hand, they require the full attention of the men and women who carefully sort and pick the best bunches of grapes.

September – October: The first grapes are used to make dry Jurançons and the lightest sweet white wines.
November – December: These grapes will yield less juice but more sugar, thanks to the mild autumn sun and cooler nights. The passerillage on the vine makes it possible to produce fuller-bodied, more aromatic Jurançons.

Jurançon, a royal wine

Late harvest

The late harvest takes place from mid-November to the end of December, when the Foehn, the warm southerly wind, has blown in and dried out the grapes. Withered and sweetened, they will give a concentrated yellow-gold wine, aged for 24 months in oak barrels with gourmet aromas of dried and candied fruit between walnuts, apricots, honey, gingerbread or quince paste!

It was not until 1996 that the Jurançon AOC was awarded the “Vendanges Tardives” label.

The breeding of Jurançon From grape to bottle

The grapes arrive in the cellars in douils (large 300 kg barrels). The bunches are weighed and the sugar content measured. Each harvest is identified, destemmed, macerated and pressed. The juice obtained then ferments in vats for 2 or 3 weeks, where it is studied, tasted and monitored, before being stored to age in vats. Each vintage, each estate, each wine has its own set of specifications that define its unique character. This is the ageing of the wine that ends with bottling.

The bourret is the first pressed grape juice in the process of fermenting and therefore slightly sparkling. Very low in alcohol, it delights many Béarn families every autumn with its citrus and exotic fruit aromas, and is a welcome accompaniment to a tasting of Pyrenean “castagnes” (chestnuts)!

Buying Jurançon?

©Cave Gan Tonneaux|Cave coopérative de Jurançon – Gan

©Grape harvest Cave De Jurancon 6|Cave coopérative de Jurançon – Gan

©Harvest 03 La Cave De Jurancon|Cave coopérative de Jurançon – Gan

©Cave Jurancon Gan 08|Cave coopérative de Jurançon – Gan

©Vendange 06 La Cave De Jurancon|Cave coopérative de Jurançon – Gan

©Grape harvest 04 La Cave De Jurancon|Cave coopérative de Jurançon – Gan

In the vineyards

During your hikes or strolls through the vineyards, you’ll see the work of the men and women at work to create the great Jurançon wines.

When you visit the cellars, ask them all your questions. Our winemakers and winegrowers will be happy to share their passion for this great wine, which is sometimes little-known but whose history is intertwined with that of our terroir!

Wine walks

Jurançon know-how Harvest time

Harvest in Jurançon

Late harvest

The breeding of Jurançon From grape to bottle

In the vineyards

A must try Around Jurançon

Feasting in Pau gourmet's corner