Vera Wine and HUMBUG are celebrating the unique wines of the Jura region at a five-course winter solstice dinner this month.
"Wines of Jura" is on Thursday, June 22, at HUMBUG on Hunter Street in Newcastle, and tickets are on sale now.
Jura is a mountainous French wine region located east of Burgundy and bordering Switzerland, notable for its high altitude, cool climate and low volume production. The region's predominantly limestone soils produce five varietals indigenous to the area (Savagnin, Chardonnay, Poulsard, Trousseau and Pinot Noir).
Florence Diffey and Josh Di Stefano, who own and operate Vera Wine on Beaumont Street in Hamilton, say the most celebrated wine of the Jura region is Vin Jaune, which is exclusively made from Savagnin.
After initial fermentation, the wine must spend a minimum of six years in a barrel, "under flor", prior to release.
The result of this process is "a bold and complex wine that often presents layers of freshness and salty minerality that give way to an opulent body, and notes of caramel and nuts".
Producers from the region include Domaine Jean-Franois Ganevat, Domaine Labet, Maison Pierre Overnoy, and Domaine Bornard.
"The Jura is such an interesting and unique place in the world," Diffey says.
"When you look at the weather and the location you wouldn't think that it would be a great wine region. It's pretty cold and damp but they've managed to not let that hinder quality, and it almost works to their advantage.
"They've innovated over hundreds and hundreds of years to develop a wine style that works with their region.
"Because of the difficult conditions there is so little made, and it takes so long to make, we're talking six-plus years to make one bottle of Vin Jaune wine. You don't see much of it in Australia."
Another point of difference is that the Jura is one of the few regions of the world where the reds are "lighter weight" than the whites.
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"It's definitely my favourite wine region in the world," Di Stefano says.
"The whites are the wines that age and are big and rich and spend a bit of time in the decanter before drinking, while the reds are really light and pretty and more about drinking early.
"I can't think of another wine region where this is the case. A lot of the regions that have big rich white wines have even richer red wines."
This makes for an interesting format for food and wine pairings, which is where HUMBUG steps in. The wine bar and restaurant operated by partners Stephanie Wells and Michael Portley champions wines from small producers whose viticultural practices are sustainable, whether it is regenerative agriculture, organic or biodynamic.
"As a region, Jura is passionate about sustainability and putting into practice organic principals," Wells says.
"When Florence and Josh approached us to collaborate on this event, I could not have been more excited."
Jura is known for its comte, raclette, morels and saucisse de Morteau. HUMBUG will be channelling the region's signature ingredients and adding a dash of modern French bistro to the menu on the night.
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"There is a dish of raw yellowfin tuna and fois gras that we are looking forward to pairing with a light red. The menu will be five courses of winter comfort and decadence," chef Portley says.
Adds Diffey: "Michael is known for his flair for originality but he has got such an amazing technically trained background as well. When we first sat down to talk about the menu he already had in his mind how to incorporate and adapt traditional dishes of the season with the wine."
The couples met through frequenting each other's venues and bonded over the juggling act of opening small businesses while raising a young family. They are part of a community of hospitality operators passionate about diversifying Newcastle's culinary scene.
Wines of Jura, 6pm, Thursday, June 22 at HUMBUG Newcastle. Tickets $250 per person at verawine.com.au
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