For gourmets and gourmands
Notice to cheese lovers! The Montbéliarde breed, which occupies the meadows, provides excellent quality milk. The Comté, matured from 8 to 36 months, is of course the best known. But don't forget to put a morbier, a bleu de Gex and a jar of cancoillotte on your tray. Comté cheese dairies usually have a shop to sell their production and the products of the region. If you prefer soft cheeses, the ortolan from the Milleret cheese factory should please you. Smoked or not, the salted meats are renowned, because they are made with respect to an ancestral know-how. The large farms are adorned with an imposing chimney with an atypical shape, the tuyé, where hams and sausages are smoked. Of course two twin sisters are the stars: the Morteau sausage and the Montbéliard sausage, both of which have the IGP label
As an aperitif or digestive liquid (to be consumed in moderation), Absinthe is making a comeback in Franche-Comté after years of being outlawed. Artisanal distilleries will offer you the green fairy. But you can discover its history at the Pontarlier Museum, or at the Maison de l'Absinthe in Môtiers, in neighbouring Switzerland. A distilled aniseed, typically from the Haut-Doubs: Pontarlier. Ask for a bottle of "Pont", they will understand you. Beautiful distilleries perpetuate this art of distillation, but rather on the massif. In the vineyards, you will be offered a good marc aged in oak barrels, or even a marc de vin de paille, the best. But also macvin. Further north, the kirsch from the Franc-Comté region has also earned its letters of nobility.
Now on the most prestigious international tables, starred or not, the wines of the Jura have managed to impose themselves. White or red, if not the colour of an onion skin for the Poulsard, some of the grape varieties are grown only in the Jura. The yellow wine being one of the greatest white wines of France, its typicality will be appreciated on a crush or after a certain initiation. Do not confuse it with vin de paille which is a sweet wine. All the estates have their own tasting cellar, so you can buy directly from the estate or from wine shops. Note that in the neighbouring Haute-Saône, the Domaine Guillaume offers very interesting local wines
Less alcoholic, beer has been produced for some years by local breweries, which compete in quality and creation. Don't forget the old-fashioned lemonades, flavoured or not, which can be found at Elixia or Rieme. Franche-Comté also has its natural mineral water, sparkling or still; drink one of the purest waters in the world, which comes from the Velleminfoy spring in Haute-Saône. Rich in calcium and magnesium, it has zero nitrate
Although Switzerland, the region's neighbour, has a very strong reputation, in Franche-Comté many chocolate makers have become among the most renowned. They use what the region has to offer to innovate in their creations by making relevant marriages
If you like honey, many beekeepers will offer you theirs, with very specific aromas, such as that of fir.
High-end fashion items
Measuring time, or counting hours... The Haut-Doubs and neighbouring Switzerland perpetuate the art of fine watchmaking and especially fine watches. The world's leading brands are produced in the Jura Arc. Gusseted watches are out of fashion, you will see them in the Museum of Watchmaking in Morteau or in the one in Le Locle or Villers-le-Lac
Of course, if climate change reduces rainfall, one still needs an umbrella. The umbrellas made by Pierre Vaux, a century-old family business, are of such high quality that the big names in the fashion industry buy them here. The collection offers both classic and innovative creations, such as the umbrella with UV/P50 treatment, a pure Made in France product with international recognition
Pens, watch or Lépine knife? This family business located in the Haut-Jura region has been developing and manufacturing writing instruments, knives, automatic watches and eyeglasses for five generations in its workshop, mastering the many complex stages to achieve a perfect finish. Quality materials are extracted from the mass such as brass, stainless steel or different types of wood. They are superb objects and very representative of the spirit of a great know-how.
Sight or sunglasses, a pair of glasses... The Jura is the cradle of it, of beautiful factories perdurent, by having known to surround itself with creators of reputation. A know-how which knew how to face the fierce competition by focusing on the quality and the innovation. The eyewear museum in Morez-Hauts de Bienne is a good example of this history
Great tradition of the Haut-Jura, the master pipe makers are no longer very numerous, but the pipe remains an object of the smoker which is manufactured according to an ancestral know-how to reach the excellence in this field. And it is the case
From the craft industry
For centuries, Santa Claus has been getting his supplies here. You can find this toy in wood or in plastic. The big company leader on the market is Smoby near Saint-Claude, for the plastic creations. Several craft factories offer wooden creations such as Vilac, Jeujura, the Village du Bois, the Boissellerie du Hérisson which uses wood in different productions.
Originally it was a tough hemp fabric, under the name of "verquelée" woven since the Middle Ages in the Montbéliard region. Thanks to a rediscovered know-how and the will of the tourist office, this fabric is woven again. The Verquelure still has a classic design made up of squares in two or three colours (white, blue and madder red). By the metre or already made, it is a very beautiful tablecloth for elegant tables
Are you tempted by a bronze bell from one of the last bell foundries in Europe? You have to go to Labergement-Sainte-Marie, to the Obertino house. The choice is vast. On order, it can be personalized.
