The best local producers Franche-Comté

An outstanding winemaker, Jérôme Arnoux has 20 years of vineyard and cellar experience behind him, managing two niches at the same time. First, a 15-hectare estate, part of which is organic. Then there's "Les caves de la Reine Jeanne" (Queen Jeanne's cellars), where visitors are welcomed under medieval vaults and arches. It's hard to recommend a particular vintage, such is the care taken with each one. Our senses nevertheless came to rest on this "Exception", a 2018 Arbois rouge trousseau. A perfume of fresh fruit of unprecedented finesse, combined with a range of suppleness on the palate.

Beekeeper Julien Compagnon produces honey and pollen from his local hives, as well as gingerbread, nougats, candies and cosmetics. His "workers" have made a name for themselves, earning the "Made in Jura" label. But these exceptional products are not the only ones to win awards, as was the case at the Concours Général Agricole 2023, with a double silver medal for fir and mountain honey.

Julien Favret and Laure's beekeeping philosophy can be summed up in an environmental reason and the satisfaction of working for oneself. The beekeepers have occupied an old sawmill since 2013 and built their honey house the following year, all dressed in wood. The 200 hives have been awarded the "Miel de montagne du Jura" designation. The "mountain flowers" and "fir/forest" nectars are the result. But don't forget the "dandelion", the first harvest of the year!

The GAEC des Chemins Verts specializes in raising Charolais and Montbéliarde calves and heifers, as well as free-range pigs. Every month, we offer packages of fresh or prepared meat for sale. A wide range of high-quality products! If you'd like to experience a farm experience of your own, you can visit the farm and watch the calves being milked or fed. If you'd like to extend your stay here, two log cabins are also available for tourist rental.

Behind their newly created storefront, Eric and Jérôme Vichet are jamming and unjamming the bubbles. These two partners are exclusively dedicated to sparkling wines. On the one hand, they make flavoured wines with local fruit and artisanal syrups from the renowned Rième house. You will find them with grapefruit, cherry, peach, blackberry, mojito, even chestnut and lime. They also make raw sparkling wines for aperitifs, meals and desserts, including crémants. And to satisfy your cravings for bubbles, organic beer.

Whether outside in his beehives or inside in his laboratory, you will find Philippe Clerc in white. In overalls or in a smock. The honey of this dynasty is a long story, Philippe being the last. Between Revermont and Bresse, he deploys his 350 "houses" on 12 sites. His "workers" bequeath him spring, flower, acacia, mountain, lime and fir honeys. You will be able to taste the range including its honey sweets, the recipe of the grandfather. One will also note the will to maintain very wise prices.

The Benoit's live in rue du Chardonnay in the "world capital of Ploussard". Not a handicap we assure you. The reds account for 50% of the 6 hectare estate, including 5 climates exclusive to this grape variety. It is managed by Benjamin. He will tell you about his objectives: sustainable vineyard management with the aim of becoming organic, manual harvesting in crates, vinification in barrels except for the Ploussard (in vats), without sulphiting or fining. At the same time, maintaining tradition, respecting each vineyard, and even preserving an 80 year old Chardonnay vine!

Jean-Pierre and Jean-Yves Boisson are as discreet as their highly prized hillside. They will welcome you in all simplicity, including by Marie-Noëlle, Jean-Pierre's wife. The 7 hectares produce mainly whites with a unique expression. An alternation of blue marl, clay-limestone and scree. The grapes are not destemmed at the pressing. The juice is then transferred to tuns and barrels. Only one vintage is usually sold. Here, we give time to time. The "tradition" is a pearl in its category. Excellent value for money.

This old servant goes round and round and round for a long time to come. The only "organic" mill in the Jura (Ecocert label) and the last water mill in Franche-Comté, it never ceases to amaze young and old alike. The Magdelaine family has owned it for 7 generations. But it appears in deeds in 1362, entering into the share of the local lord Eudes de Vaudrey. Built on the Cuisance, a tributary of the Loue, flanked by its paddle wheel, its stone millstone grinds the grains tirelessly to bequeath wheat, rye, spelt and buckwheat flours. Type 45 and 55, they are suitable for classic pasta or bread dough, i.e. 500 tons per year. A great merit is due to its managers for having set up a circuit with free or guided visits to transmit this memory of the medieval heritage. In the end, a visit to the "regional products" shop will satisfy even the most demanding visitors. The doors are also open on the third Sunday in June each year. Not to be missed! Including for groups who can use a reception room for 60 people.

Chantal and Jean Berthet-Bondet left everything behind in 1984, leaving their profession as agricultural engineers. In love with the Jura wines, it was in the most famous city of yellow wine that they chose to create their estate. Having no family ties to the wine industry, they built up their estate plot by plot. 15 hectares now, in agrobiology since 2010, a third of which is Château-Chalon. Since 2018, their daughter Hélène has joined them. The white wines, including the famous yellow wine, and other wines, whether or not they are oaked, largely occupy the barrel. A warm welcome guaranteed.

Jean-Louis and Françoise Tissot have now entrusted the destiny of their vineyard to their children Valérie and Jean-Christophe. This 17-hectare estate in Montigny-les-Arsures and Arbois is still run with great respect for Mother Nature. In barrel, the Tissots don't rush their wines made from the 5 authorized grape varieties. In the land of the red "Trousseau", they have produced a remarkable 2013 yellow wine. It's best to let us know when you're coming.

Hugo Sublet perpetuates the family know-how. The packaging has changed since 1856, but not the manufacturing (glass bottle and mechanical stopper). The ingredients are the same: cane sugar, agave syrup, pure water from the Massif, natural flavours. Sold all over the world, this bubbly drink is drunk at the production site on Friday afternoon. The organic lemonade echoes childhood memories. It has been expanded to include rose, orange blossom, ginger, peppermint and elderberry. Others have regional flavours. 19 references in total.

Do you know the five products you can get from beekeeping? Honey, beeswax, royal jelly, pollen and propolis - you'll find all five in different variations in this bee paradise! Dandelion honey, acacia honey, fir tree honey, mountain honey, lime blossom honey and various flower honeys are just some of the sweet treats you can enjoy before a glass of delicious mead. And if you're interested in beekeeping, there's a range of equipment for sale, and you can learn a lot more by taking a look at the eco-museum next door.

In 2018, Romain Zanchi decided to make a living from his passion. But not just any passion, but that of bees. Since then, his reputation has grown, because he works well and with respect for these "queens" and "workers". His honeys, or rather those of his bees, are flavored according to the location of his apiaries and the natural environment. So you'll find Jura honeys on offer, as well as homemade products such as nougat, gingerbread, sweets and more. All these delicacies are made with his different honeys.

Bénédicte Raynal cultivates, as she says, "the fruits she loves". She shares them with you fresh, but she also prepares them in various ways: fruit juices, syrups, jams and jellies, fruit jellies, biscuits and even sorbets. His garden favours small berries (raspberry, strawberry, blackcurrant, gooseberry,...). His orchard produces apples, pears, mirabelle plums, chestnuts... The processing and sale are done at the farm but it is wise to inform your visit because you will also find it on the regional markets.

Jérôme Gagneur is a beekeeper who harvests his fine honey in the Jura mountains. His apiary is located near his farm, in a natural environment of forest and mountains. Jérôme works in organic agriculture, to reflect the local diversity that offers its share of different flavors every year. Depending on the year, different types of honey (fir, forest, dandelion...), honey spreads, pollen and propolis known for its many virtues. You can find all these products in our partner stores or by appointment directly from the farm.

After 30 years in the food industry, Frédérique Brelot has bounced back. Today, she runs a laying hen farm. The farm is located in her village on the Tavelloise plain. Her 800 hens graze in the meadows and return to the coop at night. At dawn, the farmer delivers her fresh eggs (as far away as Dijon) to specialized shops. Never short of ideas, she has also installed a fresh egg dispenser near the village hall. A convenient tool for direct sales, just like bread dispensers.

This "grocery store", where you can buy organic products, contains more than one gourmet surprise. Firstly, because you won't find Salins-les-Bains salt anywhere else. Secondly, in the laboratory next door, flowers, leaves, berries and berries (grown biodynamically, or harvested from the Jura countryside) are transformed into herbal teas, jams, jellies, coulis... And after meeting Emilie and Arnaud, you'll leave feeling you've learned a lot, made some good purchases and met some very nice people.

Honey is one of the region's specialties. And at Rucher des Deux Lacs you can enjoy this little delicacy. As you leave the store, you'll learn all about bees, honey and the beekeeper. The farm has won numerous awards for the quality of its products. Don't miss the fir tree honey and the mountain honey. An instructive visit.