Jura

   1) A rural French department (no. 39) in the Franche Comté region, capital Lons le Saunier. .

   2) Mountain range along the French Swiss border, running south-west / north-east from the Rhone valley near Geneva to the Belfort gap, mostly in the region of Franche-Comté. The main towns are Pontarlier and Saint Claude. Among the oldest mountains in France, the limestone Jura rise on the French side through a series of plateaux and folds, reaching their peaks, at between 1400 and 1700 metres, more or less on the Swiss border. On the Swiss side of the border, the range falls away much more steeply. The plateaux of the Jura are cut into by a number of deep gorges, the most dramatic being those of the Ain, the Doubs and the Loue rivers. The Jura is mainly a mix of pastures and coniferous forest, with deciduous forests on the lower levels; it is famous for its mountain cheeses (Comté, Mont d'Or), and for its watch and clockmaking industry, which is closely linked to the Swiss watch industry.

   3) Wine. Possibly the most underrated of French white wines, Jura wines come from the west-facing slopes of the Jura hills, that look out across the wide Saône valley to the slopes of Burgundy on the other side. The best and most distinctive of Jura whites are made from the "Savagnin" grape variety, which is found only in this region, and gives the wine a distinctive sherry-like taste. further information on the wines page.