📜 Jurançon
White still wines from the Pyrenean foothills near Pau: dry, sweet and late-harvest, from Manseng.
Jurançon is a French appellation (AOC, protected as PDO) for white still wines from the foothills of the Pyrenees, south and west of Pau in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department. It was recognised in 1936 for sweet white wines and in 1975 for dry ones.
The principal grapes are Gros Manseng and Petit Manseng. Camaralet de Lasseube, Courbu, Petit Courbu and Lauzet are accessory varieties. A wine cannot be made from accessory grapes alone, and the principal varieties must make up the majority of any blend.
There are three styles. A dry wine carries the word "sec" after the name: at most 4 g/l of fermentable sugar and at least 11.5% natural alcohol. Plain Jurançon is sweet: more than 40 g/l of sugar and at least 14% natural alcohol. Jurançon "vendanges tardives" (late harvest) comes only from Petit and Gros Manseng, with more than 55 g/l of sugar and at least 17% natural alcohol.
How it connects to Wine
📜 Jurançon ← grows in ← 🍇 Petit Manseng → kind of → 🍇 Grape varieties → kind of → 🍷 Wine
Links
- Packed in
- 🍷 Flute bottle (Hock)
- Where it is
- 📍 Pyrenees (Béarn and Basque Country), 📍 South West France
- Grapes
- 🍇 Petit Manseng, 🍇 Gros Manseng, 🍇 Lauzet
- Main grapes
- 🍇 Petit Manseng, 🍇 Gros Manseng
- Wines
- 🍷 White wine
- Related to
- 🍷 Still wine, 🍷 Sweet wine
Frequently asked questions
What is Jurançon?
A French AOC (PDO) for white still wines from the Pyrenean foothills south and west of Pau.
Which grapes make Jurançon?
Mainly Gros Manseng and Petit Manseng; Camaralet de Lasseube, Courbu, Petit Courbu and Lauzet are accessory.
What do "sec" and "vendanges tardives" mean on the label?
"Sec" is dry (at most 4 g/l sugar); "vendanges tardives" is a late-harvest sweet wine from Manseng with more than 55 g/l sugar.
What to read next
- 📍 South West France — The land between the Massif Central, the Pyrenees and the Atlantic; IGP Comté Tolosan across 12 departments, Cahors, Madiran and Jurançon.
- 🍷 Flute bottle (Hock) — A tall, narrow bottle for white wines from the Rhine and Alsace.
- 🍷 Sweet wine — Wines with a lot of grape sugar, from 45 g/l: dried, overripe, botrytised or frozen grapes; EU categories 15 and 16.
- 📍 Pyrenees (Béarn and Basque Country) — Madiran, Jurançon and Irouléguy at the foot of the Pyrenees.
Similar
📜 Pacherenc du Vic-Bilh · 📜 Irouléguy · 📜 San Torpè · 📜 Bianco dell'Empolese · 📜 Malvasia Chandakas-Candia · 📍 Lanzarote
⚠️ Wine contains alcohol: adults only, drink in moderation. Wine usually contains sulphites; egg white or milk proteins are sometimes used for fining — important for allergies and for vegans.
Sources
- eAmbrosia – EU geographical indications register
- Cahier des charges de l'AOC Jurançon, 2025 (BO-Agri, MASA)
- Document unique AOP Jurançon (eAmbrosia, PDO-FR-A0827)
- Wikidata