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Jura Wine Road Tour
Jura wine road stretches from Salins-les-Bains to Saint Amour, along the foothills of the sunny vineyard-covered slopes of the Jura Massif and connects 80 km (50 miles) of burgs and wine-growing villages.
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Chateau Pécauld
This medieval castle, part of the remains of the city walls, houses the Jura Wine Institute, a training and promotion center and a wine museum. An outdoor display illustrates the various activities of the winegrower. Inside, the castle offers exhibits on the history of local viticultural activity, and a visit of the cellars. Wine harvesting in the traditional way takes place in mid-September.
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Pasteur's Family Home Museum
The house was his father's tannery and was Pasteur's research laboratory where he conducted in 1878 his famous experiments on the fermentation of grapes, which lead to the foundation of modern wine-making science. Home and furnishings are kept as they were at the time of the scientist's death, in 1895 (bedroom, laboratory with equipment, study and library).
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Chateau-Chalon
15 km from Lons-le-Saunier, this beautiful medieval village is perched on a rocky promontory high above the local vineyards. The Savagnin vine vineyards growing on the steep hillsides produce the renowned "Vin Jaune" (yellow wine), which can be sampled in the producers cellars. The other attractions include its 12th century church, feudal castle and two scenic viewpoints.
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Chateau d'Arlay
The charming village of Arlay has kept the remains of its medieval castle. The beautiful setting of an 18th century castle has been chosen to explain to visitors the role of predators in nature. The castle has a beautiful wine tasting cellar. Today it is the headquarters of a very old and renowned family operated wine business.
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Poligny
Capital of Comte cheese, Poligny is a small town surrounded by rich farmland. The "Comte cheese House" is a museum devoted to the famous regional product, the slow-maturing Comte cheese. It demonstrates how it is made, ripened, and the environment it needs. Good wines have been produced from the surrounding area for centuries. Poligny has a rich architectural heritage from past times.
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Picturesque Villages
Some villages have lovely churches, castles, medieval vestiges, typical winegrowers' farmhouses. Pupillin (3 km from town) is one of the most famous local vineyards. In Montigny-les-Arsures (2 km to the north of town), Pasteur bought a vineyard where he conducted his famous experiments on fermentation in grapes.
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Town of Salins-les-Bains
The town lies along the pretty, narrow valley of the Furieuse river, beneath the fortresses of Belin and St. Andre, and Mont Poupet, offering one of the best panoramic view of the region.
This town takes its name from salt and the saltworks which historically was responsible for the town's vitality. Salins is the only salt mine open to the public, showing how salt water was once pumped out of the Jura soil. Today the salt waters of Salins are used exclusively for salt water cures in the local spas.
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Reculée and Caves
5 km from Arbois, a reculée, valley closed by rocky amphitheaters, was created by the erosive action of water and is peppered with caves and waterfalls. In the same area, Moidons and Baume-les-Messieurs caves are open to the public.There is a superb view of the Reculee from the Belvedere du Cirque du Fer-à-Cheval, scenic point overlooking the valley floor from nearly 200 m (656 ft) above.
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