Musée du Vin et du Pays Arboisien

Arbois is the capital of Jura wine, a small town at the foot of the first slopes of the Jura mountains in Franche-Comté, and its wine museum is the best introduction to the region's vineyards. It is housed in the Château Pécauld, a handsome building with parts dating from the Middle Ages and later additions up to the eighteenth century, set among gardens above the town. The museum is also called the Musée de la Vigne et du Vin du Jura, and it traces more than a thousand years of vine growing in the area through tools, equipment, documents and displays.

Jura wines are among the most distinctive in France. The region grows grape varieties found almost nowhere else, such as the white Savagnin and the red Poulsard and Trousseau, and it produces styles that surprise visitors used to Bordeaux and Burgundy. The most famous is Vin Jaune, a golden wine made from Savagnin and aged in oak barrels for at least six years and three months under a film of yeast, without topping up, which gives it a nutty, spicy character. It is sold in a special bottle, the clavelin, which holds 62 centilitres, the amount left from a litre after ageing. Vin de Paille, a sweet wine made from grapes dried on straw mats, is another speciality. Arbois was the first area in France to receive an appellation d'origine contrôlée, in 1936, which is a mark of its standing.

The museum covers these subjects and more. Exhibits explain the work of the vigneron through the seasons, from pruning to harvest, and the techniques of pressing, fermenting and ageing, including the barrels and cellar equipment of past centuries. There are displays on the local trades connected with wine, such as coopers, and on the labels and bottles used over time. Temporary exhibitions and workshops for children make it an attraction for families, and the setting of the château gives a sense of the place.

The town has another famous resident. Louis Pasteur grew up in Arbois and returned to it throughout his life, and he carried out some of his experiments on fermentation here. His family house, on the bank of the Cuisance river, is preserved as a museum with his laboratory. A visit to Arbois can combine Pasteur's house, the wine museum and the town's cellars, where growers offer tastings. The Pont de la Cuisance is a pretty spot, and the Place de l'Hôtel de Ville has the market and cafés. In September, the Fête du Biou, a harvest festival with a procession and an enormous bunch of grapes, takes place in the town.

Nearby, the village of Pupillin is known for its natural wines, and the Reculée des Planches, a dramatic limestone valley with waterfalls and caves, is a short drive away. The museum suits wine lovers, families and anyone who wants to understand the landscape and food of the Jura. Opening hours and prices vary by season, so check before you go, and note that reductions are offered to certain groups.