Jane Eyre: An Australo-Norwegian surprise!

I was involved over the last couple of months in a project reviewing some Hospices de Beaune wines for an Asian client. It was interesting in that it focused more on the elevage than on the wines themselves, and showed in many instances wider degrees of decision-making freedom taken by the vignerons who oversaw the maturation.

The project took me to Cissey, where Jane Eyre has her estate. This turned out to be a lovely, cheerful experience, although I arrived in wet trousers and with a cold, downcast mood. The Vespa apparently thought I needed an extra shower before meeting Jane Eyre.

Meeting Jane is a cheerful experience, as she, like her wines, is a charming and expressive person. She has the Aussie straightforwardness that I like, mixed with a Norwegian delicacy that is unexpected. Her wines have the same elements in good balance, and a sensual delicacy that is quite surprising – to me at least.

So picking up the Hospices de Beaune wine gave me a chance to taste Jane’s other wines and to get to know the philosophy of her estate.

Jane Eyre history

Jane comes from Australia, but with Norwegian ancestry. She has been in Burgundy for almost 25 years, so while perhaps not quite Burgundian, she’s certainly more so than the Winehog.