European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - April 12, 2007, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 34 stars an stripes thursday april 12 2007 France from Page 27 the formation of ethanol the latter is an ingredient that gives the wine its distinctive taste the voile protects the wine and prevents vinegar from forming if wines do not measure up during the testing they Are removed and sold simply As Zavagnin White wine some of the most demanding vintners reject As Many As three quarters of the original barrels the result is a Rich wine with a nutty taste sold in a 62 Centilia Ter Stout bottle known As a Clavelin bottles Are said to contain what s left of one liter after the More than six year aging process Vin Jaune is not cheap prices Start at about 25 euros per bottle it is usually served As an aperitif and goes Well with comte the cheese of the Jura and walnuts and is the base for an area specially Coq Aux Morilles etau Vin Jaune Chicken with morels and yellow wine an exquisite dish that is Worth a trip Vin Jaune and Zavagnin Are very different with a Strong taste says Sophie Vitali a Saleswoman at Domaine de la Pinte a winery just outside Arbois this is the real taste of the Jura which she admits does not Appeal to everyone in addition to Zavagnin four other grape varieties thrive in the area chardonnay Poussard Trousseau and pinot noir Poussard a red wine grape is blended with chardonnay and Zavagnin to produce another Jura specially Vin de Paille or Straw wine grapes for this Vintage Are picked Early and allowed to dry in an attic area on Straw Mats for at least six weeks to elevate the sugar Content they can age up to another six months on Racks before they Are pressed Law dictates that the wine must age in Oak barrels for a minimum of three years the end result is a Honey la voted wine with hints of exotic candied fruits we sell a lot of Vin de Paille says Vitali a Small bottle of the Sweet liquid which is almost like a liqueur goes for 35 euros one Hundred kilograms of grapes yield just 10 liners of Vin de Paille hence the Steep Price in the everyday wine category chardonnay is the most widely planted variety in the Jura the flowery fruity wines have a Pale yellow color which turns Golden As the wine Ages and Are a perfect accompaniment for seafood the regions red wines also have their fans the Poussard grape produces a Pale red wine that is usually designated As Rose and goes Well with almost any food Poussard Trousseau and pinot noir grapes Are often blended to form Darker Ruby coloured wine that goes Well with poultry and game Jura grapes Are also the base for a potent digestive Marvin do Jura and a bubbly tremant do Jura Leah Larkin a member of the society of american travel writers is a journalist living in France Knut a Polar Bear cub plays with his keeper Thomas Doerflein at the zoo in Berlin Germany Doerflein bottle fed Knut after the cub was ignored by his Mother As he has grown Knut has drawn More spectators than any animal at the zoo festivals events compiled by Jayne traendly stars and stripes information comes from tourism web Sites for each country in Case of a change or cancellation if s Wise to Check with the local tourist Board to confirm details before travelling Austria Salzburg St George fair april 2122 Vienna cry Marathon april 30 Vienna medieval Market May 1720 Boh Mischer Prater Salzburg Salzburg adult May 26june 3 traditional fair Belgium Brussels International festival of fantastic film through april 17 tour and taxis exhibition Hall Cine a Nova and rim museum Brussels Royal greenhouses open to Public april 18may 6 Brussels Art Brussels april 1923 Grez Douteau festival of St George april 29 procession Eloi March of St Eloi May 1 Grenadier and military March Mons Beer festival May 46 England London Camden pub crawl april 1920 bands and Beer festival in Camden town Bradford Mode railway exhibition april 21 Cathedral College London City Marathon april 22 Harrogate Spring Flower show april 2829 London London Golf show april 2629 Excel London London guitar show april 2729 Excel London London music mania april 29 sept 29 nov 2425 cd dds Vinyl Memorabilia Olympia Kings Lynn May Garland procession May 1 Peterborough Spalding Flower Parade May 5 Cambridge Beer festival May 2126 London Chelsea Flower show May 2225 France Lourdes International festival of sacred music through april 30 Paris City Marathon april 15 Paris singin1 in pans april octo Ber concerts of French songs countrywide water sports festival May 1213 Cannes rim festival May 1627 Germany Frankfurt Dipp mess through april 22 carnival at Fairgrounds Ronneburg medieval festival april 1415 Idstein witches Market april 1415 Munich Spring festival april 20may 6 Theresie Wiese Munich knights in Munich april 27may 1 Ronneburg dragon fight with witches night april 28may 1  witches mar Ket april 28may 1 Munich May Duit april 28may 6 traditional fair on  Frankfurt Long night of the museums May 5 Hamelin pied Piper free play in City Center May 6sept 16 noon Bayreuth wheat Beer festival May 1012 Maisel brewery Frankfurt skyscraper festival May 1113 Munich the Long night of music May 12 Lich historical Market May 1213 Berlin medieval Market May 1213 Britz Castle Oppenheim medieval spectacular May 1213 Hungary Budapest Palinka festival May 1013 Budapest museum festival May 1920 Italy Venice sue e to per i Ponti up and Down the april 15 race Borromeo medieval sundays april 1529 june 10 Subbio Corsa Del Ceri May 15 Venice festival of the Sensa May 20 the Netherlands Lisse Keuken Hof gardens open through May 20 Alkmaar cheese Market through sept 3 Rotterdam City Marathon april 15 Noordijk rower Parade april 2022 Parade on april 21 Slimmen rower Days april 28may 3 in Maiden Aan Zee rower Parade May 5 countrywide National Windmill Day May 13 Scotland Edinburgh Beer festival May 29june 1 caledonian brewery Spain Madrid International gourmet fair april 1619 Casa de Campo exhibition Centre Montblanc medieval festival of St George april 2029 Seville april fair april 2429 Cordova Las Cruces april 28may 1 Cordova Patio festival May 313 Jerez de la Frontera horse fair May 613 Cordova May fair May 1827 Switzerland Morges Tulip festival through May 13 Basel world fair for watches and jewelry at the Fairgrounds through april 19 Zurich secs Lauten april 1516 Lausanne fasnacht May 46 Fribourg International guitar festival May 412 Geneva City Marathon May 6 pros cow fighting Canton final May 17 Morges Belle Poque ship Parade May 20 Austria from Page 26 or stallion farm at nearby fiber beginning at 24 euros for adults 9 euros for children 615 or a family package of 49 euros it also has great maps and directions for those who prefer to drive themselves both the Graz tourism web site and the austrian tourism site  have information on flights trains and driving directions the austrian site has a route planner with Point Point directions and links to the airlines and trains that service the Region with flying train and drive times and distances discounts deals while there Are no military discounts to attractions in Graz or the wine Region the Graz tourism office offers Good deals on family packages for various excursions take advantage of the excellent Tram system and buy a 24hour pass that also allows you to ride the funicular to and from the Schlossberg As Well As unlimited rides on both the trams and buses during your time period its a real Deal at 370 euros where to sleep the Wietzer hotel group  offers three choices for accommodations the five Star grand hotel Wiesler the fourstar Das Weitzer and the new trendy hotel Daniel next to the train station prices Range from 59 euros per night at the Daniel to More than 250 euros per night at the Wiesler Graz tourism also has lists of hostels Bedan breakfast places and Home shares for information on youth hostels and budget hotels see pop to spend a night in wine coun try splurge on the exclusive Castle turned hotel Schloss Obermayer Hofen wow Obermayer Osenat or enjoy the farm life at Wirs thaus Jaga Wirt to the West of Graz wow Jaga Dirtat other helpful Sites  for More on the local wines  at for details on the oldest pump Kin seed Oil press in Styria  for details on the hip wine bar show casing regional vintages wow Liberat for More on the lipizzaner farm Ginger Ward