The Jura vineyards date back to Celtic times. From the 8th century onwards, it was the Duke of Burgundy, Philippe le Hardi, who became the owner of most of the Arbois vineyards and contributed to the economic development of the region by promoting its wines throughout Europe and its royal courts.
Arbois, born from the Celtic "ar" and "bos" meaning "fertile land", is both a small medieval town and also the first French AOP recognised in 1936. It was here that the chemist Louis Pasteur conducted his experiments on alcoholic fermentation, and developed the pasteurisation process which he applied to wines to enable them to travel to England without any risk of deterioration.