Definition: damassine

A small oval plum weighing 8 to 10 grams, red in colour; orange-yellow flesh, juicy, very sweet. Harvesting these fruits requires patience, as it is necessary to wait until they are fully ripe and fall from the trees. Its terroir: the canton of Jura, in Ajoie, and the neighbouring regions. The damassine, the jewel of the Ajoie orchards, is also the brandy produced in the Béroche region, with complex aromas dominated by the scent of wild plums, hints of bitter almonds (from the stone), hay, banana, honey and spices such as cinnamon, coriander and cloves. Production in the Jura involves 350 farmers who cultivate more than 4,500 damask plum trees. Two-thirds of these are located in Ajoie. For brandy, see the Encyclopaedia of Wine, Wines and Spirits.