VOITEUR, FRANCE — The first time I tasted Vin Jaune I think I pulled a face like an Englishman who has just found out that he has eaten a horse burger. But then I tried it with cheese, and I understood.

In the popular imagination, wine and cheese were meant for each other. The reality is more frictious, and the cheese usually wins. Its waxy texture coats your palate and its powerful flavors saturate your senses, making it impossible to taste the wine.

And then there is Vin Jaune, the vinous pride of the Jura region of France. Vin Jaune is one of the few wines that can stand up properly to cheese. Like many of the greatest cheeses, it is intense and pungent — thanks to a special grape variety, a special terroir and a special winemaking process.

“It’s a special taste,” said Michel Gahier, one of the best producers in the area. “There are some people who don’t like it at all, but those who do are very faithful.”