An American Provence...
...Huber, who has recently completed a book on the subject, may be uniquely qualified to make the comparison. He is not only a professional geographer, he has spent quite a bit of time in Provence, and the Coulon River valley in particular, since his wife’s family lives there, and over the past years has been a frequent visitor to the North Fork Valley as well.
His forthcoming book, entitled An American Provence was released in December of last year and is available on Amazon.com. It was published by the University of Colorado Press. According to Huber’s book, “I have talked about luscious wines and succulent fruit and exquisite dinners. But there may be no more evocative experience of the two valleys than the smell of new-mown hay in the fi elds at dusk. If a person were to close their eyes, they could not tell if they were in Provence or the North Fork Valley. That sweet, earthy odor is part of the beauty of these places.”
Huber argues that the North Fork is geographically very similar to the Coulon River Valley of Provence and is rapidly becoming more and more like it agriculturally and culturally. The main difference to Huber, is the relatively short history of small organic farms and wineries in the North Fork compared to a history that’s centuries old in Provence. In other words the North Fork is in the process of becoming a place culturally and agriculturally similar to a part of southern France. At one point in the book, he refers to our local North fork vineyards as “prepubescent.”
Initially in the book, Huber seems focused on the Hotchkiss area and Roger’s Mesa in particular, perhaps because he and his wife have stayed at the Leroux Creek Inn in the past and he favorably mentions the vineyards there.
Huber’s book undoubtedly points out what local wine connoisseurs already enjoy and that is the experience of wonderful wines produced right here in our valley.
His forthcoming book, entitled An American Provence was released in December of last year and is available on Amazon.com. It was published by the University of Colorado Press. According to Huber’s book, “I have talked about luscious wines and succulent fruit and exquisite dinners. But there may be no more evocative experience of the two valleys than the smell of new-mown hay in the fi elds at dusk. If a person were to close their eyes, they could not tell if they were in Provence or the North Fork Valley. That sweet, earthy odor is part of the beauty of these places.”
Huber argues that the North Fork is geographically very similar to the Coulon River Valley of Provence and is rapidly becoming more and more like it agriculturally and culturally. The main difference to Huber, is the relatively short history of small organic farms and wineries in the North Fork compared to a history that’s centuries old in Provence. In other words the North Fork is in the process of becoming a place culturally and agriculturally similar to a part of southern France. At one point in the book, he refers to our local North fork vineyards as “prepubescent.”
Initially in the book, Huber seems focused on the Hotchkiss area and Roger’s Mesa in particular, perhaps because he and his wife have stayed at the Leroux Creek Inn in the past and he favorably mentions the vineyards there.
Huber’s book undoubtedly points out what local wine connoisseurs already enjoy and that is the experience of wonderful wines produced right here in our valley.