Heartache of Good-bye to Provence and AOC Ventoux Wines

It constantly amazes me how quickly two months pass. In the dead of winter, each month is dreadfully long and feels interminable. In contrast, the summer functions the complete opposite. It is never long enough and ends too quickly. These two months in Provence are always racing by, even though I try to notice and be present for each moment.

On my last day, I was taking in the view while I was out for a cycle. While in Provence, seeing such beautiful sites every day seems so normal. They are present wherever you go. So I was trying to hold on to the moment, knowing it would only be a memory within a few short hours. These are great memories, but my heart wishes I could be in this place consistently. I genuinely feel so much healthier in my heart, body and mind. It is the right place for me.

Continue reading here for the original contributor blog post by A Table en Provence. After almost a decade of living a few months a year in Provence, Paula feels at home in the region. This year she had a chance to explore the wines of AOC Mont Ventoux in more depth and feels that the producers have to showcase their lovely blends to a North American audience.

AOC Mont Ventoux Quick Facts

This mountain, with its peak at 1909m, is well known to cyclists of all abilities. However, Mont Ventoux is a challenge for Tour de France participants. Here are our ten (10) biking tips for “taming the beast.”

In 1990, Mont Ventoux was labelled as a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO. Grapevines and cherry orchards stretch along the mountain’s lower flanks, but above the shade of the oak and pine forest is an imposing summit of limestone scree. From a distance, the lunar landscape at the top looks like snow, even on the hottest summer days.

However, grapes love the soil at the foot of the mountain, which makes the AOC Mont Ventoux producers happy. Within the appellation, the majority of production is red wine (68%); these wines are often blends of Grenache noir, Syrah, Cinsault, Mourvèdre and Carignan. Rosé wine production makes up 28% of the total and generally includes the same grapes. White wine is produced only in limited quantities. Read more about the total output, grape varietals, and winemaking regulations of AOC Mont Ventoux wines here.

Paula Kane

From a background in advertising and design, Paula Kane has forged a career that combines her love of good food and wine with her expertise in marketing to produce highly successful culinary events across Canada. Paula first travelled to France 20 years ago and has been returning ever since. She received a scholarship from the James Beard Foundation to attend Le Cordon Bleu, Paris, from which she was graduated in 2009. She has completed the International Sommelier Guild Wine Fundamentals and recently, the Hautes Etudes du Goût program in gastronomy from which she was awarded a Masters degree from the University of Reims in Champagne, France. For the past ten years, Paula has spent part of her year in the Vaucluse where she cycles, cooks, drinks wine, explores and shares her discoveries with others on her website A Table en Provence. Recently she launched an online magazine —Olive + Sweetpea— dedicated to all things she is passionate about: food, wine, travel, home and women trailblazers.