On a shimmering, sunny day earlier this week I traveled west over McClure Pass toward Paonia, to the North Fork Valley, for a meeting with West Elk area winemakers to tour their vineyards and wineries, to taste their wines and to hear their stories.

Through my assistance at the Woody Creek Winery for the past few seasons, and through tasting some of the area’s wines, I already had a lay of the land and a sense of things. I’ve heard that before the Great Depression, the North Fork Valley had the highest concentration of grapevines in the world. And I have heard that there are 135-year-old Portuguese vines growing on hillsides somewhere. But this tour put things into a much clearer picture. I was able to see the continuity and community that the area winemakers share. They all have an attachment to storied properties with stunning views. It is quiet. And they have small, modern wineries that produce wines to match that spirit.
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