Temperatures have been reaching the upper 90s and low 100s this past week here in Southern Oregon, so you can understand why I had a few reservations about our outdoor dinner at Del Rio Vineyards last Saturday. I needn’t have worried. Our tables were placed in an open-air pavilion surrounded by green lawns and acres of lush grapevines; and shortly after we were seated, the sun dipped below the mountains to the west. It was still warm, but we were comfortable enough as we drank plenty of ice water along with the Del Rio wines paired with each course.

Last year we enjoyed a similar dinner among the vines, but it was sponsored by several Upper Rogue Valley wineries at a different location. Del Rio was the sole host this evening, and we enjoyed a brief introduction to each wine provided by the winery’s young French winemaker, Jean-Michel Jussiaume. He hails from the Loire Valley, and I appreciated that his white wines are made much in the style of the Loire whites, with an acidity which keeps the wine crisp and not too sweet.

Dinner was provided by the Jacksonville Inn‘s talented chef, Platon Mantheakis. Ingredients focused on fresh, local and seasonal products. After starting with an endive salad featuring shaved fennel, candied hazelnuts and Manchego cheese, we moved on to a beautifully presented chilled prawn “martini.” Presented in a martini glass, skewered shrimp rested in an oh-so-refreshing peach soup with tiny chunks of the perfectly ripe fruit. Next came slices of duck breast served with wild Crater Lake huckleberries and wild mushrooms. Following a perfectly roasted lamb chop (served with an unfortunately too-warm Syrah) was a decadently rich Syrah Port-infused chocolate ganache torte with wild blackberries. Too good!

By the time dinner was over, the air had cooled considerably and the sky was fully dark. We had hoped to see some shooting stars from the Perseid meteor shower, but the haze from forest fires to the south masked a clear view and was the only negative on a lovely evening.

— Patty Vanikiotis, associate editor/copy editor