Last week I wrote about some wine tasting we enjoyed on a recent trip to Walla Walla, Washington. The main reason for our visit, though, was to partake of a special dinner offered to the wine club members of Spring Valley Vineyard, a family-owned and -operated winery that produces only red wines. We first tasted their wines back in May, and that’s when we joined their Family Circle club, not only for the access to some great red wines but also so that we could attend the annual Wheat Harvest Party in August. This special event, open to just the first 150 members to respond to the emailed invitation, is set at the family’s property amid the rolling wheat- and vineyard-covered hills a dozen miles northeast of Walla Walla. The afternoon was sunny and warm (thankfully, not a typical hot, late-summer day in the area), and we enjoyed an expansive vista of the gently curving hillsides, some a fallow brown, some featuring a silvery stubble, while still others glowed with a shifting wave of golden wheat. Turning down the gravel road leading to the ranch, we spied bright green vineyards, alternating with freshly harvested wheatfields. At their feet nestled several aluminum-sided buildings of a working farm and winery, threaded together by the dusty road and a ribbon of green grass and willow trees around a pond. That lush oasis hosted a crowd of beautifully set round tables for the feast and the gathering of guests, being offered generous samples of Spring Valley’s wines and passed appetizers: Caprese skewers, house-cured salmon with crème frâiche, and crostini with duck confit and roasted pear. Promptly at 5:00, patriarch Dean Derby rang the iron dinner triangle, welcomed his guests and directed us to the buffet tables. The lavish offerings were prepared by Chef Rich Kobe of Walla Walla’s Fat Duck Inn, and I was delighted to see the emphasis on the bounty of the season and region at hand. Two full, natural suckling pigs and Double R Ranch’s smoked prime rib of beef anchored the dinner, but the salads, side dishes and sauces which accompanied them impressed everyone with their flavor, color and sheer volume. First came an enormous board heaped with quarters of half a dozen varieties of heirloom tomatoes,   drizzled with olive oil and served with a buttermilk herb dressing. Next was a delicious roasted corn salad with sweet peppers, and grilled vegetables with fresh rosemary and feta. There were roasted carrots in three colors sprinkled with Parmigiano Reggiano; green beans with house-cured bacon; and twice-baked potatoes with chorizo, grilled onion and white cheddar. A glance at the dessert table forced me to leave room for the sweets at the end: “s’mores” composed of homemade marshmallows, chocolate ganache and graham crackers; strawberries skewered with pound cake and drizzled with chocolate sauce; mini raspberry and apple pies; and an intriguing fresh melon “gazpacho.” The entire feast and all the wine we could drink — certainly worth at least $250 per couple — was free (except for our obligation to the wine club, a very reasonable annual purchase), and the setting and company could not have been more delightful. You can be sure we will be watching for that special Spring Valley Vineyard email come next summer! — Patty Vanikiotis, associate editor/copy editor