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Courtesy of Barboursville Vineyards

Barboursville Vineyards offers lodging in its 1804 Inn and Vineyard Cottage.

Dolores Kostelni | Special to The Roanoke Times

Ravioli of fresh ricotta, peas and lemon zest served in a lemon-thyme butter sauce.

Dolores Kostelni | Special to The Roanoke Times

Five types of artisanal cheeses served with house-made jams, local honeys and brioche toast points.

Summer is the time for leisurely day trips and destination dining sprees at special country restaurants. My husband and I do just that a few times during the year, but most especially now, when the weather is gorgeous and it's easy to meet others we know who enjoy short trips and superb cuisine.

Most often, we head up to Palladio Restaurant at Barboursville Vineyards, located just outside of Charlottesville in the rolling hills of Orange County.

Barboursville is named for James Barbour, who resided on the estate in a house designed by his friend, Thomas Jefferson. Barbour, who served as governor and senator of Virginia, died in 1842; two years later, a fire destroyed most of his residence, known today as "The Historic Ruins."

WINE TASTING

Under the guidance of winemaker and general manager Luca Paschina, Barboursville's red wines have won gold medals in numerous national and international competitions as well as the Virginia Governor's Cup for three years.

We sampled its new Octagon 2004, a delicious Bordeaux-inspired wine with a deep ruby color that has won many gold medals. In our estimation, Octagon is not only a top Virginia vintage, but also a best American wine, one we continue to enjoy at home. Two other favorite selections included an elegant Cabernet Sauvignon and a light Cabernet Franc Reserve.

If wine tasting is in your plans, it's a good idea to ask about the tasting schedule when making reservations, so your arrival coincides with the wine program followed by lunch or dinner.

MEET THE CHEF

Originally from Mobile, Ala., Melissa Close has been executive chef at Palladio Restaurant since autumn of 2000. In this capacity, she develops seasonally changing menus typical of Northern Italian cuisine using fresh local ingredients. Her focus on Italian cuisine blossomed when she worked for award-winning chef Frank Stitt at Bottega Restaurant and Cafe in Birmingham, Ala., in the early 1990s, and she refined her expertise while working at Rose Pistola, the acclaimed Ligurian restaurant in San Francisco. Close is a distinguished graduate from the New England Culinary Institute and its Alumna of the Year in 2005. This year, the James Beard Foundation recognized Close as one of the top 20 chefs for the mid-Atlantic region.

THE MENU

Arranged in typical Italian style, the menu is presented in a series of four courses, beginning with antipasto, followed by primi, which includes a selection of soup, risotto, pasta and gnocchi. Secondi comes next, and the spring menu featured scallops with sturgeon caviar; fresh summer vegetable turnover with garden herbs and Fontina cheese served with tomato fondue; and duck breast with red-wine cocoa glaze served with cornmeal crepes filled with broccoli rabe, sour cherries and pine nuts. It ended with grilled Piedmontese beef strip loin with melted Gorgonzola, asparagus and local baby watercress.

WHAT I ENJOYED

There are two dining areas at Palladio Restaurant: the main dining room, a homey, cozy room with a fireplace; and the veranda, a larger, more open space with plenty of windows and French doors to bring views of the outdoors inside.

We made lunch reservations for the dining room, where four of us enjoyed a sumptuous four-course tasting lunch complemented by perfect pairings of Barboursville wines ($50 without wines; $66 with wine pairing).

For antipasti, I ordered heirloom tomato and basil aspic terrine served with homemade mozzarella, local baby lettuces and red wine vinaigrette. A light Barboursville Pinot Grigio 2006 accompanied this dish.

My first course (primi) consisted of blue potato gnocchi with roasted Polyface chicken (from the "beyond organic" Polyface farm near Staunton), sauteed cherry tomatoes, fresh green and yellow wax beans, made all the better with Barboursville Chardonnay Reserve 2007.

For secondi, a Barboursville Barbera Reserve 2006 partnered with braised leg of rabbit with hazelnuts, potato galette, sauteed local greens and fresh thyme emulsion.

As for dessert, I chose five types of artisanal cheeses from Virginia, California and Italy, served with a selection of house-made jams, local honeys and brioche toast points. The menu makes it easy to select an array of cheeses because the list ranges from mildest (Alta Langa Bonrus) to strongest (Clin Organic Gorgonzola Dolce), the latter an extraordinary creamy blue cheese that is both salty and sweet. All of the cheeses went perfectly with the wine, Malvaxia Passito 2004.

Sweet dessert options included an Apricot Bavarian served with raspberry coulis and almond tuilles; caramelized black plum tartlet with vanilla bean gelato and plum syrup; goat cheese cheesecake with Chantilly cream and house-made black cherry-berry jam. Or choose the chocolate Grand Marnier mousse with fresh berries and sugar cookies or the house tiramisu, a ladyfinger sponge cake dipped in espresso served with mascarpone cream and cocoa powder. Each dessert comes with an appropriate wine selection.

THE BOTTOM LINE

Chef Melissa Close and her staff coax every bit of flavor from the simple rustic cuisine of Lombardy and Northern Italy by enlivening it with a fresh American spirit and local ingredients. Her offerings are excellent, and Barboursville Vineyards is a delightful getaway spot perfect for a relaxing, delicious day trip.