If you haven’t visited this featured Southern Oregon winery, it’s time to make the trip! Reprinted by permission from Southern Oregon Magazine, Spring 2024. Photos by David Gibb.
BY CHRIS COOK
Southern Oregon is a little slice of heaven for wine aficionados, regularly earning accolades from esteemed writers at The New York Times, Wine Enthusiast, Sunset and Forbes. And while residents and visitors alike have grown accustomed to the seemingly endless stream of new wineries and tasting rooms opening throughout the Rogue, Applegate and Umpqua valleys, one winery’s tasting room with something new to the region opened in Jacksonville late last year.
It’s Parkhurst Wine Cellars, with a beautiful new tasting room at 845 East California Street, Jacksonville. Prominently located as you head into town from the east, the new venue overlooks the Table Rocks, an iconic 100-year-old barn and 50 acres of future Parkhurst vineyards. It’s a beautiful intersection of the region’s history with its wine-centric future.
What makes Parkhurst Wine Cellars different is the tasting experience—it’s Parkhurst’s own wines paired with Michelin-worthy cuisine and not a charcuterie board or wood-fired pizza in sight! In other words, a wine (and food) tasting experience that is unique to the region and will entice patrons to return time and time again to enjoy the seasonally changing menu and new wine releases.
Sound too good to be true? I tested this premise by bringing three friends on a recent Saturday afternoon. At first glance, they thought the menu looked “fancy,” but upon recommendations from our server and some culinary magic in the open-air kitchen, my “beet-hating” friend was incredulous (and excited) to have tried and enjoyed Chef Adrian Martin’s crispy beetroot piped with pollen-infused goat cheese and served atop citrus-herb tabouleh. And I (never a salmon lover) was smitten with Chef’s interpretation of Carpaccio, made from indigenously caught Columbian River wild salmon with mirin mango. It’s now my favorite! And the presentation . . . . One friend remarked that each plate delivered to our table came like a “beautifully wrapped present with edible ribbons and bows,” challenging her to slow down, take her time and taste the delicate nuances.
Whether celebrating a special occasion, date night, or escaping for an afternoon with friends, you can count on a comfortable—yet elevated—experience with exceptional service. The Parkhurst tasting room offers a casual elegance that blends blue velvet, dark woods, and comfortable seating with the open kitchen and friendly, well-informed servers.
The seasonal menu includes smaller plates that are perfect for sharing between two or three people, and an “After Dark” menu of larger plates is available after 5:30 p.m. Recent plates have included wagyu beef tartelette, kombu chicken, grilled wild sablefish and wild prawn kataifi paired with Parkhurst wines. On Thursdays, Parkhurst offers tapas specials such as grilled wild prawns, calamari strips, cured olives and Arcadian salad with grilled chicken breast, roasted delicata, fennel, ricotta toast and fig vinaigrette.
Each plate offers two suggested wine pairings, available as 3-oz. pours or by the glass or bottle. All locally grown and made, the wines (with choices including Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Viognier, Merlot, Cabernet, Grenache, Meritage, and Brut Rosé) inspire Chef Adrian’s food choices. Not sure which wines you want to pair? Order a flight and decide for yourself.
Come summer, the tasting room’s outdoor seating areas will blossom with new surprises, and Chef Adrian is energized. “This will be an exciting time at Parkhurst as we will open our outdoor space and create a more casual but original grill menu (think American BBQ via the Mediterranean coast and summer in Provence). In conjunction with the outdoor space, we will continue to serve more complex dishes in our tasting room and look forward to a wide array of local spring produce to enhance our menu choices.”
What’s the inspiration? The motivation? With 40+ years in wine and food, co-owner Mark Enlow began making wine locally in 2016 and even had a tasting room briefly in Talent until the Almeda Fire. Now, with co-owner and wife Susan, they are plowing new ground and bringing their vision to Jacksonville.
“Developing this beautiful site, we wanted the building to blend into the setting,” Mark explained. “From the tasting room’s floor-to-ceiling windows, it’s as though we’re looking out into a Norman Rockwell painting with the church steeple and surrounding neighborhood. We love seeing that rustic 100-year-old barn and the Cheryl Garcia poppy in the Moore family’s vineyard.”
“We love this community. We live in Jacksonville and are excited to bring new culinary creativity and experience to the southern Oregon wine scene,” says Susan. “What sets this tasting room experience apart from others in the area is the seasonal menu and tasting concept matched to our wines by Chef Adrian, raised in the Caribbean and trained in Paris. His creations are architectural in structure and beauty. And the flavors exceed every expectation!”
“We are amazed at the positive response to our wine and food pairing concept,” Susan said. “Unanimously, our guests appreciate that we’re bringing something new to the wine scene in the valley.”
“We find it exciting that so many have shared their enthusiasm and support for having a winery bring the caliber of food that Parkhurst brings,” Mark added. “We find it inspiring and rewarding to interact with our guests as they discover what we’re all about—the art of food and wine.”
The Enlows are planting vines and building out their state-of-the-art winery on-site, eventually growing and making 100 percent of their wines in-house. “In addition to the seasonal menu changes, there will always be some new plantings or winemaking activities to explore during the development of this property,” Mark assures.
Whether adding Parkhurst to your winetasting route or as a singular destination, visiting Parkhurst is a must—to experience its innovative intersection of cuisine and wine. Cheers!
Visit Parkhurst Wine Cellars, 845 E. California St., Jacksonville, OR (541) 324-4851
www.parkhurstwine.com
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