wyoming tourism department

For all their successes, Oregon wineries remain mostly family operations. What they lack in scale they redeem with a homey authenticity.

Sure, the state does have a smattering of palatial hilltop wineries with stunning views and vaulted barrel rooms. Most of its nearly 400 commercial wineries, however, don't have tasting rooms at all.

They are likely to be open to the public only twice a year -- Memorial Day and Thanksgiving weekend -- but many happily accept visitors by appointment.

A drive through Yamhill County, just 30 minutes west of the Portland metropolitan area, offers an eye-opening glimpse into just how many of these hidden gems are scattered along roads just as suited to tractors and combines as they are to cars.

Some intersections are dotted with a half-dozen or more blue signs pointing to wineries this way and that. No matter which way you turn, another tale awaits.

On a recent day, after making a few phone calls to let folks know I was on the way, I set out from Newberg and headed west on Oregon 240. Within minutes, lush slopes stitched with acre after rolling acre of vineyards came into view. The stories I soaked up at the end of long, sometimes unmarked driveways were those of personal commitment and, sometimes, struggle. They added up to something much closer to mom and pop than anything resembling an industry.

Tucked into the lush wine country hills, each small vineyard tells a unique tale.

Aramenta Cellars, Newberg

Peggy Shekell/Special to The OregonianEd Looney, a retired firefighter, and his wife, Darlene, grew fruit and filberts on their farm near Newberg before planting pinot noir grapevines and starting Aramenta Cellars.

Ed and Darlene Looney raised pears, cherries, filberts and finally cows on their 40-acre Ribbon Ridge farm for more than three decades, right up until the "next big thing" came along. In 2000, with new vineyard plantings exploding all around them, they planted the first of what has grown to 27 acres of pinot noir grapevines.

Darlene Looney's side of the family traces its farming roots in the county back more than 100 years. The winery that the couple and their six children built in 2002 sits on the foundation of a historic barn.

"Cows once roamed where the barrels are now," Ed Looney said. "We're pretty homespun around here."

Even motoring up the driveway, there's no indication of what lies ahead. The top of the property, however, offers enticing views of a small lake, a healthy vineyard and, beyond, the entire valley.

The comfortable tasting room -- the only one on Ribbon Ridge open seven days a week -- is always staffed by a family member.

"We never had any idea we'd end up in the wine business," Ed Looney, a retired firefighter, said. "Now, people from all over the world show up here. It's all pretty amazing."

17979 N.E. Lewis Rogers Lane, Newberg; 503-538-7230; aramentacellars.com

Brick House Vineyards, Newberg

Give owner Doug Tunnell the slightest chance to do what he calls "propagandizing" about organic viticulture and the former CBS Television news correspondent is off and running. And with good reason. His vineyard was, after all, among the first in Oregon to gain formal organic certification.

For other wineries only now mulling such a move, he offers a simple way to make a speedy transition away from using pesticides.

"Do what I did and build a house for your vineyard manager right in the middle of the vineyard," said Tunnell, who grew up in West Linn. "Your vineyard will be chemical-free in a heartbeat."

The barn that now houses barrels of pinot noir, gamay and chardonnay was built in 1932. Tunnell has left most of the original horse stalls untouched. On nice days, he sometimes uses the Emmy Award he won for international reporting as a door stop. The pace here is easy, unhurried.

"As good as we think our wine is," he said, "we never forget that the overall experience of visiting a winery is half the enjoyment."

18200 N.E. Lewis Rogers Lane, Newberg; 503-538-5136;