For Willamette Valley winegrowers, fall harvest is all-consuming, unpredictable, and intoxicating. It's go time for winemakers, too, rushing fruit into fermentation at peak ripeness, surrounded by forklifts, destemmers, and barrel steamers. This froth of hard labor is often hidden from tasting room patrons—unless, say, you’re sipping at Carlton Winemakers Studio. Here, just past the industrial door and up a flight of stairs to the “cellar” viewing deck, witness a maelstrom of hooch madness as 15 small-volume winemakers kick into high gear, weaving around each other in a symphony of logistics to rival Rachmaninoff. Call ahead to request a tour; you just might see Isabella Meunier making her high-scoring Lavinea chardonnay, or Andrew Rich himself—the studio’s longest-running tenant.

Refuel with a “crush lunch” with the crew at Björnson Vineyard, just south of McMinnville. The $40 noontime feasts kick off with a behind-the-scenes vine and production tour. At nearby Keeler Estate (pictured above), small groups can book RTV-powered vineyard adventure tours of the 40-acre biodynamic estate. Hands dirty? Good. Clean up in style at downtown McMinnville’s new Atticus Hotel (from $280), a boutique lodge suffused with subtle glamour—gold leaf silhouettes in the drawing room, mod stemware—and just blocks from more than 15 tasting rooms.

Your can’t-miss nightcap, of course, is at Nick’s Italian Café around the corner. Open since 1977, Nick Peirano’s place has a wine list as thick with history as the group photos and framed Saveur clips that brick the back-room piano bar. Relax with a glass of spicy, world-coveted Patricia Green pinot and contemplate that bit of vineyard dirt still under your nails. That new thirst? Just life’s continuing-ed program, pouring you a gift.

Travel Time: 1-hour drive from Portland