"Welcome!” George Dawson yelled above the din of a school bus engine as guests spilled out and into the tasting room at Delfino Vineyard. Dawson, an aspiring winemaker and member of the Delfino team, was ready to greet the winery's new guests with a bottle of zinfandel raised high above his head.

The bus was the second to visit the Melrose winery on Saturday afternoon and one of more than a dozen shuttling guests around area wineries.

Saturday's event was the first of two barrel tours organized this year by the Umpqua Valley Winegrowers Association. About 650 people from across the state boarded buses bound for northern, central or southern wineries in the region. A total of 19 wineries participated in the tour, with each bus hitting at least six businesses.

At each stop winegrowers shared the fruits of their labor, along with appetizers and other meals. Most stops also gave a discount on the purchase of their wine for the special event.

“We have so many boxes of wine in there,” said Jill Tarvin of Medford, gesturing to the bus.

Tarvin, her sister, Jody, and their friend Courtney Ehrlich all traveled to the area to take the bus barrel tour.

Ehrlich said she wasn't very excited about traveling around on a bus after being less than impressed with a wine tour in Italy. But, she said, she was pleasantly surprised at the fun atmosphere on the bus and the hospitality of the winemakers.

“They just want you to drink their wine and have a good time,” Jody Tarvin said.

Jim Delfino, owner of Delfino Vineyards with his wife, Terri, said the selfish part of him loves to see people enjoying and buying his wine. On another level, he is happy to see people on the barrel tour staying at local hotels, going out for dinner or buying other non-wine related products.

“There is a little altruism there, we like to see that,” Delfino said.

Members of the Delfino team, friends and colleagues of the Delfinos, were present to help conduct tastings, pass out food and, most important, keep the wine glasses full.

Each guest was given a wine glass at the beginning of the tour for all the tastings. Some even wore necklace holders to make sure their glasses were never too far away.

Joy Smith of Roseburg was a tour guide for the event and said most of the 45 or so people on her bus were from out of town. She saw multiple generations traveling together, she added, which made the day really fun for everyone.

“They started to call it the Edwards bus,” tour enthusiast Geno Edwards of Roseburg said.

Edwards has been on the tour for at least the last seven years and every year brings more and more friends and family with him. About 15 made the trek with him this year, he said, including his girlfriend, brother and mother.

Friends Janet Scott and Elaine Bensavage of Salem were on their first barrel tour Saturday, but planned to make it a tradition.

“The countryside is just beautiful,” Scott said. “It was well worth the drive.”

Being able to enjoy the sights without having to worry about finding the wineries on their own was a big plus, Scott said.

The Delfinos participated in the barrel tour for the first time this year, Terri Delfino said, and thought the event went off without a hitch.

“It is wonderful to be a part of something bigger,” she said. “The more people that come ... the more come back and tell their friends.”

• You can reach reporter Heather Morse at 541-957-4208 or by e-mail at hmorse@nrtoday.com.