Culver, Ore. -- Maragas Winery is located almost in the exact center of Oregon, and you'd be forgiven for thinking it's in the middle of nowhere, somewhere south of Madras and north of Redmond on scenic Highway 97. Highway signs proclaim the route "A journey through time," and the reference is apt: miles of empty two-lane blacktop swerve through rolling fields, with snowcapped peaks as a backdrop. The sparse manmade landmarks tend toward vintage farmhouses and dilapidated barns, punctuated with grain silo exclamation points.

Maragas' new winery fits right into this pastoral picture: Completed last November, it closely resembles its neighboring farms, albeit in much better repair. Proprietor and winemaker Doug Maragas, once a trial attorney in Florida and Ohio, chose this isolated area for his venture after a protracted search for "the best place in the world." He incorporated in 1999, and produced his first vintage in 2001 at the original winery on the east side of Bend, Ore., some 20 miles to the south.

The new winery sits on a 40-acre tract, and last year Maragas began planting what he hopes eventually will be a 30-acre vineyard. So far, he's put in 1,150 vines of 16 vinifera varieties in a 1-acre pilot vineyard. With the help of Oregon State University viticulture professor Patty Skinkis and Central Oregon extension agent Milen Bohle, he hopes to determine which varieties will thrive in this untested region. Its situation in the high desert, in the rain shadow of the Cascade Range, provides 300 days of sun each year, typically 2,200-2,500 growing degree-days, according to Maragas.

Although the first frost arrived on Sept. 24 this year, "With overhead sprinklers, which we've installed, we could have kept grapes out there until mid-October," Maragas said. "To protect against winter kill, we are doing spur pruning and J-pruning, so we can cover the vine bases with dirt. Actually, we did that by accident last year, and that's how we ended up with fruit from our 1-year-old Muscat Ottonel vines."

Planted on a gentle, south-sloping site, the vineyard is also protected by the nearby Crooked River Gorge, a 300-foot sheer drop that, Maragas said, will draw cold air away from his vines. Although another pilot vineyard has been planted in the area, Maragas said, "We are the only vineyard planting traditional vitis vinifera grapes, such as Merlot, Pinot Gris, Cabernet Franc, etc."

So far, Maragas is still sourcing grapes from Oregon's Willamette and Applegate valleys and Ukiah Valley in Mendocino County. The Oregon grapes are crushed at the winery. Maragas makes an eight-hour, one-way drive to Northern California to pick and crush his Muscat. The must is then shipped by tanker to the winery for fermentation.

Currently, Maragas makes between 1,200 and 1,300 cases each year of his Legal Zin; 300 cases of his Signature Reserve Zinfandel/Merlot blend, which is barrel aged for three years and retails for $33 per bottle. Production of his Willamette Valley Pinot Gris, dubbed Pinot Riche, varies from 700-1,500 cases annually, and his Kool Kat Muscat, labeled with a "beatnik" sketch by his mother, usually amounts to another 300 cases.

Maragas estimates that about 70% of his annual production is sold direct-to-consumer, through tasting rooms at the winery and in Bend, a 100-member wine club and the website, maragaswinery.com. He self-distributes the remainder, mostly to restaurants and a few retailers. "If it's outside of the Central Oregon area, we ship to them, and they pay the shipping," Maragas said. "They have to really want it."