We continue our “Driver Spotlight” Q&A series where we introduce you to some of our top-notch Napa and Sonoma wine tour guides, provide some insights as to why they love working for Platypus and what makes their tours so special.
Today we would like you to meet Scott Wellington, who has been working as a tour guide for Platypus Wine Tours since March of last year.
Q. Where are you originally from? How long have you lived in the Bay Area?
A. I am a local. I was born in Sonoma County and have lived most of my life in Glen Ellen. My two boys are the 5th generation of our family to be born in Sonoma. I have lived and traveled throughout the USA and a couple of foreign countries, but I was never able to find anywhere better than Glen Ellen, CA.
Q. What do you love best about the Wine Country?
A. The weather, the ever-present color of green, and that in a few hours I can be in so many different places – the mountains, the beach, the forest, the desert, a big city, or the rural countryside.
Q. Why do you enjoy working for Platypus Wine Tours?
A. I left a job that I could never leave at work at the end of the day. At Platypus the most stressful thing I have to do is pick which wineries to go to each day. Who could ask for a better office to work in?
Q. What makes your tours so successful? What do you strive for to make your wine tours truly unique and special?
A. Each day I go to work I see it as an opportunity to meet new people and play in my back yard. I strive to create a tour experience where each location has something different to offer. It could be a chance to go into a wine cave, unique wines poured, able to meet a wine maker or owner, great views, behind the scenes tour, or anything else to mix up the experience. I look for places to talk/educate the group with visual aids, such as talking about cork in front of a cork oak tree.
Q. What are some of your favorite wineries to bring people to, and why?
A. Most any of the”Mountain Wineries” for the views. If I had to pick a couple of favorite wineries though, I’d have to include Paradise Ridge in Sonoma because the herb paring they do in their garden for us is always a big hit with our guests. And, of course, there’s Arger-Martucci in St. Helena with their wines that many people enjoy, and it’s a place that most people would not find on their own driving up the valley.
Q. Do you have any particularly memorable wine tour experiences that stand out that you would like to share?
A. Any of the many “WOW” moments when someones tastes a wine that surprises them with a wonderful experience of great taste like they have never had before.
Here’s what a few of our customers have to say about Scott and his tours. Additional customer reviews/comments about our Platypus Wine Tours can also be found on Google+, our website, Yelp and TripAdvisor.
“Scott was a great host and the tasting room staff spoiled us at most locations. A fabulous time! Seemed way better (and safer) than driving ourselves would have been!”
“I booked this wine tour based upon a recommendation from our inn & I was not disappointed. My boyfriend and I came to Napa for the weekend and were looking for a reasonably priced tour that would take care of all of the work and this tour was perfect! There were 12 people in our group and the bus was a party bus set-up (horseshoe seating as opposed to rows) which was great because the entire group became really friendly. My boyfriend and I are in our twenties as was the majority of the group, but there were 2 couples that were a little older – we all got along very well. We went to 4 vineyards – all of the vineyards were smaller and beautiful with extremely friendly staff.
Now most importantly was our tour guide Scott – I cannot say enough wonderful things about him. He was knowledgeable, friendly, fun, and took very good care of us. He asked us what our expectations were and fulfilled all of them. Every time we got back on the bus there was a water bottle waiting at our seat, he served cheese & crackers on the bus and set up a delicious picnic lunch for us at the second vineyard – all included. He answered all of our questions throughout as well. He also helped us figure out the best way to get our wine back home because we were flying.
Everything was extremely well planned, fun, and laid back. It was so nice already having reservations at all of the vineyards. I would highly recommend this tour company.”
“Our recent Tour on 8/8 was absolutely wonderful. My husband and I had a great time, with a great group of people. We definitely want to send kudos out to our tour guide, Scott W. He was fabulous and provided us with a wonderful wine tour. His enthusiasm and knowledge of Napa is terrific. We can’t wait to return and do it again.”
“Had a fantastic day mainly because of our guide Scott who was very knowledgable about the Napa Valley as well all the wineries. Also prepared a delicious picnic lunch! Thanks Scott for an unforgettable day in Napa.”
Additional photos of Scott and some of our other tour guides can be found in our Photo Albums on the Platypus Wine Tours Facebook page.
