20 Years and Counting…

PERCY BRANDON

Vintners Resort offers one of the more special places to stay and dine in Sonoma County. It has an in house spa, wine country tours and a fine dining restaurant in John Ash & Co. Considering all of the amenities Vintners offers, perhaps it’s no surprise that its General Manager, Percy Brandon has been with the resort for 20 years. “I can’t believe it’s been that long myself,” he said with a gentle chuckle. “But I love it here and have never felt the need to move on as the staff and owner have all been terrific over the years.”

Since Percy was enjoying his 20th year with the resort the Insider thought he’d be a fine man to do the NSI quiz and he was. Cheers and enjoy.

What was last night’s dinner? I ate at our restaurant, had something that our chef, Thomas Schmidt calls Tips & Toast. It was filet mignon with dipping toast and prawns. Quite tasty.

Favorite music? I like modern Latin, it has a lot of energy which I love.

Favorite drink? A Manhattan, up and centre, (which means it’s not too sweet).

Favorite place to dine in Sonoma besides Vintners? I love a sushi place in Santa Rosa called Shogun. Chef treats us great and always prepares something special.

Favorite thing about living and working in Sonoma? Ah this is paradise. I lived in Napa for 5 years before coming to Sonoma and I thought it couldn’t get better but I really love the community here and being able to hit the coast in 20 minutes is awesome.

What makes a great resort? I think it’s the people. You can have all amenities, but if the people don’t make it enjoyable, what’s the point?

Any wine, restaurant or trip on your bucket list? I’d like to go the Iguaza Falls. I’ve already been lucky enough to see the Victoria Falls in Africa, so the Iguaza Falls is in Brazil and looks incredible.

Any brush with celebrity? Olivia Newton John stayed here and she got lost in our vineyards and we had to send someone out to fetch her.

Final thoughts? To let people know Vintners Resort is open and Sonoma will be ready when this pandemic goes away. Sonoma has it all – the amenities, the weather, the wine and the food. We can’t wait to welcome people back.

Percy Brandon