Meet Your Hosts

Helen McFarland brings warmth, focus, and years of hospitality experience to Cellar Door Wine Tours. As Founder and General Manager, she helps create private Willamette Valley wine tours that feel thoughtful, relaxed, and beautifully cared for from beginning to end.

Originally from Colorado and a graduate of the University of Colorado Boulder, Helen brings a natural love for people, service, and meaningful guest experiences. Her background in hospitality, business ownership, and operations gives her a clear understanding of what it takes to make a company work well, not just on the surface, but in the details that guests may never see.

Helen is one of the steady forces behind Cellar Door Wine Tours. She brings determination, practical wisdom, and a deep sense of care to the business every day. From planning and logistics to guest communication, timing, and financial responsibility, she helps keep the experience smooth, personal, and dependable.

After putting down roots in Newberg, Oregon, Helen’s connection to the Willamette Valley continues to grow. Living in the heart of Oregon wine country gives her a close understanding of the people, places, and daily rhythms that make this region so special.

Her path into wine is both personal and hands on. Through her connection to Whistling Ridge Vineyard in the Ribbon Ridge AVA, Helen sees the vineyard year from bud break to harvest. That experience gives her a deeper appreciation for the land, the work behind every bottle, and the quiet beauty of Oregon wine country.

Helen also brings experience from the acclaimed Jory Restaurant at The Allison Inn & Spa, where she built relationships with chefs, sommeliers, winery teams, and many respected people throughout the region. Those connections helped create the kind of welcoming, local, and memorable experiences Cellar Door guests enjoy today.

More than anything, Helen brings heart to the work. She cares about making people feel comfortable, cared for, and genuinely welcome. Whether she is helping plan a quiet day for two or a fuller experience for a group, she helps create private wine tours that feel easy, joyful, and thoughtfully put together.

Mark Treick brings a lifetime of beverage industry experience, creative curiosity, and a deep appreciation for the land to his role as Managing Partner and Founder of Cellar Door Wine Tours.

Originally from Washington State, Mark studied at Central Washington University before moving to Oregon in 1997. Soon after arriving, he found himself among the vines of his family’s Whistling Ridge Vineyard in the Ribbon Ridge AVA. That connection sparked his love for wine and opened the door to a deeper interest in fine beverages, vineyards, and the stories that come from the land.

Mark’s career reflects his love for craft, hospitality, and the people behind each bottle. In 1998, he joined Widmer Brothers Brewing Company in Portland and worked his way from local sales to national distribution. Along the way, his appreciation for Oregon wine continued to grow.

Later, Mark spent time in Breckenridge, Colorado, where he moved from corporate sales into business ownership. During that chapter, he also taught himself the web development skills used to build this very website. In 2009, he returned to his Oregon roots, and in 2012, Cellar Door Wine Tours officially began welcoming guests into the Willamette Valley.

Today, Mark especially enjoys sharing the terroir of the Northern Willamette Valley with guests from around the world. His background in geography and his artist’s eye help him see each bottle as a reflection of the earth, the climate, the season, and the people who bring it to life.

Mark’s style is relaxed, genuine, and engaging. He loves helping guests feel comfortable, curious, and connected to the place they are visiting. Whether the day leads through the Dundee Hills, Ribbon Ridge, or farther across the valley, he helps create private wine tours that feel polished, personal, and full of the quiet beauty that makes Oregon wine country so special.

Get ready to experience Oregon wine country through the eyes of a true world traveler. With more than a decade of experience as a Tour Director, Jill Watkins has led everything from African safaris to complex luxury rail expeditions.

Yet of all the remarkable places she has explored, the Northern Willamette Valley is where her heart feels most at home. As one of our Experience Specialists and a professional travel writer, Jill brings a sharp eye for detail and world-class professionalism to every day in the vines.

Whether she is navigating the scenic roads of the Dundee Hills or sharing the history written into the valley’s soils, Jill’s goal is to help guests discover a sense of wonder in every destination. At the same time, she brings a calm, polished presence that helps the day unfold with ease.

A day with Jill is more than a wine tasting. Instead, it becomes an unforgettable, beautifully told story of the valley.

With a background shaped by the rhythms of roots rock, radio, and audience engagement, Mike knows how to set the stage for an unforgettable day in Oregon wine country.

A natural storyteller with a genuine love for connecting with people, Mike brings fresh energy and an easygoing enthusiasm to the Cellar Door Wine Tours team. At the same time, his grounded style helps guests feel immediately comfortable.

Now enjoying retirement, Mike has turned his curiosity toward exploring the renowned AVAs of the Northern Willamette Valley. As a result, he approaches every tour with the mindset of an eager learner and experiences the magic of the vineyards right alongside his guests.

For Mike, hospitality is not just a job. It is a genuine pleasure. Whether you are winding through the Dundee Hills or discovering a boutique winery in the Yamhill-Carlton AVA, his warm presence, strong customer care, and grounded approach help ensure the experience always stays center stage.

If you want, I can also do one more pass to make all four bios match even more tightly in rhythm and length.