Update: After I posted my review, the owner personally reached out and asked to chat about our…read moreexperience. He was very kind, and sincerely apologized. He also wanted to make sure the bride in our group left with a better impression, so he's sending her a few bottles of wine. We really appreciate him reaching out and making the effort to make things right. It leaves a much more positive experience of the winery and the experience they want to provide!
This was one of the worst customer service experiences I've ever had at a winery.
Our group of 12 made a reservation in advance after spending the day wine tasting at other wineries. When we arrived and gave our reservation name, the employee looked at us and said, "Oh... that's it?" because our group was smaller than they expected.
Once we were seated, we decided to start by ordering one bottle of wine to share and then planned to order more after reviewing the menu. When we ordered, our server responded, "Only one bottle? Huh... big spenders," before walking away. The comment made our entire group uncomfortable and immediately changed the tone of our visit. We had originally planned to order more, but after that interaction, we decided we'd rather finish the one bottle and go somewhere else.
While we were sitting outside enjoying the live music, no one checked on our table. When a few people from our group went inside to ask for water, they were told they could buy water there, but that it would actually be cheaper to go to the convenience store across the street, which the staff recommended instead. I've never experienced anything like that at a winery.
When we asked for our check, the server again commented, "So you're really only getting one bottle?" She then informed us there was a 25% surcharge for walk-ins. I responded that we were glad we had made a reservation, and she made a point of saying she wasn't going to charge us the fee, as though she were doing us a favor.
Because the service had been so uncomfortable from start to finish, I left a 15% tip on our bottle of wine. As we walked out, the server loudly called after us, "Bye, four dollars!" referring to the tip we had left.
I understand that when a group of 12 walks in, servers may have different expectations, but we made our reservation in advance, were polite throughout our visit, and fully intended to order additional bottles. Unfortunately, the dismissive comments and poor service made us decide to leave after just one.
That final comment as we walked out confirmed everything we had experienced during our visit. We visited several other wineries that day and had wonderful experiences everywhere else. Unfortunately, this was the only stop where we felt unwelcome and judged for how much we were spending.
There are so many fantastic wineries in the area with welcoming staff and genuine hospitality. I'd recommend skipping this one and spending your time and money elsewhere.