First, let me preface this review with this statement. I don't consider myself to be a huge connoisseur of wine... I mean, I know what I like and I can generally find it pretty cheap at the grocery store. I go to wineries for the experience, for the ambiance, to get away and enjoy a relaxing day outside the city. I'm not there 100% for the wine, so this review has more to do with the experience, than the actual wine. So... having said that, here was our experience.
The guy doing the tastings was very knowledgeable and personable. He joked, we shared a laugh, and he really knew his stuff. He, along with the nice views, get the stars. Unfortunately, the tasting room was a little busy, and he got called off to help out elsewhere halfway through our tasting.
The lady doing the tastings I felt was rude.... and here is her story:
A customer ordered a glass of wine, and she gave it to him in a small tasting glass, rather than a normal sized wine glass. When he tried to confirm if full glasses of wine should be put into the small tasting glasses, she just kept saying, what would you like me to do about it, I filled it close to the top?! (kind of verbally flailing her arms) and he just kept calmly asking, to clarify, if it was how they operate to put full glass purchases of wine in tasting glasses, rather than the regular sized wine glasses they had right there behind the bar. A very cyclical and unnecessary argument in front of customers. Eventually, she said that you had to be in a special club to have the privilege of using a regular sized wine glass. (Aren't those Members Only clubs fancy?? How thoughtful of Willowcroft to clearly label whose shit doesn't stink by giving them big boy wine glasses!)
I could look past the argument, and even the member's only club, IF, after the man left unsatisfied, the tasting lady didn't come back to help us, roll her eyes, and say something to the effect of "thank goodness that jerk is gone".
....*let it sink in*....
Seriously?!? You don't know me... and frankly, I'm on his side. I can understand the argument might have been frustrating for you.... but to tell customers that another (paying and frustrated) customer is a jerk for asking a simple and valid question..... ummmmm..... WHO exactly is the jerk in the end?? To make matters worse, she went on blabbing about how she hated it when "cheap" people came in with Groupons, etc. and just use them and leave without buying bottles of wine. It's kind of ironic, because it seemed like she thought she was being cordial and making pleasant small talk with us. But... umm... I like and use Groupon.... and your company chooses to partner with them. Maybe you shouldn't be openly bad mouthing the customers again and the management's decisions.
Left a bad taste in our mouth for this place and we left right after the tasting.
Again, the guy doing the tastings was doing a great job until the lady took over, but now that we've tasted it, we probably won't venture down the long gravel road to get here again anytime soon. read more