Earlier this year, I celebrated another year around the sun, by driving 1.5 hours to a Boutique Winery and Restaurant.
The setting: a rural sub-tropical farm complete with grapevines, dry grass and the odd cow. The country serenity was broken only by a half dozen bothersome blowflies (But hey, this is Australia!) and the delightful conversation of our lunch guests.
Visiting a boutique winery/vineyard was exciting. I was more than ready for a filling country-style lunch and accompanying wine tasting. And, having worked for a large Australian wine operative some years back, and attending wine tastings here and there, I do feel qualified to comment on this experience.
Really, I should have raised a red flag at the sight of the sad-looking vines that appeared to be merely for decoration. Not the dinky-di thing.
It wasn’t too long before we discovered the lunch menu was profoundly limited, more of a snack food menu. I liked the sound of a grazing platter but the Man of the House, who is a hot meal/red meat and mash kind of guy, would have preferred something more hefty than salad, cold meat and cheese. (none of which he eats cold). So he went a little hungry for his birthday meal, eating just a couple of slices of bread.
NB. (the restaurant had been alerted this was a birthday celebration).
Then there were problems with the wine-tasting experience, the main attraction of having lunch at this restaurant. But not all of our party were participating in the wine tastings.
To our surprise, the staff insisted that only the ‘paying’ wine-tasting participants could sit up at the bar, ie. next to their spouses while they tasted the wines.
Non-drinking spouses, (who were the beer and mixer drinkers) were banished to remain at the allocated dining table towards the rear of the dining hut during the entire wine-tasting experience, some distance away.
This felt uncomfortable and a tad separatist. We were ostracizing our spouses and friends. This detracted significantly from our overall birthday experience.
The Wine Tasting
The wine-tasting portions offered were barely adequate. A small mouthful is not really enough to detect the full aromas, scent and taste of the wine – paying for a small mouthful of six wines.
Please note, at many other wineries, tastings are free and fulsome. Two or even three mouthfuls at least and even then, they’re still free or, of nomimal cost.
No matter how persuasive my laconic, ‘ocker’ friend was, the bar attendant flatly refused to pour more than a mouthful of wine, in his tasting glass.
Her reasoning:
“I have to be responsible with alcohol. I cannot serve more than the equivalent of one alcoholic drink, in total, for the ‘tasting experience.’
You have to be able to drive home,” she added in her husky, forthright tone.
What if you were to have an accident?” she postulated.
Explaining that we had two non-drinking guests accompanying us who could, and would be driving home and reinforced there was no way we’d be taking the wheel. But the staff member, a German exchange student, reinforcing the stereotype, stoicly refused to yield to our pleas.
“We could not have you driving on the road if you had tasted more than just one glass full in total.” {This is not their responsibility once we leave the premises}.
So.. okay. We were getting nowhere with the German.
Ten minutes later, over our lunch grazing platter snacks, our waitress asks,
“Would you like any more drinks? “
“Another glass/bottle of wine perhaps?” (Which of course, would be added to the bill).
“Yes, I will have another Shiraz, please.”
“The Shiraz? Of course!”
Huh?
Yes, we had a lovely day, thanks to our kind friends.
Due to the drawbacks cited above, we won’t return.
What Could They Do Better?
- Offer a more consistent and considerate customer service
- Double the tasting serves
- Have friendlier staff willing to share the history and development of the winery or some interesting factoid of conversation
- An expanded menu with hot options for fussy Moths. (Men of the house)
On the plus side, one of their red wines was of a reasonable quality. My friend purchased two bottles to take home.
FYI – Fascinating correspondence received when I sent in my feedback.
“Hi Amanda,
Many thanks for your email, and taking the time to give us your feedback. We do highly value and appreciate this. We are really pleased to hear you had a lovely day and enjoy the visit and wine overall.
We recognise, and agree our food menu and some resources are very limited being a small boutique cellar door. Unfortunately, we do not have a restaurant kitchen, and so we focus on food to complement the wine being grazing platters and salads.
Expansion, and a restaurant is something we are considering in the future, but presently we only promote and cater to what we can successfully deliver in our busiest times with the facilities we have.
It is disappointing to hear you didn’t feel the wine taste volumes were sufficient. Our standard practise is to pour 6 x 25 ml equating to 1 standard glass of wine to ensure customers can monitor their wine intake. We also have an obligation to ensure we are serving alcohol responsibly by law. Whilst we practise best practice to assist customers and remain compliant, we would have be more than happy to offer another taste as it suited on request.
We sincerely apologise your partner was unable to come up to the tasting bar, it is not intended to be rude, but have just 10 places at the bar. We do get very busy and so unfortunately have to limit these places to the guests participating in the wine tasting.
We can only apologise we did not meet your expectations on this occasion within our current business modal, but hopefully we can in the future with an expanded operation.
If there if anything we can do on the short term Amanda, please don’t hesitate to ask. We do highly value repeat business.
Kindest regards,“
My response in return:
Hi ***
Thank you for your reply and explanations.
I understand the compliance with responsible service of alcohol but wish to point out that we did explain to the bar waitress on the day that we had a designated non-drinking driver and we were not driving that day. I also wish to point out that we ordered and paid for more drinks, which was no problem. This seems to be somewhat of a contradiction in your policy. I am all for safe driving and do not drink if I am driving but it does seem terribly unfair to lump all guests in the ‘driving’ basket!
Please note my friend did in fact request another/larger serving but was told it was not possible.
FYI – I attended two wineries in other locations, recently, which was far more generous in their portions. So this was the reason we both felt the portions offered were skimpy.
Having said all of that, I simply wanted to advise you of my feelings in response to your email. I appreciate your detailed response but do not agree with your rationale. I do hope that you are able to expand the food menu in the future and wish you well in your business endeavours.
Cheers,
Amanda”
No further response was received.
This company repeatedly sends promotional advertisements to a facebook group I administer. It’s a group that has an attractively large following and ads on the group are posted for free.
Since visiting this winery, I have so far denied their posts. I don’t want to promote a place I was dissatisfied with, myself.
My Questions:
- Should I allow this winery to post free ads in my book group?
- Were my expectations of the establishment too high?
- Do wineries charge for wine tastings in your area?
- Can a restaurant call itself a restaurant, without a restaurant kitchen?
- In your opinion, what could they have done better? (besides proof-reading)
Bloggers’ Brains Trust: I would love to hear your response in the comments.
In my best opinion given all the facts from both sides I can only conclude
Nah……f*ck ’em
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Thanks for your input, Brian. Lol
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Any time Amanda 😁
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Living up to the Bushboy title, hey? I heard a report yesterday about an NT guy who got bitten by a croc and then he bit the croc back, in the eye! What an Aussie!
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A good don’t argue works every time 😂
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I’m with him.
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It is nice to know I am not being too harsh.
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But you should keep in mind that this old broad is an intolerant one, who is totally unwilling to put up with any bullshit such as you were bombarded with ! 😀
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I am now wishing you had come along to the party that day, M-R!
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I would deny them free advertising too. My experiences of wine-tasting in South Africa has always been pleasant. Sure, we pay for some, but the amount is generous, the sales talk is interesting, and there are sometimes small snacks to clear the palate in between. I don’t think I would return either. I had to laugh at the waitress happy to bring another bottle of shiraz 🙂
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Ironic, isn’t it that if you pay for more, suddenly the ‘compliance,’ is out of the window. It makes you wonder who these people really are – some kind of temperance union compliance police?
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Another vote for denying advertising: excelling in customer service is a choice. This winery is choosing a long list of excuses why they’re not. A while back I shared a fantabulous customer experience and a miserable one. Neither one was dictated by the circumstances, but by the choices made by the folks who interact with the customers. The person who served you had … poor customer orientation. The person who hired them is responsible for that. That’s a choice the winery made. They could have made a different choice…
Ritz-Carlton chooses excellence in customer service by empowering “Each Lady & Gentleman at The Ritz-Carlton, at all levels, are empowered to spend up to $2000 per guest, per incident.” Wow! Yes, that’s the Ritz-Carlton, but if that spirit existed at this winery, who knows what kind of service you could get (certainly not being separated from your loved ones during your birthday celebration!).
I would not go there nor would I “recommend” them through free advertising.
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I think you are right, E.W. that the company is responsible for hiring staff with poor customer orientation or perhaps it is a poor directive to staff from them?
I love that the Ritz has this brief to keep customers happy. Back in the day, I worked for a Department store that did a similar thing (with a smaller price tag) on Boxing Days. We were able to price match anything if we didn’t have the stock item someone wanted. Many customers received branded items at the generic price. You should have seen the smiles on their faces. It was truly the Xmas spirit working well. I don’t believe this happens anymore but for the brief period, the store engendered some really happy and no doubt return customers.
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That’s awesome! How many folks provided “free” advertising of the best kind to that department store? How much better is that kind of advertising than the run-of-the-mill, cliched ads that most companies go with?
I’m not affiliated with Ritz-Carlton and I never tire of telling and writing about their spectacular customer service:
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Sounds great 👍🏼
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Instead of o ly doing the winetasting at the bar with limited space, they could have come to your table and pour there, while you are comfortably sitting with your non-drinking friends aTray works well for such occations. Also: you drinking is your concern, not theirs. They are treating their customers like primary school children instead of adults. Winetasting is paid for nowadays. They can rather increase the price and pour more, instead of being cheaper and skimpy. And no one likes skimpy portions.
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I hear ya, Seegogga and totally agree. I did question whether we could have the one at the table but they refuse saying we had to go to the bar. I didn’t like that at all. Yes, I felt like a child, not an responsible adult. Perhaps I should send them a tray?
No one likes skimpy portions, especially when it’s a birthday celebration
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This place is a failure and deserves all the bad press it gets. I went to one wine tasting in NY. We paid for it and got our money’s worth. There was no food involved.
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Good to hear that you got your money’s worth in NY at the wine tasting, Anne. I didn’t know NY was a wine area? Or were the wines from another region?
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The wineries on Long Island are somewhat new. Fifty years ago I don’t think there were any. There are a number of them now.
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I suppose they gather wine from other areas and blend it, selling it at NY.
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No, it seems the soil is good for growing grapes. We saw vines from the road, and they looked very healthy. The main crop used to be potatoes on the Eastern third of the island. The other end has Brooklyn and Queens, across from the island of Manhattan.
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Oh I see. Thanks Anne.
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Fascinating experience. I take it that even their grazing menu could have been picked up from your local grocery? I mean, it was nothing special. And apparently staff didn’t talk to you about what would pair well with the wines – but how could they if you barely had one swallow? And the patronizing attitude from both the staff there that day and whoever responded to your feedback? This is a place that is not going to succeed, I’m thinking. I’m guessing that crap food and small tastes are cost savings but you don’t grow a business by promising something that you can’t deliver.
As for posting the ad? I think I’m a little more mean than some of the other commenters. I would allow the ad just so that I could point to it and pair it to your review. Point out what it says you’ll get and what you did. The people in your group share your wine tasting interests? Then they may see the ad elsewhere. Help prepare them for what the real experience is like. I suppose you could do that without allowing the ad.
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I had forgotten that this establishment failed to give us the background to the wines and what would pair well with the uhmmm basic food provided. Yes, the food was nothing special. So perhaps that is why this business is so keen to promote themselves for free, because they are struggling. I think you are right, they could more honest in their promotions. Staff training is lacking, for sure. Leaving their expansion plans until they are highly successful is a recipe for never getting there!
I appreciate your advice on the ad. I am wary of publicly ‘dissing’ companies unless they are corrupt. This place might be mean, but not corrupt. A bad review on a group with the local reach that mine has, could really damage the business and I don’t want to do that. I would prefer they adapt and change their attitudes and practices. It is a hard call. To call them out publicly without damaging them. Perhaps I might write back to them explaining why they won’t be allowed to advertise on my group. I wonder what if any response I would get to that?
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I don’t know that I could follow through with that either. On the other hand, if you don’t talk about your experiences in your group – are you being fair to them? I assume you all post about your interests and what wine tastings you’ve been to? You don’t want people to waste money on a place that doesn’t live up to its advertising but you don’t want to destroy their business either. I would be really curious re how they responded to a letter explaining why you won’t let them advertise there and your concerns for them, as well as for your group members.
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Yep, I think I will do just that Zazzy. I’ll write to them explaining that they can no longer advertise in the group and that I was not impressed with their response nor their service. They probably won’t reply but so be it. At least they know why.
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Of course, the “stereotypical German” irks me. He must have been from the north of Germany (that’s where we localise our clichés within Germany). In the south, particularly in the southwest which is winegrowing country we are much more laid back and less keen to follow rules and orders. Overseas friends are usually shocked when they see the local glasses for wine: holding a half litre of liquid they have grooves on the outside so that they don’t slip through your fingers while and after eating greasy food like sausages and similar. 😋
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Oh Knickers, I deliberated whether to add or delete the word stereotypical. I meant no offence to you, of course. But I was annoyed that this staff member was giving the German population a bad name, or reinforcing that belief that they are all implacable and rigid. I believe this lady said she was living quite close to the border with France and that is how she became interested in wine.
So I am really glad to read that fules are more relaxed and you almost sound Australian having wine with a sausage sizzle! Love the holding grooves on the outside and the half litre size! Fantastic. Please send more Germans winemakers out here!
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No offence taken, none whatsoever. I know our reputation and I’m the first to admit that it is often true. If she was from the Palatinate it just goes to show that the 10% rule applies everywhere 🤭 The half litre is a bit of a problem since it means to have to pace yourself or drink “schorle” (i.e. a spritzer). Unfortunately or fortunately, depending on your perspective, a schorle in the Palatinate is often: top up with a finger width of wine. When at a winefest I have found that it is quite helpful to order a glass of wine and a bottle of mineral water. That way you can taste the undiluted wine first and later top up with water. The glasses are quite cute, I even have earrings like that. I’ll make a post to show you and link it.
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I would love to see that post, Knickers. Yes, ping me when you publish it.
I also think it’s quite wise to pace yourself with such large volumes of wine and to drink water as well to offset dehydration
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Some young US American soldiers have paid the price when they were stationed in the area. I have nursed more than one young lady through bad stages of drunkenness. That’s why we now always call out: “Drink schorleeeee!” Wrong pronunciation but it serves the purpose.
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Oh dear….. Haha!
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So they provided you with wine shots instead, right? Since the hostess was German, I imagine she wouldn’t have any limitations if it was beer-tasting event. LOL!
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Haha, Alejandro. Good point. Beer might be a different matter entirely. Yes, it was exactly like a wine shot! Although her spurious reasoning indicated she was a hard case. Is beer the most popular drink in Texas? If you have wineries, are they offering free tastings?
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Indeed, Texas has wineries, which are starting to gain some notoriety. I’m sure they have tasting events. Actually the margarita is the most popular alcoholic drink in Texas, which means tequila would technically be the top alcoholic beverage here.
https://travel.usnews.com/gallery/top-texas-wineries-to-visit
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Thanks for the link, A. I will check it out. Margarita sounds nice. I used to drink Tequila in my wild days…. not any more.
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Tow and Driftwood look incredible for the trees/ house- at least from the photo. You will have to go check out their wine one day and report back on what it is like.
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Should I allow this winery to post free ads in my book group?
No way. They don’t deserve it.
Were my expectations of the establishment too high?
Your expectations are t minimum and miserably they failed.
Do wineries charge for wine tastings in your area?
Commonsense dictates that wineries are not supposed to charge for wine tasting
Can a restaurant call itself a restaurant, without a restaurant kitchen?
No.
In your opinion, what could they have done better? (besides proof-reading)
It’s too late. They could have agreed with your genuine observation and expressed sincere apologies
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Thank you for answering all my questions, PtP. I love to hear what other people think. I must admit I agree with you on all counts. I don’t mind paying a nominal fee for wine tastings, as long as they are generous with their explanations, conversations and wine. If they skimp on any of those things, they are not worth visiting.
I do think a simple apology can go a long way to ease customer unease. What would it cost them to do that? Perhaps with a free glass of wine to wash it down? After all, they have plenty of wine being a winery! But wait they can’t as they would then breach their own compliance policy. I have never heard anything so ridiculous that you can buy and drink as much as you like, but they can only give you one glass for the tasting! Which you also pay for! Stupid. I was recently at an Italian restaurant and my pizza arrived well before the other two meals. We didn’t say anything – we didn’t need to. The staff came over, apologized and offered us a free drink to compensate. We left happy customers.
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Nice to know that, you had a lovely experience in the Italian restaurant.
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The contrast was indeed stark!
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Being from California, I have attended many, many wine tastings. Back in the day they were free, but most charge a modest amount now (which is often waived if there is a purchase). I often think the first pour is skimpy but by the third or fourth, I’m happy that the pours aren’t larger. It sounds like your pours were pretty small… and the excuse was stupid. They should have fessed up that it was a financial decision.
They should not have called themselves a restaurant… that word carries certain expectations that they couldn’t meet. Oh, and making your non-wine drinking friends sit away from the group is just wrong. Again, I suspect that was a financial decision too… they didn’t want anyone who didn’t pay to steal a sip. Lame.
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Lame! An appropriate word for our experience, Janis. And good to hear what the normal practice is over in California, a big wine producing area. I understand that there is a cost to offering a wine tasting – the staff member’s time, the washing up, the wine itself etc. so I don’t mind paying something for a tasting, a small fee and even better if it comes off a purchase. A little bit of goodwill goes a long way. Two wineries I visited recently approached it differently. One I paid $25 to tryaround 8 wines on offer. In fact, by the end like you alluded, the servings were almost too much. The lady provided an info sheet and conversation. I purchased three bottles of wine.
A smaller boutique winery offered us each of his wines, at no cost. He showed us around the winery and talked to us about the process, how he came to be a vintner. It was so interesting and a delightful way to spend a hour or so. We purchased $350 of wine. Therein lies the difference. What is your preferred wine style?
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What a miserable experience…especially as they knew it was an occasion being celebrated.
There were paid tastings in our area of France – on the tourist routes – but the sort of arrangement you describe = tasting with food – seems to have come in in the last few years. Friends who have tried them say that it is generally cold cuts and cheese, but generously served, as is the wine – and certainly no nannying about driving to check the level in the glass.
The response you received was so self satisfied…I would not give them the publicity they seek as they don’t seem willing to respond to constructive criticism.
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It doesn’t sound like this ‘winery restaurant,’ appreciated the time I took to respond in writing to them, Helen. You would think free market research of the customer base was invaluable!
I don’t feel comfortable with this concern advertising on my FB group, as it would mislead more folks who might have another ‘miserable’ experience.
Although we made a nice day out of it by socialising with our friends, none of us will ever return.
Interesting that France charges for tastings too and that the food element has only just been added, recently. Cold cuts and cheese are popular accompaniments here, but not all wineries that offer a plate of cold cuts, would dare to call themselves a restaurant. An appropriate signage or advertising for this establishment might be:
“We are not a restaurant, but rather we are a tasting ‘hall’ with a small tasting bar offering limited seating, one way conversation and portions that satisfy alcohol consumption limits for drivers.”
Do you think they’d then be fighting off the droves of customers? At least noone would have to write a disappointed email.
I am going to decline their pending FB group post and may even ban them as a member of my group. That way I am not reminded of this every time they try to post! Which at the moment seems to be every four weeks. Hah!
How long did you live in France? I have to say French wine IS way better than almost all the Australian varieties! I was told it was because the Australian wines are packed full of preservatives as they have to have a long shelf to withstand export time frames.
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Don’t get me started! I lived some twenty years in rural France….take a look at my old blog http://real-france.blogspot.com/ if you wish…but start from the first and work forward. It gives my experience of life in la France Profonde.
French wine standards vary tremendously….not helped by a bureaucracy beyond belief. We used to buy en primeur when in England and thought to do the same in France, but stopped as it was clear that the accountants had taken control and wines were not being made to lay down as before…from having to decant the wine easly, you had to slosh it down rapidly on opening the bottle before it lost its guts. And talking of preservatives, a neighbour who worked in the wine trade told us….if you knew what was in the bottle you wouldn’t touch the stuff!
There were good wines to be had…if you knew the grower and his reputation…but you could not rely on wine fair medals as growers used often to make a special lot for the fairs.
I must stop before going on forever!
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Living in France for so long, would make you an expert and much more qualified to comment than me.
It seems like dodgy business practices now extend to the wine industry. So much for the medals! I won’t put any creedence in that information anymore.
Opening a bottle of wine is an issue when your other half doesn’t drink wine at all and you would like just one glass? (on rare occasions, it happens… or when driving) – I have tried decanting the surplus in a smaller bottle to avoid air contamination, but it doesn’t help. Your strategy of scoffing it might be the best strategy of all, with the addition of Eklastic’s schlorle! And an Uber home…
Thanks for the link to your old blog. When did you start that one?
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I think 2009, when we had been in France since 1988.
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And Helen, please don’t stop, go on….. I want to know more!
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Enquire within for all you wish to know!
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So far I have two of your gems over at blogspot. I started out there too but was frustrated at the comment process. I’ll read more.
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Glad you enjoyed it.
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I wouldn’t allow them free posts in my book group. Sorry to hear that it was disappointing. I feel like they should’ve had their menu posted online for people to check before hand so you know what you’re getting. I’ve only done one wine tour in WA and they didn’t seem to be big servings (not 1 glass but more of a full shot glass) but I have heard of other people going to the Hunter Valley here in NSW and got too much to drink all up. I would’ve expected some history of the wines too, advice on what to drink it with and some of the bigger vineyards also make some homemade pantry/fridge items too. Were they a new business?
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I did try to look up information prior to my visit, Sophie, but nothing was mentioned about not having a restaurant kitchen nor offering a limited menu/platter lunches. There were quite a few surprises that day, almost none of them good! I would dearly have loved to hear more about the wines. The attitude was just not really welcoming of enquiries, so I don’t even know if there were a new business. All I can say is they were hitting the social media pretty hard with any ads that were free. {ie in my facebook group} I wasn’t impressed. i think I will write them a message and explain why their ad posts will be rejected. It may be interesting to see if I get a reply. I doubt that I will.
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Maybe they should try and fix their side a bit before getting more customers who aren’t going to enjoy going there! I doubt they will either but you’d be doing them service by giving them your opinion.
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That’s a good way to think about it. Doing them a service. I have considered that perspective, Sophie. Thanks.
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Sorry you had such a bad experience. Most of the wineries we go to here in New Zealand will charge for tastings, but if you buy even just one bottle of wine, wave the fee. We’ve just been over to Martinborough, and have to say we got generous tastings at all places. Re the food – there are a fe wineries near Martinborough that state they do platter lunches (and very good some of them are too), which is fine as it is clearly stated on their website. Others have full restaurants, so you just have to pick what you fancy on that day. Seems like the place you went should have stated ‘platter lunches’ which would have been fine.
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How lovely that you have just been to Martinborough. I recall some lovely wines from there. I am a bit envious to hear of the generous tastings! But good on them for looking after their customers. And buying even one bottle of wine for free tastings is generous. Good on them.
I agree that stating clearly what kind of food a hospitality business is offering is a better and more honest strategy than claiming to be a restaurant and then hiding behind the explanation of not having a restaurant kitchen when responding to feedback. I peeked in the window of the kitchen as I was leaving the establishment mentioned. It looked like there was a microwave and little else. Perhaps not even an commercial oven!
Rest assured that the next winery I choose to dine at, will be thoroughly investigated and the staff will be telephoned prior to my visit.
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I have pinged, not sure if it worked, so here are the glasses and my earrings: https://picturesimperfect2.wordpress.com/2023/11/11/how-to-drink-wine-when-in-the-palatinate/
And I noticed a mistake in one of my comments above: The Palatinate schorle usually consists of a 3/4 glass full of wine topped up with a little water. The joke is that the wine there is cheaper than water.
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Thanks Knickers, the ping has worked. Wonderful. Now that you are mentioning the schorle – wine topped up with water, I think of my friend. She is a white wine drinker but always adds ice to her glass of wine. That way she gets the hydration from the water when the ice cubes melt into the wine.
I am not sure if I would want to dilute the flavour too much. A finger width you say? I will give it a go.
And the price of water in our municipality heading into water restrictions, we may well be showering in wine! Lol.
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In summer, schorle is just the safer option (the proper rate is 1:1). It’s okay with a decent everyday wine but I wouldn’t dilute a superior wine. In that case, I’d rather have a glass of wine separately.
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A sound practice!
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Come on Amanda, spill the beans. Who was it? Where was it? I have a slight professional interest in these matters.
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What state are you in, Richmond?
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NSW
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I am in Qld. That should narrow it down and possibly explain matters. You don’t work for the Hunter Valley Wine Society by any chance?
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Ah, yes. As soon as you said ‘sub-tropical’ I began to wonder.
I’ve had a vague association with Hunter Valley Wine Society, but never actually worked for them. I live in Pokolbin
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I am so jealous!
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I find that the best thing to do is to warn others of the experience before they buy into it. Thus get on all the social networks and reviews and “WINE about the lack of wine and service” their response was what we call in marketing a cut and paste excuse to act like you care.
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Thanks for the vote to warn others, adogtales. So you are experienced in the glib marketing responses similar to the one I received? At least they could have punctuated it correctly if they did copy and paste it! But then, maybe no one has taken the trouble to write them an email or ‘wine,’ about the crappy service before? [I love the pun]
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I don’t know How to treat customer at win test for free. I am a non – drinking your’s friend.
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All good, Raj. Wine is not for everyone.
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Any place that uses the word ‘Boutique’ in their name should immediately be regarded with suspicion in my book. Your responses are perfectly in order.
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Thanks for the validation, Graham. I will no doubt be more dubious about boutique wineries from now on. Having said that we had the opposite experience at another small winery -in another area. Presumably boutique too, but the owner could not have been more pleasant. He poured generously, told us the history of the farm and showed us the process. We spent $350 on wine there. How much on wine did I spend at the other winery, detailed above – $30.
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I’ve found customers respond better to a more welcoming experience!
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No doubt customer so respond better when an establishment is cheerful, smiley and welcoming. It isn’t rocket science.
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My opinion is this. They are rip off merchants using crass rationale to justify measly servings and over pricing. Attitudes like theirs come from the top – the German will be reflecting the owners’ attitude, as reflected in the official response. Those portions are a joke, I’ve never been given anything so measly at any tasting anywhere in the world. And believe me, we’ve done a few! (Extremes for us are…Chateauneuf du Pape in France, all tastings free of charge, no (real) obligation to buy, through to Napa, California, four tasting wines each at 105 US dollars PER HEAD….!)
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I suspect you are correct that the attitude to customers comes from the top – the email and staff seemed to have the same tone. They could have done so much better. It is simple logic.
As for the wine in France that was free and no (real) obligation to buy, you can still find similar ones here that will still offer this, along with interesting commentary and information. There are less and less of them, every year though.
But my goodness, Phil and Michaela. I am shocked that Napa Valley can charge such an outrageous price for tasting wines. Did they serve you a meal with that OTT p.p. price?
I suppose they have tourist buses lined up to enter because the customers have paid an all inclusive tour price….
and how large was the tasting servings for $105 US ? I’d been hoping for a half litre at least!
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No, no food involved and the measures were probably half of a normal glass, so effectively two glasses of wine each.
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Woah… it would want to be the best wine I had tasted…. so do tell… how was the taste?
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Actually I misled you…Michaela has just corrected me, it was 105 dollars altogether, not per head, but that’s still 52.50 for two glasses of wine. Quality, I’m delighted to say, was very high!
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Well at least that seems a teeny tad justified, however still expensive. It would not encourage me to buy any….
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Should I allow this winery to post free ads in my book group? No
Were my expectations of the establishment too high? No
Do wineries charge for wine tastings in your area? Yes, and the servings are miserly
Can a restaurant call itself a restaurant, without a restaurant kitchen? Yes, it happens around here because the restaurants share a kitchen that is somewhere else then transport their food to their restaurants.
In your opinion, what could they have done better? Been friendly and accommodating, creating a party-type atmosphere rather than a high school science lab experience
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I am chuckling at the analogy of a science lab experiment wine tasting. The wine tasting servings were like something out a laboratory pipette – for sure. But I am surprised that you also have miserly wineries in your area, Ally. What is that about? Customers pay and the wineries scrimp?
I probably should have clarified my group isn’t a book group this winery wanted to advertise it… but a facebook group I own and admin for people who are wanting to discover pet friendly eateries and accommodation. The group does have a large reach in this area. I assumed (wrongly) that bloggers would understand that the word fbook or fb meant facebook.
I initially shared the winery details myself to my facebook group. That was my mistake. Since then they have latched on to my group and persist in sending through regular ads. All of which I have declined to approve. One of the other commenters suggested I contact them again and explain my feelings re their ads and why I won’t post them. I might just do that when I have a spare moment.
It is good to know that you think my expectations were not unreasonably high. It was interesting to read that restaurants in your area are outsourcing food production. Do they simply reheat the food when it arrives at the faux-restaurant?
Is this a trend to centralise all food production? If so, it is a deeply disturbing one.
Not only is a food heavily processed, it sounds like restaurants can no longer afford to employ chefs to cook food on the premises. Unbelievable!
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The restaurants I know of that use an offsite kitchen are ones that are in old buildings that ooze charm but don’t have enough space for a proper modern kitchen in the old building, so they share a kitchen elsewhere with other restaurants. Not saying I’ve eaten at these restaurants, just know that’s how they get by.
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I guess that makes sense as space is limited.
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My answers to your questions:
1. Should I allow this winery to post free ads in my book group?
No. I wouldn’t even allow paid ads 😉 Since it is your book group and you can control what ads appear, posting their ads would suggest that you recommend this winery. Since you don’t, it makes sense that you would refuse to post their ads. It would be excellent for you to inform the winery of why you refuse. They need feedback. Of course, it’s up to the winery to act on the feedback.
Were my expectations of the establishment too high?
Nope. It sounds like they presented themselves as a full restaurant with ample services, but they were not.
Do wineries charge for wine tastings in your area?
When we lived in California, we often visited wineries. I don’t remember ever having to pay for tasting. There was likely a limit on the number of tastings, however, but I never felt I was being underserved. We usually limited ourselves because one of us would be driving. Our favorite winery did not have a restaurant but did have an awesome deli and beautiful grounds. We’d always buy a bottle of wine and picnic there. Good times.
Can a restaurant call itself a restaurant, without a restaurant kitchen?
Here in the US, fast-food places like McDonalds are called restaurants, and I have a problem with that. I think the label of restaurant is too loosely applied to too many establishments, some of which have kitchens but (in my humble opinion) don’t really serve food 😉 In your particular case, the label of restaurant was truly misleading.
In your opinion, what could they have done better?
They could have and should have been honest in their advertizing. I’m not surprised that they were defensive in their response to your feedback, but, really, they were guilty of false advertizing.
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Thanks so much for your input Marie and lengthy response. Darn wordpress sought to put this into spam so I had to rescue it today.
I think you are correct about the winery and it should not have been surprising that they were defensive in their feedback. The winery hasn’t got a great future ahead of it if they continue their present practices. I will not be back and how many other customers feel like me?
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Wow, what a disappointing experience all around. I agree with your points of dissatisfaction and would not want to host their ads (for free) on the FB site you administer — it sounds like what they advertise is not what a customer will receive. What a bummer you chose their place of business for your group’s birthday celebration.
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Yes it was a bummer I chose this place for the birthday celebrations. It was also a long drive. I guess I shall have to chalk it up to living and learning… but their ad will not be approved in my group….I may yet write to them, as one blogger suggested and explain why their ads are rejected.
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First of all, this is a blog post that is classified under “Long form content” and a reader certainly needs a lot of time to read this article word to word. Anyways, wine tasting huh, if you like win then yeah, wine tasting is great for you but as for me, I don’t drink although a glass of wine from the best restaurant won’t kill me😂🙏
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My blog has a mix of long and short forms. Its good to mix it up and diversify
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I can’t believe they separated your group!
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I know, right? Quite astounding!!!
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