Mountain Winery

Reviews 3

SA

Sandy Johng

My husband and I would not recommend getting married at Mountain Winery. Even though the view from the venue is beautiful, the management staff with the exception of our coordinator April were unfriendly and difficult to work with. My husband and I got married in Mountain Winery on May 2017. After 9 months and many emails planning our wedding since we booked the venue in April 2016, there was a change in management at Mountain Winery. No efforts were made between outgoing or incoming management to communicate our wedding plans, so I had to repeat all of my previous emails and re-coordinate dozens of details. There was a completely new food menu that I was not aware of until I emailed the venue a couple months before the wedding to confirm our meal orders before ordering invitations with the selected meal options. Because there was a new food menu, during an in-person meeting I repeatedly asked if there was a new beverage menu. They had printed a beverage menu that I had emailed them from the prior management, and brought it to the meeting stating it was their current beverage menu. When I asked again, they looked and there was in fact a new beverage menu with prices that were $10/person cheaper than the menu I had sent them. Since we had a 120 person wedding, I would have paid $1200 more than if they would have given me the new beverage menu from the beginning. If you do plan a wedding here, be sure to advocate for yourself. The original tasting they offered was for a few appetizers and an entree that 1) wasnt on the wedding menu and 2) was not requested by my husband and me. After asking repeatedly that we get served actual entrees and appetizers from the wedding menu that we would consider serving our guests, they accommodated. Our entire wedding was outdoors. The week before, it looked like it would get chilly at night to the 50s, so we asked if it would be possible to put up a tent on the Chateau Deck where the reception was. Mountain Winery said a tent was not feasible because, for one it cost $11,000, and secondly it has to be set up for two days, so the couple getting married the night before would have to agree to a tent as well. Our ceremony was on the Vista Deck, which does not have a rain plan. At all. I asked what would happen if it rained, and they said the wedding would just have to get rained on. We got ready at the venue, which costs about $500 per room. They dont allow outside food, and there is a corkage fee. So my wedding party had to rely on a cheese plate the venue provided from 9am when we started getting ready until our 4pm wedding. Lastly, several of our vendors communicated to us that they did not enjoy working at Mountain Winery because the staff were difficult to work with. The fact that professionals in the wedding industry who work at a lot of different venues also had the same feeling we did further validated our concerns. These mishaps contribute to the overall frustration my husband and I feel with this venue after having planned a wedding here, and why we would not recommend it to anyone else.

A

A Private User

Plan on heading for this venue early . . .VERY EARLY . . .if you dont want to miss the music you are paying so dearly for. Traffic . .both to the venue and then into the parking lots was oppressive . . .and I missed the first part of the Buddy Guy set a few weeks ago. Buddy Guy was as good as it got that night, and I regret not being able to get my girlfriend out of the house about an hour earlier. Bring money . . . bags full of it . . .the place has conscientiously maximized all profit potentials. If you happen to be afflicted with something less than an armored bladder, be sure to leave for the bathrooms before the end of the first set of music (missing more of what you have paid top dollar for) . . .the lines were again oppressive and the wait, well . . .painful. I heard that there has been recent remodel/rebuild that added extra seating . . .I get the impression that someone decided additional bathroom facilities in proportion to the added seats were an unnecessary expense. Great for profits, bad for bladders . . My impression was that most of the seats offer a good to great view of the spectacular stage and the performers. My view was through a wrought iron railing . . .a particularly frustrating experience as the second act (BB King) sat in a chair at the front of the stage, giving me a behind bars perspective that did not add to a lackluster performance. I had heard great things about the sound . . .and I believe that it might actually have accentuated a very poor PA mix that night . . .I could barely hear BB King through horn section volume. Perhaps more of a sound engineer problem . . .not sure. As others have mentioned, the $20 parking charge is outrageous. Id like to think that this is not gouging . . rather an attempt to encourage use of alternative transportation over personal vehicles. Unfortunately, there was no alternative . . .other than a $5 discount for "car pooling/motorcycles" . . .Id think that shuttle buses and satellite parking would be a better solution to logistical problems posed by a winding narrow access up the mountain. On a more encouraging note, I found the people working the concert were very helpful and pleasant to deal with and the views of the valley from the mountain are breathtaking . . .a small comfort while waiting for an opportunity exit the lots after the concert. The after concert traffic control was pretty good . . .giving the location and access limitations. This was my first visit to this venue . . .and I doubt that I will be back. It was a very poor value for money and time invested . . .and could be so much better with less emphasis on profit and more on guest comfort and convenience.

JA

Jacob Philip

Visited earlier this afternoon with the family. Stopped by the wine tasting room/bar to see if they had any juice. Many wineries seem to carry grape juice for kids and those preferring to enjoy the scenery and grounds but not planning on drinking wine. Unfortunately for me, the bartender was in a snippy mood. I asked him if he had any grape juice and he pointed to several wine bottles and replied, “this is grape juice.” I asked him if he had any non-alcoholic selections and he replied, “sorry this is a winery, we have wines.” I smiled, thanked him and turned around to leave, unsure if his intent was to be snarky or if it was just a feeble attempt at humor. He then added, “You might want to try Welch’s grape juice at the supermarket.” I told him that last comment was unnecessary and that I would quote him. It didn’t matter to me that there wasn’t any grape juice at the wine tasting but the attitude- I didn’t care much for that. My experience here had been pretty great till now. I know it’s hard to get people to work on a holiday and our friend behind the bar appeared annoyed. Anyway, nothing some additional training couldn’t correct unless of course there’s a pattern of this kind of behavior to guests. As a final comment, the grounds and facilities were lovely and the young lady that took my call earlier in the day was very gracious in describing today’s activities.

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