Faber Vineyard — Attraction in Baskerville

It was an average experience at best, saved only by the service and knowledge of the young gentleman during the tasting service.

Unfortunately, the entire experience was overshadowed by whom I assume to be the owner (short, bald guy with his pictures all over the walls and literature) who saw fit to lecture my group and I as we were about to leave and he asked if we would like to buy any of the wines today and I responded with, "No, thank you. Not today". He immediately retorted with "You know the reason you come to a winery is to buy wines right?". His tone was so condescending that I was gobsmacked and simply responded by smiling and nodding my head. He continued saying, "I'm not trying to be funny. I'm being serious. You come to a winery to taste and buy wines. We serve you, give you good food and hospitality, and in return you buy wines. If you're not going to buy wines then you shouldn't be visiting wineries". These were his exact words (if not verbatim, it was very close).

Fortunately for him, I am quite conflict-adverse, and simply continued smiling blankly as he left to call the younger gentleman over to finalize our Groupon (who, once again was nothing but pleasant) and we left promptly after.

Honestly, sir, if you are reading this - the reason we did not purchase any of your wines is very simple: They are not good. In fact, they are among the worst I have tasted as would be evidenced by the amount we discarded into the bucket on our table. I do not claim to be a wine connoisseur, far from it, but the variance in flavours and complexity in your wines are appalling. They are mostly very light, simple wines that taste diluted.

Let me be perfectly clear. We paid for this. You did not do us any favours. We did not deserve to be treated that way. In fact, neither I nor anyone in my group have never been spoken to like this at any of the wineries we've visited. You have every right to your opinion and you should keep it that way. Fortunately, the sharing plate was delicious and our server was good. You have a good crew and you're lucky...

An extremely unpleasant experience, with the most unprofessional reception from whom I assume is the owner!

I assume this as if he was an employee he would have been fired a long time ago.

We arrived a party of 15 looking to sample wines whilst on holiday. Unfamiliar with the process we entered a busy open plan room with no reception from anybody that worked there or any signs/information at the entrance. After standing for a few minutes we decided to take a seat as we were with children.

The owner eventually appeared and immediately began to chastise us for taking a seat. Asking what we thought we were doing without a reservation, actually handling members of the group telling us to get up. His behaviour actually left the group in shock no doubt unsettling other guests.

We accept that we misunderstood the business model and perhaps should have booked or even waited longer in the entrance for someone to come.

It is not that we were not able to take advantage of what the Vineyard offered, we didn't have any real expectation! It was entirely the individuals way of dealing with the sutuation that lets the establishment down.

There are plenty of other reviews (since read) highlighting his behaviour!

He displayed all the mannerisms of a man out if his depth in a busy facility.

Perhaps some investment to take care of front of house might see their overall score increase.

I can not comment on the wine or the food. Only the exceptionally poor levels of customer service.

I look forward to your response as your previous attempts serve only to re affirm...

So my party of ladies arrived a little early for lunch on Sunday. Our host, the vigneron, ensured that we were settled at our table and supplied tasting of various wines. The mood was light and the ladies selected wines for lunch according to their preferences. Our platters duly arrived and I was happy to see a very fresh range of ingredients. Our host, whose name I never found out, made an effort to be gracious until the end of the meal when some folk asked whether there was any desserts to order. He clearly took offence when one of guests recommended that Faber introduce a sweet option, asking her in a supercilious manner, whether she served coffee to her clients at work. After experiencing the welcome manner in which marketing suggestions were received at other vineyards in WA, the guest was disappointed in our host’s reaction. Please pass on my thanks to the kitchen staff and May I recommend if desserts are not an option, that Faber invest in an espresso machine and a packet of after...