Helm Wines — Attraction in Murrumbateman

This afternoon a small group of us went to Helm wanting to finish our wine tour on a high note. We were a group of people with varying levels of knowledge of wine, but also with the knowledge of the reputation and high standard for which Helm is known. Before we had even set foot in the door we were told that we wouldn't be served as there were too many of us. There was no attempt made to suggest that some of us sit out the tasting, or to even try and get some business out of us. More importantly the tone used was just plain rude, and smacked of "get lost now". All of us were absolutely stunned. There were 2 other cars in the carpark, so clearly it wasn't too busy. Having personally talked up the quality of the product to my companions, and the friendliness of the staff, I was gobsmacked at this reception. Quite simply after dozens of cellar door experiences in wine regions on 3 continents, this rates as the single worst piece of customer service I have ever had at a cellar door by a huge margin. What is more depressing is that I have been here several times and have always found Ken and his team to be friendly, welcoming and keen to talk about their product and what they are doing. Helm has been supported by myself, family and friends over the years, both in sales and recommendations. I know myself and one other member of this group were regular customers, who will now no longer make any purchases or recommendations after such a woeful experience. Simply put you dudded yourself out of a long term supporter or 2 not to mention a number of other potential new customers. After all I can get my wine from other wineries including ones in Germany at a comparable price...

I went there for wine tasting with a group of 12 for wine tasting. Ken Helm conducted the tasting of 7 wines (4 X Reisling & 3x Cabernet Sauvignon) these are all the wines Helm currently had in stock. They only produce these 2 wine varieties. Ken provided details of the tasted wines including where the grapes came from in the small vineyard. He also provided details of the history of wine in the Canberra region, him being one of the pioneers. He was very informative and interesting. The wines were also very good. My favourites were 1921 Classic Cab Sab & the Classic Half Dry Reisling. This was the best tasting as far as information and enjoyment of our day...

Having been here before and having an excellent experience with the owner, rocked up today and was rudely turned away by his wife. As a decent group who has bought wine at each winery out of both joy and courtesy, we found the immediate reception to be very rude. Unfortunately we feel it's necessary to share this experience with our friends who may visit (we are Canberra locals) and the wine suppliers and distributors we know (a number of). Had a very positive experience with numerous other cellar door staff we interacted with today. It's a shame Helm,...