Podere La Marronaia - Biodynamic Winery & Farm — Attraction in San Gimignano

BE CAREFUL, TOURIST GUIDE TRAP! Terrible, Touristy and Threatening. These are the words that describe this vineyard. We arrived at this vineyard hoping for some tasting and lunch. We were (un) welcomed by the staff who could not care less. The chap we spoke to(think one of the sons), no hello or smile on his face, said they are fully booked and they have many ‘groups’ still to come. You can see a number of American tourist groups arriving one after another for what is a set tour of looking at a few vines, set menu and tasting. Also from what I could also see their attitude is extremely obnoxious and rude, they seem only to care till you are handing over cash, after that they can not even be bothered to say goodbye properly to the customers. They also seem to like to push the whole ‘family’ theme, we experienced this first hand! Since we had no reservation we thought we would have a look around to potentially book for the next day. We sat in an unoccupied seat and table from which guests had just left, to take shade for a minute or two and also see if there were other wineries we could visit nearby whilst walking around. We were immediately set upon by one of the waitresses, who stood over us and demanded we leave immediately. We said sure we will only be a minute and she went on to insist it had to be now as the guests for that table had just arrived and were on a vineyard tour. Note the table was dirty and she had not started even clearing it. I tried to explain to her that we were only there for a minute to which she cut me off mid sentence and started insisting now now now we have to move away from the table. We did and I explained to her that she needed to behave with some manners and show some respect to potential customers and listen. To which she turned her back and said we can sit on some benches nearby. We anway moved away but the best of the ‘family’ treatment was yet to come. We were looking at maps on the side to find other places when this lady Julia, who said she was the manager and ‘the boss’ of the place arrived. At first she was polite and asked if we had a reservation to which we replied no, she said maybe 4pm it might be free we would have to check at the desk with her and insisted both my partner and i go with her. We could see at that point where this maybe heading, anyway we went to the front of the shop door and Julia insisted we could not be at the vineyard and the shop without a reservation, no where are there any signs or anything suggesting this ‘rule’. She quickly escalated to say we are not allowed to take any pictures of the scenery around whilst at their vineyard and had to leave immediately and went on to threaten that she would ask us to delete our photos as i was at the time looking at my phone clock. She then proceeded to shout at us telling us to ‘GO GO’ and gesticulating to leave. This is all the while knowing there would be no slot available and therefore lying to us. She also claimed, when we asked to speak to the manager that she was the manager and ‘the boss’ of the winery. We have been to wineries all around the world, this place is exceptional but for all the wrong reasons. The ‘family’ theme they keep pushing, clearly they lack in values and upbringing themselves. She also went on to shout that she was ok if we wrote on tripadvisor to give them a bad review and make sure we remember her name, clearly anticipating that her and her colleagues behaviour was less than exemplary. Clearly very paranoid and anxious attitude towards customer care. Note the unoccupied table was still unoccupied at this point! No class, glad these people have a family business that employs them, they would be unemployable else where! Save yourself from this tourist trap and go somewhere else. Update: The lady Julia has replied below and continuous to lie given we demanded no table and did her upmost to seek trouble. I suggest the vineyard puts gates in front and checks reservation before people can enter the shop or property, which is open to public You sound ridiculous and...

EDIT/reply to owner’s reply:

Okay, I add extra details: our tasting was on April 28, Sunday at 11:00, I sent two emails the day before (Saturday 27 April) at ~13:00 which is your working hours. We also called you two times - no one answered. At the same time, you react to google reviews immediately, but not to emails (and your team confirmed that checking emails takes time) please, ask your colleague (male with glasses) - we asked him about dessert, and he said “we have desserts, but you didn’t book it so we cannot provide you a dessert”. I don’t have any interest to lie, ask your team again. regarding that we sat 2 hours - well, the place was half empty with a lot of free tables and everyone was spending similar amount of time again, I don’t mind if you are really busy and some things should be arranged on time, but please, don’t lie even here - it’s not worth it, try to improve your service instead of blaming customers. With a proper attitude it could be avoided. their team also stalked us on Instagram (our personal accounts) and wrote messages there about our reviews (that we should not have done it) - this is unacceptable and outside of any professional etiquette

Original message:

It’s just a joke and tourist trap. It’s very beautiful place with great view, but it’s the only pros of this place.

Service and hospitality are not existing here. We booked our wine tasting in advance with local cheeses. We wanted to add lunch or more food (because they have this option), so I sent them emails in advance and we also tried to call. No one replied.

But fine, we thought it might be possible to ask about it on the spot, but we were told that it’s impossible because there are extremely busy and etc. I asked them why they don’t reply to my email - they started telling me the same story “we are very busy, we booked until October!” (Which is a lie - I checked the website and saw a lot of options even for the day after tomorrow, it was in April )

Wine tasting was boring - the guy that served us didn’t have any interest in it, his explanations were so flat and not engaging. It was so artificial and without any energy. We visited a couple of different wines tasting and I’ve never seen such bad service and attitude.

We asked can we have at least a dessert, but got a reply “We have desserts, but not for you - you didn’t book food in advance and we are busy!”, but, well, during our 2 hours there we saw a lot of free tables and most of the time waitresses were chilling and doing nothing. They were standing inside and talking to each other rather than trying to make customers experience better.

I got it, you can have some rules about adding more food or making changes, but you can do it way better with proper attitude and willingness to help. They could serve us something simple, or at least say sorry for not replying to emails and call rather than trying to show how busy there are (which they are not)

TLDR: avoid this place and bring your money to places, where people care about customer and have more...

A Tuscan Gem: Unforgettable Experience at Podere La Marronaia

Visiting Podere La Marronaia was the highlight of our trip to San Gimignano! Nestled in the picturesque Tuscan countryside, this family-run winery offers an enchanting blend of stunning views, exceptional wines, and warm hospitality. From the moment we arrived, we were welcomed like family by our wonderful hostess, Victoria, the daughter-in-law of the owners. Her warmth and knowledge made our visit truly special. The wine tasting experience was nothing short of spectacular. We sampled a variety of organic and biodynamic wines, each one more delightful than the last. Victoria guided us through each tasting, sharing fascinating insights about the winemaking process and the unique characteristics of their wines.

The tour of the wine-making fermentation area was incredibly informative. We learned so much about the meticulous process that goes into creating their exceptional wines. The setting is simply breathtaking. Sipping wine while overlooking the rolling hills and medieval towers of San Gimignano is an experience we will cherish forever. We also had the pleasure of tasting their exquisite extra-virgin olive oils, which perfectly complemented the delicious local delicacies served during our visit.

Podere La Marronaia is a must-visit for anyone traveling to Tuscany. Whether you’re a wine enthusiast or simply looking for a memorable day in the countryside, this winery offers an experience that is second to none. We can’t...