Wellington Cellars — Attraction in California

We visited Wellington Cellars after receiving a free tasting voucher at Gaige House, hoping for a relaxing experience.

Unfortunately, the tasting host became overly talkative, inundating us with stories throughout the tasting. We felt unable to savor the wines or enjoy any quiet conversation with my partner.

The pressure to purchase became particularly uncomfortable at the end. Despite politely declining a bottle purchase several times, the host persisted, creating an awkward and ultimately guilt-inducing situation. This culminated in our feeling obligated to buy a bottle just to end the interaction. We left feeling pressured and disappointed, with the enjoyment of our evening diminished.

While the wines themselves may be not bad, our experience was detracted from by the overly sales-focused approach. Even after we finally agreed to buy a bottle, the host continued to inquire about purchasing additional bottles, making us feel further pressured and rushed.

Didn't visit them if you want to have a quiet tasting experience with zero...

VJB has started renovations after their take over of Wellington. The old buildings are seeing some love and they've​ built a new temporary tasting room. They've released the first vintage of wine with their winemaker and the same French veritials Wellington was known for, but with reduced production and a focus on quality. My wife and I tasted everything, lots of new French oak and frsh Sonoma fruit on every glass. Especially notable were their estate reserve Malbec​ and Bordeaux blend both of which were world class. For those with a love of Port, they have a port of Zin that is sweet, fully bodied, with a lingering finish that I...

Upside: Beautiful atmosphere. Very friendly workers. Pinot, zin & malbec were okay; cab was great. Downside: They only have outdoor tastings and NO HEATERS! We were FREEZING (12/9/22, 50 degrees), so we rushed thru the tasting. And the restroom was similar to one in a RV (I was told). It was clean, but if you don't know how to use one in a RV, then that's not good. There were no instructions, and the water was turned off. Ugh! But mainly, the cold was the issue. They are constructing a new building that will host the tastings - hopefully it will be...