Stave & Stone Winery — Attraction in Hood River

Two star review today. Only due to service/staff. Reservation for two made weeks ago at 12:30 on a Friday afternoon. Arrived 5 minutes late. We were met by the hostess who checked us in and immediately informed us that we would need to vacate by 2:30 due to other reservations. No problem. However, zero greeting or "welcome" to our beautiful tasting room. Wow. We give two Fs about winery table times as we are usually out in an hour. We were lead to a two top on the patio in the very back row. A fire pit in front of us which is not needed on an 80 degree July afternoon. We asked to be moved to one of the many open tables in the front row with a clear view of the grounds and Mt Adams. Our hostess informed us this was not possible due to existing reservations. The tables were a third full overall. We finally were allowed to move after much back and forth on how actual tables are reserved on their site which does not give you the option to select various tables. We were scolded by the tasting room "manager" on how to make notes next time when we reserve on their Tock site. Whatever. We were finally waited on with zero information on their wines, where they are sourced, nothing was given to us. She was an order taker only. We made the "pro" move and ordered glasses of wine as we knew a tasting flight would be a disaster. She wanted our food order right away but I asked her to start us with the wines. She finally returned for our food order....a baked brie which was very good. The wines were good too! Two small napkins and one knife....no utensils. She finally came back to take another glass order and we ordered two different red wines. Another server returned to our table....after enough time to crush the grapes....and said here is your Syrah! I ordered a red blend....my wife a Syrah. She didn't know which was which but we just figured it out. Nobody asked us if we would like to purchase any wines or perhaps join their club. We walked out with 6 bottles a couple of years ago. Disaster visit. Beautiful venue, good wine and food.....terrible customer service. You can do WAY better. That's my review of...

The view is stunning and the wine and food are delicious! We arrived a little after noon on a Wednesday without a reservation. The inside was pretty empty and the patio only had seats in the sun. We weren't doing too well with the humidity (visiting from out of town), so we were happy to sit inside. However, it felt like we were almost forgotten because we weren't out on the patio, which didn't make a whole bunch of sense since the staff were all inside.

The winery is beautiful inside and out! We ended up going with the legacy flight, which came with 6 tastings and a food item paired with each drink. We also added on the small charcuterie board to share since this doubled as lunch. I'm not much of a drinker, this experience was more for my husband, but I did try each one and was pleasantly surprised at how smooth the reds were! I don't normally drink red wine at all, so I was so happy at how smooth they all were! Each little bite was also really good! It can get a bit messy, we weren't given silverware for any of the food or napkins, so be warned. My husband eventually had to get up from our table and go to the bar to ask for silverware and napkins. The charcuterie board was also very tasty! We had 2 different types of meats and 2 different cheeses with some dried fruit, bread, and nuts.

When we were greeted and our order was taken, the service was great, but once our drinks and food came, that was the end of any kind of service from the staff. I would come again for the food and drinks, but I know now to not expect much in the way of service whether it be checking if everything was ok, if our water was low or gone (which it was), or bringing the things normally set on a table (like napkins and silverware). If you are cool being left alone for the most part and sort of getting in and out, then you shouldn't...

Beautiful Location, Disappointing Experience

The property is absolutely stunning, but unfortunately, the way we were treated left a bad impression . As a professional photographer, I understand the importance of creating a welcoming environment—especially in places like wineries, where the ambiance is part of the experience.

This morning at 11 a.m., I brought a client to the lavender fields nearby (a two-hour drive for us) for a photo session. Since the fields weren’t in bloom, we noticed the winery’s scenic backdrop and decided to take a few quick portraits in front of the property. The building was locked, and there were no guests around, so we made sure not to disturb anything since it was a shared lot with the fields.

As we moved to the back to finish our final shot, a blonde woman came out and abruptly said, “We’re closed right now, you can go wait in the lavender fields.” I politely tried to explain that we were just wrapping up and meant no harm, but she cut me off mid-sentence and dismissed us without a second thought.

This was especially disappointing as it was my client’s 21st birthday—I had planned to buy her a glass of wine to celebrate, but we didn’t even get the chance. We left and instead went to the Columbia Gorge Hotel, where we were warmly welcomed even in preparation with a wedding going on as long as we left quietly when everyone started to arrive.

I hope the staff here can reflect on the value of kindness and hospitality—especially in such a beautiful space that could offer so much more if matched with a...