Hopewell Valley Vineyards — Attraction in Hopewell Township

Belligerent and unprofessional owner, Violetta, who is not transparent in her business dealings. DO NOT HOST YOUR EVENT HERE. It is unfortunate that Google does not allow you to leave zero stars.

I organized a cabaret event for my non-profit theatre company at Hopewell Valley Vineyards on Sunday, June 9, 2024. While our event at the vineyard was a success, we had a frankly awful experience with the owner Violetta.

As we were setting up for our event, Violetta approached our co-founder/treasurer and asked him how we would be paying. He explained to her that we had already submitted the form for the credit card authorization with the agreed upon amount. Violetta then informed him, for the first time, that she was expecting a fee from our ticket sales. I kept all receipts of contact that I had with the event coordinator and Violetta, which never included this stipulation. The agreement, clearly stated, was that my non-profit would retain all ticket profits and require a 2 purchase minimum per ticket holder while Hopewell Valley Vineyards would retain all profits for food and wine sales. When I tried to show Violetta the receipts with the agreements that we had made she refused to look and told us that we were no longer welcome there after our event was finished. We expressed that that was unfortunate because this could’ve been a great partnership for both parties involved. After this incident, Violetta left the venue.

Throughout the communications I had with the vineyard, there were multiple times where we explicitly stated that we would not be able to have our event at the vineyard because the price was too much for us to work out. Violetta INSISTED that we have our event there. The event coordinator was able to work out non-profit pricing for us. We were very grateful to be able to be working with a venue who was so accommodating and eager to work with us.

However, even though we are not welcome back, Hopewell Valley Vineyards has lost many paying customers today. There are many people I know who were looking to book here for events in the near future. After hearing about this, they have expressed that they will not be hosting their large, expensive events there and will encourage others not to as well. It is also unfortunate that they will continue to lose customers due to the way that Violetta treats customers and for not being transparent with your business dealings. I feel sorry for the accommodating and kind wait staff who have to deal with her on a...

Hopewell Valley Vineyards (HVV) worked with us through the year-long COVID-driven postponement, reassuring us that they were invested in guaranteeing that our daughter Erin’s and her husband John’s first anniversary/wedding celebration would be what the couple wanted. The winery is gorgeous! Violetta and Sergio are invested in the community and the PALS program, and we were thrilled to support them through our patronage. We could not have felt more supported by them, in endeavoring to create a memorable occasion for our family. Guests raved about the freshness of the food from the Vineyard’s approved vendor, Emily’s Café & Catering. By serendipity, Coryn found a perfect mother of bride ‘s dress at the Poppy Boutique, right across the street from the caterer on North Main Street. We were glad to support these local businesses, which were all so attentive and addressed our every needs. Violetta made helpful suggestions, including the tablecloths, with us finding beautiful bird motif tablecloths online, and colorful napkins, which will always remind our family of the wonderful occasion. The tasting room and lower room are very charming. Guests were offered a choice of five wines, which Violetta helped us to curate. Though HVV was humming with patrons only a few hours before our event, it was spotless when our party started. The tank room was perfect for dancing! There was ample space for our guests. Our DJ (Ambient DJ Service) had a few colored lights, which was all that great space needed. Many guests gathered outside, under the new covered patio, enjoying the breathtaking vista of the grape vines. Initial dances were accommodated in front of the stage, in the lower room. Our daughter’s friend was allowed to use the piano to play a special piece, which greatly contributed to the celebration! Jess, the event coordinator, was also on hand as a bartender. Winery staff were unfailingly friendly, helpful, and invested in making sure we had a great time. Every time we return to Hopewell Valley Vineyards, we will fondly remember the magical evening the staff created for...

I used to love HVV, but lately, their service has really suffered. I understand being short staffed, or trying to do your best as a business despite change (pandemic,) but there is no excuse for unfriendliness and making customers feel unwelcome. For one, I have been to outdoor small group birthday gatherings at HVV in the past year (so during pandemic,) and it was completely different. This time, I arranged for my husband — and even brought a cake I had baked myself — just to be seated at a plastic outdoor table and told that unless I paid $250 for a reservation fee, we couldn’t eat our own cake, and even further, they took it away from us. Then, they let us know that no table service was happening, and if we wanted any wine or food, we’d have to walk inside each time. Keep in mind, there was a bridal shower happening inside so the entire property was off limits, even the nice separate outdoor courtyard area that the bridal shower wasn’t using (they were inside in the private room.) So moral of the story, my party group ended up paying over $250 in food & drinks anyways (the pizza has also fallen off in quality,) and when I asked if we could have the cake since we ended up spending the minimum amount anyway, I was told to sit and wait so they could speak to the owner/manager on my behalf. Then, the employee returned to let me know the owner declined, since they were busy focusing on the bridal shower private event — and, if I wanted, to call her during the week! essentially, that told me the rest of us, in the hot tent eating on foldout plastic tables and chairs, weren’t as important, even as we too supported this business (and spent lots of money!) Overall I don’t write reviews but I felt that since I knew what HVV used to be, and compared to my recent experience and being made to feel as disposable & ignorable by a business — multiple times in the same visit — I needed to say something. I’m hoping they can get it together, and be the vineyard they used to be. Bridal...