Hector Wine Company — Attraction in Town of Hector

We have been to Hector Winery many times. I consider it to be one of the best wineries on the trail. We went there for a visit in mid-July and we were greeted by a gentlemen. Who we later found out was the owner. He made us aware of the COVID protocol which we were willing to abide by. Some of our party never came inside and wandered out back to the tent. They were seated by the waitress who was covering that section. Instead of tasting we had decided we’ll just purchase a couple of bottle of wine and go sit at the picnic tables in the yard. Which we did. It stared to rain a bit and our friends who were under the tent came over and said “The waitress said you guys could come up here because it’s raining”. We were then waived over by the waitress stating “come get out of the rain”. So we did. We were under the impression by someone working at the winery it was fine for us to escape the rain. There was one other table being occupied under the tent besides our friends, other than those two tables nobody was there. So we stood there under the tent at our friends table to escape the rain. Roughly 15 Minutes later the owner came out to the table and said “ You didn’t listen to me, I told you to sit in the picnic area”. I replied with “We were, however, it started to rain and the waitress said we could escape the rain under here for a bit”. Instead of communicating with his staff to confirm what his staff has said to the customers he rudely said “Maybe next time you will listen to me”. It was beyond unprofessional to treat your paying customers that way as the owner of a winery. It’s unfortunate that is the face of the business. They lost out on quite a bit of revenue that afternoon. I was planning on buying several cases of wine for friends back home who had asked for me to bring them back some of their favorite Hector wines. As well as the party we were with, they all loved the wine and immediately planned to buy a case as well. We were astounded to have been treated that way by the owner. We walked out and gave our waitress a generous tip for having great customer service and allowing us to escape the rain for a few minute. When tipping her we suggested she find other employment elsewhere hoping she is not treated the way on a daily basis working for someone that rude.

I had perused other reviews on Google and Yelp and found that we ar not the only guests that has visited Hector Winery and also found the owner to be extremely rude to others. We will never be going back and will not recommend this winery...

Amazing! Beautiful Location! Great Selection of Wine! Good Snacking Food with Delicious Cheeses! Kind and Fun Staff. If you are in the Seneca Lake area either visiting or a resident, you need to stop by Hector Wine Company and have a tasting. You will be in wine heaven for sure. Fun atmosphere and every staff member that my husband, John and I have met are so nice and helpful. My husband and I live not too far from Hector Wine and we plan on starting our own vineyard soon, and one of the guys who manages the vineyards with Hector Wine explained the best way for us to get our vineyard started and we so appreciated that. Now, for the winner of Hector Wine is Joe. I believe his family owns the winery and oh my gosh, he is a Rock Star. He is so super friendly and super knowledgable about the whole wine selection they have. My husband and I stayed after all of the other customers left and Joe talked with us for a while and it was so nice and we had so much fun. I don't know of any other place, not matter what kind of business it is, where someone is going to not want to rush you out so they can leave and go do something fun, especially on a Saturday night, but Joe stayed and we had a great time talking with him. We have been to Hector Wines a few times now and we will definitely be going back, again and again. Please make Hector Wine Company your first stop in Seneca Lake. You won't regret it. Look for Joe and you will be happy you did. I will attach a photo of Joe so you know who to look for. Thank you Hector Wine Company and especially Joe for being so darn AWESOME. Try the red wine Soul Red -...

I feel that HWC has done an excellent job during this Pandemic. What some people forget is that if rules are bent or broken, it is their business that is on the line. Although masks, social distancing and inconveniences of sitting at tables that are not your first choice may seem like a huge concern to the customer, I look at the bigger picture, this Pandemic had our local businesses opening up to a small capacity after being closed for months and months. Only to have regulations change on a weekly basis. And probably sometimes more often than that. I still thoroughly enjoyed every visit at HWC. Especially with the appreciation they were following the rules set forth in front of them and doing everything possible to adhere to them while making this a pleasant experience for all. Great job to HWC for not only having some of the best wines in the Finger Lakes but also utilizing your space and your imagination to accommodate as many of us wine lovers as possible. Your efforts have been recognized and...