Williamsburg Winery — Attraction in Williamsburg

My husband and I booked a night at Wedmore to celebrate our one year wedding anniversary. About 7 years ago we came here together within our first year of dating, so it seemed fitting to celebrate a year of marriage here. We were surprised to find our reservation came with tokens for a free wine flight in the tasting room. Unlike our last visit, we booked a tour this time. We did the extensive tour which was very enjoyable. Carmen was our tour guide and we just loved him. He was very knowledgeable and personable. We enjoyed dinner at Gabriel Archer Tavern. The food was absolutely amazing. Our last trip we ate at Cafe Provençal in the hotel and while it was good, it certainly didn’t stand up to what the tavern has to offer. We chatted with some more seasoned patrons of the winery. Many of which complained about the logo change and other changes under new ownership. I am not sure what changed about the winery itself but we far more enjoyed ourselves this time around compared to our first visit in 2018. We loved the new logo. It felt more personal to the winery. The wine glasses we received as keepsakes with the new logo actually feel like a winery glass with a beautiful corkscrew etched on them and even having the name on aside from the logo. I believe we left our glasses behind in 2018 because the “ww” was underwhelming and didn’t show where the glasses came from. We didn’t care to have something we might’ve questioned in the future about where it came from. We do wish the tour taught us which cheeses pair well with what foods. The cheese plate and crackers, truffles and jam were tasty but I left curious what would’ve complemented each type of wine. Staff at the tavern were amazing and friendly, but a bit too quick to jump on asking how everything tasted the second it hit the table before I could even pick up my fork. I’d have liked a moment to taste my food but no biggie. Complimentary breakfast at the hotel was okay. I expected a better offering of food. There was no water out, only juices, and by the time we had finished our food, an employee walked up to the table to ask if we’d like water. We were the only ones dining at the time so I’m not sure why they waited til last minute. Aside from that, our room had paper thin walls. We could hear the people above us walking, dropping things, and constantly flushing the toilet… ALL NIGHT LONG. We did not sleep a wink because of the noise. We could even make out some of their conversations. We were near the elevators and many people walking by also had overheard conversations by us. So word of caution, your private conversations are not so private in the hotel. I don’t remember so much noise our last visit. I do wish some construction/changes would take place to better this. That was our only downfall and I’m still exhausted from the night of sleep I missed out on. Aside from all of that, we really enjoyed ourselves, walking the winery, and learning about the vineyard. We noticed some fairy lights at night, I think a lit walking trail for a late evening walk would be a beautiful addition. Since we’ve had a 50/50 experience on the noise in the hotel, we plan to stay again. Thanks for a nice weekend getaway and one year anniversary...

The winery is pretty on the drive in but I couldn't tell where we needed to go at first. Parking is a little haphazard - you can park on the grass I guess. I saw 2 handicap spots - one was tucked away behind the building, the other was on the side of a restaurant. We followed the signs to the tasting room. Not bad, but pricey for a wine tasting. We were herded semi-aggressively into a large room with bar-height tables in a square surrounding a few fridges and a selection of wine. The room was dimly lit. Maybe this is to add ambiance? Remind you of colonial times? Regardless, bring a flashlight if you intend on tasting on a gloomy day.

We made our six selections on our sheets. The server would briefly explain each wine, then give us a sample. We never once had the same wine at the same time, even though we made some of the same selections within the same categories. It seemed very chaotic. There is no seating, not even for the semi-handicapped (as I found out). My companion was lightly reprimanded after washing his glass out with water after a wine he intensely disliked because apparently doing so "will destroy the PH of the next taste". He didn't like the wine and didn't want it to impact the next taste, period. It would have been nice if she had asked vs. saying, "Hey, don't do that!" like he was a misbehaving child. He has been to almost every winery in Virginia, and my other friend works professionally with vintners across the state, so to be treated like they didn't know a thing about wine was less than attractive.

The final blow: checking out, I purchased a bottle of spiced wine for a friend that liked it. We joked around about the price of one wine (that was amazing, but I didn't see on the shelf) after I gave my card to the cashier. I then turned around to get my card and the cashier threw the card at me. Literally threw. I was startled by this behavior and her face was screwed up in an angry scowl. My friends said they had seen her scowl at me as I turned and saw the card thrown at me. It was clearly not a mistake. I was too startled to react so I signed the slip she had thrown to the counter and picked up the bottle and left. I had been going to buy a couple of the bottles for us to have as a surprise to my friends, but after that behavior, all I wanted to do was leave.

Overall, the whole elitist, "we are better than thou" attitude of the staff was terrible, demeaning, and discouraging. I feel like they all might need reminding that some of their wine sells for $7 at Kroger. There are far too many good, welcoming, and accommodating wineries in Virginia (and near this one!) to spend even another 10 minutes here. Save your $$ and go elsewhere if you're looking for a pleasant experience with good wine.

TL;DR: Rude employees, dimly lit tasting room with no seating, rushed tasting, chaotic, felt like...

13 years ago, my husband and I visited Williamsburg Winery, frequently when we lived in the area, and we LOVED it! I will tell you after visiting today, I’ll never be back. Ever. Again. Sooo disappointed.

We drove over 3.5 hours today to come back to a place we loved — and bring our 4 children along, as their website states, “Families are welcome at The Williamsburg Winery.” I will tell you - this is a direct lie.

Our children are well-behaved. We’ve been to other wineries with them, and we’ve been welcomed. No problems and always cheerful helpful staff. Today. Not so much. From the moment we walked into the shop, we were met with glaring eyes from a woman at the cash register, but at least the gentleman was kind. We spent well over $100 there.

Then, we ordered $57 of food from the Gabriel Archer Tavern, tipped well and were graciously thanked for the take-out tip, and then we went over to the 1619 Wine Pavilion where we sat down, ordered two wine samplers, topped well, and once our food was ready we picked that up from the Tavern and prepared to eat. I mention the tips because we weren’t cheap people coming their for anything free!!!

Well, not even 5 minutes after we opened all of the food, a waitress came over, and she stated, “I’m sorry, we’re closed. I hate to be the bearer of bad news!” Uhmmm. What. We’ve never actually been just kicked out of a place at closing time. Seriously. Never. In all my years of waitressing and even going to restaurants. I wouldn’t even say that to a customer!!! I’m now a business owner myself, and I’d never dream of treating a customer like this!!! This is even an OUTDOOR space. What closed? The table??? What poor service. There was no, “I’m so sorry we’re closed, there’s another area you can eat, or here’s another suggestion,” or anything to that matter. It was just a cold — “GET OUT”, — basically a very rude and cold statement from her. At which point, we repacked up all of the food we ordered and left. I don’t even understand why we couldn’t sit at the tables with our TAKE OUT, finish eating, and then leave. We’ve never been just kicked out. Insane!!!

I can 100% tell you they catered to almost anyone that didn’t have a family and children. To say I’m disgusted is absolutely an understatement. No one was friendly, and everyone seemed in a rush to leave. If you even tried to strike up a conversation with anyone at this place, forget it. It’s amazing what a difference 13 years can make. This was a place we would rave about to friends through the years. Sadly....