St Hugo — Restaurant in Barossa Valley District

This used to be one of my favorite wineries. I used to rave to everyone how they must go to this place and try their wines. Last week I took my family there and there has been some drastic changes. I was appalled and disgusted with the way we were treated. We were told we MUST make a booking to which we did at $15 pp. We arrive and I then had to walk around the facility to try and find someone as we were also advised that if we were late to our booking then our tasting would be cut short to accommodate the next booking (I agree with this no issues). 10 min into our booking and I find someone, we were directed down stairs. We sat for another 10 minutes whilst a set up occurred. Another lady came in who was 20 minutes late for her appointment who was sat down and told oh don't worry you can do it altogether (we paid for a private tasting). Others walked in with NO booking and they were looked after and accommodated even though we paid and had a booking (we are still waiting for our tasting and now being ignored). The ladies knowledge of the wine was basic and we sat waiting, waiting, waiting for another bottle of tasting whilst she walked around accommodating everyone else who didn't have a booking. We were never asked how we liked the wine. We were poured our glasses and ignored. We had to ask how to order, we had to ask how to buy, and it wasn't till we spent $1000 on wine that we were then treated with a little bit of decency. However those who rocked a suit and tie were given better treatment as we were just in casual dress (you should never judge a book by its cover). I asked for the managers name to which I was told they didn't know whom it was as they have had a restructure last year, they don't have an email address and or business card to contact anyone. So Sorry to say, I DO NOT RECOMMEND THIS WINERY. Even after spending $1000, I didn't get my tasting money back either. All other wineries take this price off when you buy a bottle of wine. I will never recommend this place again. Such a shame because it used to be amazing. Tip for the owners and managers......Train your staff, hire staff who care about your products and customers and make your staff aware of whom their managers are. A reply to this review would be great concidering no one answers a phone or knows whom...

We did the Garden to Table experience. Initially we were greeted and taken for a stroll around the property and kitchen garden by our hostess Sonia. Informative, interesting and made even more pleasant by a glass of French bubbles. The property itself is stunning with views in every direction. The restaurant has a phenomenal feature fireplace and makes use of the views. We were then seated at a counter top overlooking the kitchen where we were introduced to the chefs, Simon and offsiders Liam and Ricky. All were exceptionally friendly and happy to discuss ingredients and techniques. One of the smoothest running kitchens I have seen. Even when they became extraordinarily busy there was no shouting or banging. Corrections made to junior staff with politeness and no malice. All the team members worked smoothly. The food was exceptional and of a high level of refinement. Each dish was designed around a few key ingredients and these were elevated to display their qualities. The bonus of sitting by the kitchen meant we were lucky enough to have a few tastes of dishes intended elsewhere. The matching wines from the estate were all of a high standard including the Grenache. An interesting change to have it as a single variety rather than a GSM. The finishing desserts matched the quality of the rest of the meal and I'm stealing the idea of a sour cream icecream! Before we knew it 3 1/2 hours had passed and we left pleasantly full but not overstuffed. An experience I can't wait to repeat and one we will be bringing all our...

Save your time and money - avoid this establishment. We arrived with a lunch booking, specifically planning to enjoy their wine tasting, only to encounter a maze of rigid policies and inflated prices. Despite having a lunch reservation, we were told wine tasting required a separate booking or an absurd 2.5-hour wait. Their explanation? None - they couldn't justify why tastings weren't possible at lunch tables, unlike some wineries in the area that even include complimentary tastings WITH lunch. The menu revealed equally disappointing pricing: $54 for a measly 250g steak, and their signature vintage was arbitrarily restricted to $20 pours while standard options were $13. A winery needs to show its expertise on even its cheapest vintages and not require an upsell. When we sought clarification from manager Connor about these policies, his dismissive attitude made it clear customer satisfaction isn't a priority - he offered zero solutions and treated our reasonable concerns as our problem. After Connor claimed they were "too busy" for tastings, we discovered the cellar door had only one group present - he'd blatantly lied to our faces. Their "premium" pricing doesn't match their subpar service. While my friend proceeded with lunch, I refused to waste money on such an overpriced, inflexible venue that treats customers with contempt. Do yourself a favour and visit any of the numerous other welcoming wineries in the region that actually value...