Jacob's Creek — Restaurant in Rowland Flat

I am writing this review to share and hopefully interest the attention of the management of Jacob's Creek Cellar Door on the terrifying experience we encountered on the 22nd December 2024 afternoon. I have been to the cellar door many times now and have always had a good experience there. Today, I had with me 8 friends from Singapore visiting Adelaide and I thought it would be a good experience for them to visit the cellar door. Unfortunately, it was not so. We missed the signage about not being able to bring food in and had with us some fruits thinking we could have it after the platter and wines that we were going to get from the restaurant and cellar. This is what happened. I was walking my dog around the lawn and then I came back to the table to take out the fruits. Then a staff member came out and started having a go at me. He was rude, aggressive and demeaning in his tone towards me and embarrassed me in front of all the customers by rasing his voice at me. I was totally shocked and was frightened closed to tears. I could not believe what I went through and it was definitely not appropriate to be treated like that. I gathered myself and went in and politely asked to see the manager to give my feedback. It turned out that that staff member was the manager. I told him that I would like to give my feedback and he said he was the manager and he is in charge of the whole place. I asked him if he agreed that he was being aggressive towards me and he said he was aggressive because he had told us 3 times to put our food away but I explained to him that I wasn't even there the first 2 times he said that and had totally no idea what was happening. But I said that he did agree that he was being aggressive and he then quickly changed it that he was affirmative and he was heated up because he had told us 3 times. I felt extremely abused and felt almost discriminated and was wondering if I had that treatment from the manager because I am a Chinese woman. I am a Singaporean Chinese and have lived and worked here for years. This is home to me and definitely do not wish to think that any Australians would discriminate me but that manager, a member of such an established and well-known winery, would have treated me like what he did. He raised his voice at me like an abusive partner and embarrassed me in front of all the customers present, spoke down on me and commanded me to put my things in the car like I was a 5 year old child. I then asked my friends and 2 of them who were ordering food online said he came and told them rudely once to put the food away once but they were so busy with the ordering, given that they are only visitors, they did not think it was so urgent to go put the bag in the car. It is very disappointing and upsetting. We drove 2 cars of friends who have come from Singapore for 1 hour only to be treated the way we were treated. I am really hoping Jacob's Creek take the time to look into this as it definitely does not reflect well to have a staff who is not respectful and not able to manage his temperament to represent a name like Jacob's...

Upon arriving in the Barossa, we were excited to find ourselves just a stone's throw from Jacob's Creek, one of the region's premier wineries. Having travelled from Perth, this visit was a significant highlight for us, eagerly anticipated as part of our journey to explore one of the finest wine regions globally. We noted from the winery's website that it would close at 4:30 pm on Monday, 19/03/24, and arrived at Jacob's Creek by 3:45 pm, looking forward to a wine tasting session. As we got there we had 4 groups doing wine tasting. As easy-going individuals, my wife and I were patient, even after waiting 15 minutes at the bar before being approached at 4:01 pm by a staff member. Contrary to our expectations, she informed us that tastings had concluded for the day at 3:30 pm, despite the website and on-site signage indicating a 4:30 pm closing time. This led to a confusing exchange, as we were under the impression that we had ample time for a brief tasting session before the stated closing time. We had hoped for a little bit more from the exchange perhaps a suggestion of wines we should take home with us? Perhaps some ideas about where we can go or a little bit more than you are wrong customers, and a hard approach to making a point it closes at 3:30pm. A simple you don’t have a reservation would have been sufficient as well for us. Regrettably, the staff member's suggestion was to simply purchase a bottle of wine and walk around the premises until closing, offered in a manner we found to be dismissive and lacking in customer engagement or alternatives. This experience was disheartening, particularly because we value the personal touch and customer service excellence often found at smaller wineries. Disappointed, we sought out another winery, which graciously welcomed us and provided a memorable experience, sharing their wines and history with us. We hope Jacob's Creek will consider enhancing their staff training in empathy and customer service, including effective communication, and offering guests thoughtful alternatives when their initial expectations cannot be met. Cultivating emotional intelligence and a genuine interest in guests' stories can significantly enrich their experience, something we believe is achievable with a committed...

Fantastic experience and exceptional knowledgeable service.

My partner and I attended JC cellar door for the first time to participate in the Jacob’s Creek wine making experience. Nick hosted us for this experience and was exceptional taking our pallets on a personalised journey of tailoring our own perfect blend.

We selected between red or white wine as the style of our own blend. Nick then provided us with an in-depth understanding of what unique characteristics each wine bought to the table and how it could influence the end result. On to the fun stuff we initially blended our own style based on what wine we had enjoy the most straight and with Nicks help we broke down what we loved and what we wanted to change about each blend we had made until we made the perfect mix for our own unique taste. While we mixed away Nick ensured to capture every moment so we had photos and memories to share with family and friends.

Once deciding on the perfect mix it was off to be bottled! JC has a miniature version of an actual bottling line to bottle your wine so it will last for up to 3-4 years! While bottling Nick explained the process of how it all works.

We also enjoyed a Coffee and a deconstructed Hot Chocolate from the cafe while we relaxed and looked out at the scenery.

All in all a lovely modern tasting room to enjoy a meal, have a picnic or discover what wine is...