Cellardoor Winery — Restaurant in Camden

First, I have always loved visiting this winery & make it a regular stop when in the area. I’ve been visiting Cellardoor since the early 2000s. But the last time I was there I was snubbed. That’s the only explanation I have for how I felt I was treated.

To be fair, I was by myself & just off a hike. But it wasn’t the first time I came into the establishment that way, & in the past I’ve always been treated respectfully & just kind of felt like an old friend.

This time I was looked at, often, by employees who never acknowledged me but showered other people with attention. I stood in line waiting to buy my 2 bottles of wine for a long time, again, actually being looked at then turned away from. When someone did finally ask what I was waiting for (that’s how she put it), I said I just wanted to buy these two bottles of wine. No smile nor welcoming vibe. I felt like I was bothering her. When I mentioned how I felt, she argued with me, versus trying to adjust the situation. She explained why the way I was feeling was erroneous, which of course made me feel even worse for mentioning it. Couldn’t wait to get the heck out of Dodge!

I’ve done quite well for myself over the years (business-wise) and wouldn’t dream of treating someone who was feeling undermined (for whatever reason) the way I was treated. It’s not conducive to personal success nor the success of an establishment.

I was going to let it go, after all, I had a great stay in Maine outside of this experience, but then decided to speak my peace.

I’ve never seen the girls who I believe were ignoring me on my recent visit to Cellardoor. I’ll volley this whole thing back to them. I wasn’t overly impressed with their customer service skills either.

Anyway, I ended up giving away the two bottles to a parking attendant in Boston. Wine is symbolic & ceremonial, as well as a tasty treat. Didn’t want the negative mojo associated with it this time.

I did favorably highlight Cellardoor on a Camden website recently. And I will return there on my next visit. I’m not going to let 20 years of favorable experiences get ruined by one poor experience. And I’m not going to deter others from going who would probably have the same favorable experience I’ve typically had. But I am calling them out for this behavior. Let’s hope for better luck...

It's crazy that this place (Cellar Door Winery) gets business, coming from florida to visit my in-laws, with their recommendation they thought my husband and I would love this place. To our surprise the people working here were extremely rude, made us feel extremely uncomfortable and made us feel like they were to good for us. When we first arrived, the downstairs was full so we walked among the amazing and beautiful property, then we went upstairs and were quickly greeted with "is it full downstairs because you shouldn't be up here"; " this is a private tasting". We quickly went downstairs and tried to sit at the bar (where their were 3 open seats) and was told that we couldn't sit down "because the woman was helping someone else but was almost finished". I then made a comment "apparently everyone is too busy to even let us sit down"; the woman said "that is just how it is here". Therefore, we decided to leave, as I waited at the door, the woman came over and tried to co Vince me to stay and actually dug herself and the rest of the place in a hole. As she made comments such as: "you are not from around here", "Maine is very different than Florida", "this is our busy time". It's crazy to think that such an amazing, laid back, beautiful place that takes a little bit of drive to get to has such rude people. I would not recommend this place and I would highly recommend Savage Oaks Winery in Union which is about 20 mins...

We were lucky enough to get tickets to “Full Circle” dinner at Cellardoor Winery in partnership with Walkers Maine as our first ever visit to Cellardoor, and we were blown away by everyone involved.

The venue itself is beyond gorgeous. The pond and surrounding area was filled with fall colors, and you can see the vineyards in the background. The barn itself is pretty much original and beautifully restored / maintained. Everything from the chandeliers to stools is beautiful inside.

The staff was so amazingly friendly and attentive, and all the fellow guests were also so welcoming to us out of towners. We hear this was their first event back after Covid, and it was beautifully done.

The wines were beautifully paired with each app, entree, and dessert. Each course and app and wine was amazing!!! We appreciated the Chefs coming out to talk about the swordfish and the short rib preparations. The reserve red was so incredible - I wish I had bought some bottles to enjoy for the occasional after-work glass of wine.

I wish we lived nearby to go there often, but for now, it’s just a beautiful evening during our honeymoon!

Thank you Cellardoor team for...