The view from the tasting room, overlooking Grizzly Peak and the Cascade Range, is as nice as I’ve heard.
But Weisinger Winery (3150 Siskiyou Boulevard; Ashland, Oregon), the first of many places that I visited as a local tourist in my own town of Ashland, Oregon, was disappointing.
Maybe it was because James and I biked from our house and were dressed in sweaty garb? The staff at the winery was courteous and solicitous to a group of four well-heeled tourists who came in after us, but they were just shy of rude to my husband and me.
Our visit to Weisinger Family Winery in Ashland, Oregon was not nearly as nice as I had expected it would be
Instead of offering detailed information about each wine, they poured us our glasses distractedly. They did not tell us about the stomp competition that was happening that afternoon (and still had openings), even when I pressed for details. And they only reluctantly showed us the cheese and cracker menu.
The other visitors were offered a free tour of the winery. We were not.
Instead, we were nickeled and dimed. I’m used to paying for wine tastings but Weisinger Family Winery charged us even for crackers. They only had one cheese—the most expensive—on the menu (at a whopping $11.95) and after they cut it up and served it to us, other customers helped themselves. As well they should have. They couldn’t have known the cheese was on us!
But my biggest complaint is actually with the wines themselves.
I’m a huge fan of southern Oregon wines. I’ve written several articles, including this one, and this one, about wines in our micro-regions. Articles for the internet with titles like “Move Over California, Southern Oregon Win Takes a Stand,” as well as wine features for The Oregonian, and even an article on wine and hiking in Oregon for the New York Times. I think the high-quality wines being produced in southern Oregon makes it worth spending a little extra to enjoy them. But I actively disliked the taste of the Weisinger Family wines we were served begrudgingly, finding most of them unpleasantly metallic with too much acid.
Was it something in my glass?! Two of the three whites we tried left an unpleasant aftertaste in my mouth. James had the full flight—three whites and five reds—and he enjoyed them more than I. Though there were two that I found palatable:
The 2010 Petit Blanc was a bit sweet but flavorful.
The 2007 Claret was what James described as a “non-heavy” Bordeaux, with a complex aroma and a faint taste of cigar tobacco.
But though I liked the taste of these two wines, they did not seem worth paying $28/bottle for.
This Viognier from Weisinger Family Winery, which costs $26 a bottle, left the unpleasant aftertaste of pennies in my mouth
I always try to buy at least one bottle of wine at boutique vineyards to support local businesses and small agriculture.
Predisposed to like this winery and have a good time (it’s rare my husband and I get to spend a Sunday morning together), I left without buying a bottle and feeling rather ripped off.
We spent $23 on just the wine tasting and shared cheese.
“I can take or leave their wines,” a friend who loves wine said to me when I shared our experience later that afternoon.
On the way home, we stopped at Case Coffee, one of the several excellent coffee shops in Ashland. Their reasonable prices, cold-brew iced decaf, and friendly service helped wash away the disappointing experience we had at Weisinger Family Winery.
Published: September 10, 2012
Updated: December 3, 2019
I think it may be true that staff was influenced by the way you were dressed. This should not be the case, I agree. Maybe you should give the place a second change, dressed as tourists and arriving by car? (This story reminded me of the first time my ex and I tried to visit a new apartment house with condos for sale in Paris. They took one look at our comfortable garb and would not even let us in.)
People with money to spend do not always choose to spend it on fancy clothes and people with fancy clothes do not necessarily have any money left over to spend.
We had an amazing experience all 3 times we went to Weisingers, so I’m sad that yours was not. I wish I could remember his name, but there was a man who served us wine all three times, over the span of 4-5 years, and he actually REMEMBERED us each time (we are not overly memorable, I promise). Plus, I enjoyed the wine and they were very courteous and generous with us, even though we were probably in flip flops, we brought a small child each time (who proceeded to grab delicate things and make noise and eat their crackers), and we are obviously not “moneyed”.
I’m really glad to hear that Marni. I’m always rooting for local wineries and local activities and I was really hoping our experience was atypical. Both servers on Sunday were young women. The wine maker was around (he didn’t talk to us at all, though he seemed nice from a distance), as was the owner (on whose tour we were not invited…)
What a shame. It irks me to no end when people are not treated equally. Your money and presence was just as valuable as anyone else’s. I’d never return to a place like this, nor buy their products. Bah.
I’m so surprised by your review. I used to work at Weisingers and the family always treated me and their customers delightfully well. The older gentleman, John probably is the one that served Marni, and remembered her name. They really don’t judge people by their clothes. They work the land and can often be wearing shorts and casual clothes too. John’s son, Eric, used to work there too and he went on to help others craft wine. I would give it another try. While the bottles do cost $28, the cost of running the winery is expensive.
I. was wondering what part of Texas John is from as my grandmother was a Weisiinger from Josiah line in east Texas.
Deborah Morris, Memphis, tn.