What would have once been a five star review from me is now a one star review. I’ve waited a little bit to write this so I wasn’t writing it out of a place of raw emotion. First thing’s first - I don’t consider myself a drinker. My husband and I purchased some wine from Hillside for our engagement trip and honeymoon to enjoy privately which was 8 years ago and have maybe purchased here once since then. It’s an extremely rare treat for us. We are local and were recently on a trip (our first overnight trip alone together since our honeymoon even if it was just down the road) and decided to stop by Hillside because it’s a tradition. This visit was a bit more busy than the previous ones but not terribly. I would say there were probably 3-5 people in front of us. Usually when we come we can walk right in without a wait. There was a small line so we decided to check out the merchandise and have a look around. After seeing the front room we tried to excuse ourselves around some folks waiting their turn for a tasting. As we were making our way around them, a woman at the tasting counter immediately scolded me for trying to cut the line. I explained that we were not trying to take anyone’s place in line and that we just wanted to have a look around until it was our turn to purchase what we came there for. I guess because it had been so long since I had been there I wanted to just check things out, see if there was anything new or different just for the fun of it. Taking a look around was never an issue on the previous visits and was encouraged so it didn’t occur to me that it would create an issue. She argued with me that we couldn’t get our own bottle of wine anyway and that it was better to wait our turn for a tasting. I told her we weren’t even interested in tasting anything because we already knew what we wanted but just wanted to look around while waiting our turn. She wasn’t happy. We looked around for a few minutes and during that time I expressed to my husband that I wanted to leave without making a purchase because it hurt my feelings. He insisted we get some because it’s a tradition and something rare and special. We got back into line. When it was our turn the same lady that scolded me scowled at us then pointed us into the direction of a young man with a much more positive and friendly disposition. He offered us tastings and we declined, asked for what we wanted and he went to get it. When he got back to the counter with our purchase he joked that “we were experts” and tried to soften the blow which I appreciated. Maybe the woman was having a bad day of her own. Maybe she was trying to practice crowd control…who knows? There couldn’t have been more than twenty people in there altogether. I’ve managed much worse crowds on jobs. I’m sure most people can relate to having certain experiences at places that stand out to you and become a core memory. I’ve had a few of those experiences here where something funny or endearing was said and it just stays with you. That’s what Hillside was to me. I had never had a bad experience before this trip so it was very shocking. I’m not the type to get embarrassed easily but it was humiliating I think because of how shocking it was. I know the woman doesn’t know me from Adam, but assuming I was trying to cut line (especially with all those eyes there to witness it) was hurtful. I’m the type of person that often feels guilt for holding up a checkout line with a buggy full of groceries. I’m sad because what was a special tradition has been tainted for me. Words stick to my mind like super glue. I don’t forget them. Even if something had to be said I think there was a much more professional way to go about it. Sad to say but my heart is “black and blue” after this encounter because Hillside was such a special place to us. I’m very disappointed, slightly angry and really just sad to have this sinking feeling inside when I think of this place as opposed to the once warm and fuzzy, butterfly, excited feeling it used to bring up in me.
Debbie Shearon
Very nice winery with some wonderful wines - also, they had cheeses & crackers, jams, and lots of wine related acoutrements.
Anthony Ladd
Just wanted something sweet it was pretty good macadam wine.
Repo Dog
Decent wine nice place just to high for the wine like every thing else arounf here now !
Amanda Maye Kirk
John and Kaitlin were so great. Very personable, conversational, and informative
Aria Tsiomakidis
We’ve been coming here for years, quite literally a family tradition to do the Wine Trail whenever we’re in town. My youngest brother just turned 21 yesterday, and of course, we knew just how to spend his day! This stop is one our favorite and our usual first stop on the tour. The staff is always super friendly and helpful with recommendations. Our family will be coming here and enjoying their wine for many more years to come!
Dean Swesey
It was alright, changed to 2 samples if you are not club members. Really need at least 4 samples.
Kaitlyn Moore
They refused to serve us at 7:40 when their hours said they closed at 8:00. Ridiculous.
Ben
Corey was great, he knows his stuff, the pink frozen drink is excellent
Kasey Montgomery
If I could leave this place a 0 star I would. The staff is very rude and don’t understand autism at all. After we purchased the $15 wine tasting, they told us there wasn’t a free one (later found out there was after my husband paid for the $15 tasting). Our son was having a melt down and we were trying to calm him down. The lady staff members were rolling their eyes and the male staff member kept telling us it was okay.
Just stopped by with my Uncle and Aunt - had a wonderful time tasting some of the sweeter wines (and my Aunt’s first wine slushie!). Great place, great wines, shout out to John, who helped our group figure out which things to try!
Dennis Vieira
This is my favorite winery. The people are very knowledgeable and helpful. They produce an Indian summer wine that's awesome. I produce a lot of my own fruit wines but I too appreciate other wines from other wineries and this is one of my favorites. Nice shop. Stop bye and try their wines you won't be disappointed. Week days I have found more relaxing than busy weekends.
Michelle Robson Steward
Great staff, knowledgeable, wi ones made locally, part of a local wine co-op. All wines are solely available at specific shops. Very worth the wine club $10 fee. A must visit!
Leslie Boyd
Excellent place
Harmony Thomas
Review: Disappointing and Unprofessional Experience
My recent visit to Hillside Winery in the Smoky Mountains was completely ruined by the unprofessional behavior of one of your staff members, Jack. My husband, who does not drink, went to grab some to-go cups for me. Instead of handling this simple request with courtesy, Jack repeatedly asked for his ID, insinuating that my husband intended to drink.
Despite being part of a group of six doing the wine tasting, my husband did not participate due to his personal choice not to drink. Jack’s assumptions and accusatory tone were uncalled for and made the experience uncomfortable for everyone in our party.
Rather than making assumptions, Jack should have asked clarifying questions and handled the situation with professionalism. His behavior not only felt disrespectful but also bordered on discriminatory, which is unacceptable.
What could have been a pleasant outing was entirely overshadowed by this incident. I hope Hillside Winery addresses this issue to ensure future guests do not endure similar treatment.
What would have once been a five star review from me is now a one star review. I’ve waited a little bit to write this so I wasn’t writing it out of a place of raw emotion. First thing’s first - I don’t consider myself a drinker. My husband and I purchased some wine from Hillside for our engagement trip and honeymoon to enjoy privately which was 8 years ago and have maybe purchased here once since then. It’s an extremely rare treat for us. We are local and were recently on a trip (our first overnight trip alone together since our honeymoon even if it was just down the road) and decided to stop by Hillside because it’s a tradition. This visit was a bit more busy than the previous ones but not terribly. I would say there were probably 3-5 people in front of us. Usually when we come we can walk right in without a wait. There was a small line so we decided to check out the merchandise and have a look around. After seeing the front room we tried to excuse ourselves around some folks waiting their turn for a tasting. As we were making our way around them, a woman at the tasting counter immediately scolded me for trying to cut the line. I explained that we were not trying to take anyone’s place in line and that we just wanted to have a look around until it was our turn to purchase what we came there for. I guess because it had been so long since I had been there I wanted to just check things out, see if there was anything new or different just for the fun of it. Taking a look around was never an issue on the previous visits and was encouraged so it didn’t occur to me that it would create an issue. She argued with me that we couldn’t get our own bottle of wine anyway and that it was better to wait our turn for a tasting. I told her we weren’t even interested in tasting anything because we already knew what we wanted but just wanted to look around while waiting our turn. She wasn’t happy. We looked around for a few minutes and during that time I expressed to my husband that I wanted to leave without making a purchase because it hurt my feelings. He insisted we get some because it’s a tradition and something rare and special. We got back into line. When it was our turn the same lady that scolded me scowled at us then pointed us into the direction of a young man with a much more positive and friendly disposition. He offered us tastings and we declined, asked for what we wanted and he went to get it. When he got back to the counter with our purchase he joked that “we were experts” and tried to soften the blow which I appreciated. Maybe the woman was having a bad day of her own. Maybe she was trying to practice crowd control…who knows? There couldn’t have been more than twenty people in there altogether. I’ve managed much worse crowds on jobs. I’m sure most people can relate to having certain experiences at places that stand out to you and become a core memory. I’ve had a few of those experiences here where something funny or endearing was said and it just stays with you. That’s what Hillside was to me. I had never had a bad experience before this trip so it was very shocking. I’m not the type to get embarrassed easily but it was humiliating I think because of how shocking it was. I know the woman doesn’t know me from Adam, but assuming I was trying to cut line (especially with all those eyes there to witness it) was hurtful. I’m the type of person that often feels guilt for holding up a checkout line with a buggy full of groceries. I’m sad because what was a special tradition has been tainted for me. Words stick to my mind like super glue. I don’t forget them. Even if something had to be said I think there was a much more professional way to go about it. Sad to say but my heart is “black and blue” after this encounter because Hillside was such a special place to us. I’m very disappointed, slightly angry and really just sad to have this sinking feeling inside when I think of this place as opposed to the once warm and fuzzy, butterfly, excited feeling it used to bring up in me.
Very nice winery with some wonderful wines - also, they had cheeses & crackers, jams, and lots of wine related acoutrements.
Just wanted something sweet it was pretty good macadam wine.
Decent wine nice place just to high for the wine like every thing else arounf here now !
John and Kaitlin were so great. Very personable, conversational, and informative
We’ve been coming here for years, quite literally a family tradition to do the Wine Trail whenever we’re in town. My youngest brother just turned 21 yesterday, and of course, we knew just how to spend his day! This stop is one our favorite and our usual first stop on the tour. The staff is always super friendly and helpful with recommendations. Our family will be coming here and enjoying their wine for many more years to come!
It was alright, changed to 2 samples if you are not club members. Really need at least 4 samples.
They refused to serve us at 7:40 when their hours said they closed at 8:00. Ridiculous.
Corey was great, he knows his stuff, the pink frozen drink is excellent
If I could leave this place a 0 star I would. The staff is very rude and don’t understand autism at all. After we purchased the $15 wine tasting, they told us there wasn’t a free one (later found out there was after my husband paid for the $15 tasting). Our son was having a melt down and we were trying to calm him down. The lady staff members were rolling their eyes and the male staff member kept telling us it was okay.
Restaurantji Recommends
Just stopped by with my Uncle and Aunt - had a wonderful time tasting some of the sweeter wines (and my Aunt’s first wine slushie!). Great place, great wines, shout out to John, who helped our group figure out which things to try!
This is my favorite winery. The people are very knowledgeable and helpful. They produce an Indian summer wine that's awesome. I produce a lot of my own fruit wines but I too appreciate other wines from other wineries and this is one of my favorites. Nice shop. Stop bye and try their wines you won't be disappointed.
Week days I have found more relaxing than busy weekends.
Great staff, knowledgeable, wi ones made locally, part of a local wine co-op. All wines are solely available at specific shops. Very worth the wine club $10 fee. A must visit!
Excellent place
Review: Disappointing and Unprofessional Experience
My recent visit to Hillside Winery in the Smoky Mountains was completely ruined by the unprofessional behavior of one of your staff members, Jack. My husband, who does not drink, went to grab some to-go cups for me. Instead of handling this simple request with courtesy, Jack repeatedly asked for his ID, insinuating that my husband intended to drink.
Despite being part of a group of six doing the wine tasting, my husband did not participate due to his personal choice not to drink. Jack’s assumptions and accusatory tone were uncalled for and made the experience uncomfortable for everyone in our party.
Rather than making assumptions, Jack should have asked clarifying questions and handled the situation with professionalism. His behavior not only felt disrespectful but also bordered on discriminatory, which is unacceptable.
What could have been a pleasant outing was entirely overshadowed by this incident. I hope Hillside Winery addresses this issue to ensure future guests do not endure similar treatment.
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