Herzog Wine Cellars, Oxnard

My visit to Herzog Wine Cellars was the worse experience I have ever had at a winery. I visited the on Sun. March 27. They were hosting a fund raiser at Tierra Sur and had moved the tastings from the normal tasting room to a conference room. When I arrived I waited 5 minutes to even have my presence acknowledged. I was told that tastings were $6. According to Herzog's website the $6 would be applied to the purchase of a bottle of wine. When I told the gentlemen this, I was told due to the event, he could not sell me a bottle of wine. He could charge me for the tasting, but not sell me a bottle of wine! Normally I not the kind to complain, but I was on vacation and under time constraints and I couldn't come back when it was more convenient for the winery. So this time I made an exception and wrote the tasting room manager Donna Leary after I returned home from my trip. Even after I explained in my letter that I was told that the tastings were $6, but I couldn't buy a bottle of wine, she had the audacity to tell me that the tastings were supposed to be free. She used the event and my timing as excuses for the poor treatment,"This certainly isn’t the way we normally conduct business but again it was unfortunate as to your timing." and actually condoned her staff's behavior, "I stand behind my staff and will continue to do so." The simple fact remains that catering to the whims of the guests at the fundraiser and the staff operating under challenging conditions should never be used as an excuse to treat even one out of town paying visitor/customer poorly. It's bad advertising and worse business. Take a pass on the winery.