We visited Stonyridge on a hot day and were disappointed by our experience.
We went for a tasting on the deck and they didn’t have a lot of tables with shade for couples, the tables with umbrellas seemed to be larger tables and there were...lots of couples forced to sit in the direct sun, it’s the only winery we’ve visited on waiheke that didn’t have appropriate shade provisions.
The service was really slow and they lost one of the items we ordered, we had to chase for it and they brought it over much later. Apparently their system hadn’t registered the order despite it being placed via QR code among other items that all arrived so we were skeptical of the truth of that. It seems more likely they forgot it. They also didn’t provide napkins or knives/forks with the food, we had to request these afterwards.
It also wasn’t clear where we could find water, and chilled water isn’t provided if you’re there for a tasting. There is a water dispenser where you help yourself however on a hot day it sits out in the sun so you are drinking warm water for a hot glass.
The waiter that brought us our tasting was very knowledgeable and provided a nice service, the wines themselves were fine. The surrounding area is beautiful, there is a lovely view to enjoy whilst drinking your wine.
While there were some positive aspects of our visit, it was a very stark contrast to the level of service that is offered at every other winery we visited in the area. In an area with a lot competition Stonyridge really lets itself down and stood out to us as the only place we wouldn’t want to revisit on our next trip to waiheke.More