A wonderful experience turned HORRIBLE.
In March 2024 we had an enjoyable afternoon of wine tasting and lunch at the historical family operated winery. We purchased wines and vinegars (2 couples) to be shipped home and were asked about possibly hosting a wine tasting school. Upon our return to the U.S., we received emails inquiring of our interest to host an event and we agreed; thinking it would be a great evening and afford us the opportunity to share our Tenuta Torciano experience with our friends. We set a date and made the necessary arrangements to host 22 guests and greatly anticipated this event. For the tasting we provided individual charcuterie plates for each guest and, following the “school”, a complete dinner was served including homemade lasagna and tiramisu. Hosting an event such as this in our private home was costly and not a simple undertaking though we looked forward to the night with excitement. Preparation, organization of tableware, Italian linens, three wine glasses per guest, flowers, clean up, etc. was all done seamlessly to present these wines in an authentic and inviting atmosphere. Additionally, we were required to provide a hotel room for Gabriele. The wines, oil, and vinegar were sent to our home along with marketing materials and order forms to be provided to each guest. My husband perused the forms and noticed that the prices had increased since our visit and purchase in San Gimigiano in March; however, he did not inquire as he felt there must have been an unannounced price increase. The night of the event we all agreed that the sommelier, Gabriele Salvatori, was very informative, friendly, engaging, and represented the winery proudly. All of our guests thoroughly enjoyed the evening and placed orders, probably a sale for Tenuta Torciano in excess of $10,000. The wines were delivered promptly along with an order form and 10% discount voucher for any future orders. Interestingly (stunningly!) the order forms reflected the pricing of our March purchases and were the same prices online . . . a staggering 15% less than had been charged at our in-home event. We immediately reached out to Tenuta Torciano and anticipated a speedy reply with an acceptable explanation and price adjustment to all of our guests. We emailed again, and again, four times in all, and NEVER heard back. NOTHING! However, within days of our event we received an email from Pierluigi Giachi, CEO informing us of Gabriele’s report of our beautiful and successful evening and he asked if we’d like to host again later in the year. Sadly, this has been embarrassing and extremely disappointing as our friends have inquired about the pricing difference and we can offer no explanation; only the truth: that the Proud Owners of a 13 generation, family owned and operated business have no respect for their customers and choose greed over customer service. Ironically, I’ve uncovered several reviews expressing the same poor after the sale service and lack of communication. Heed it to say, the previously satisfied 24 new customers will not be making any future purchases, will not be visiting the winery, and will spread the word to their friends, colleagues, and acquaintances.