I booked a day experience with Tenuta Torciano Winery at the recommendation of a friend. We traveled in late October 2023. Our experience was less than positive and four months later, I am out over $350.00, due to my not reading the fine print and a winery that does not respond to consumer concerns.
The positive - Every person at the winery was kind and friendly. The winery and grounds were beautiful. We were met at the train station on time. I had arranged transportation through the winery. We were offered wine almost all day, not sure if this was a good or bad thing in retrospect.
The negative - The website emphasizes being prompt, but they do not hold themselves to the same standard. We found ourselves waiting well past our 10 am start time. Our tour of the winery was riding in a golf cart through trees to see the truffle hunting dogs. We were NOT to tour the wine cellar, but I had expected to learn a little about the cultivation of grapes and the wine-making process. We had to wait 1.5 hours to ride horses. We were offered wine, but I am not a morning drinker. After our ride, we were taken to the town of San Gimignano. Our driver found a friend who was giving a tour and asked if we could join his group. This was very strange, but the tour ended in just a few minutes. We were left to explore and get lunch on our own, When we returned to the winery, we were to begin our three-course cooking class (a first, a second, and a dessert). When we arrived we were told our class would begin in an hour or so. We were served wine and antipasto. We were able to start our cooking class sooner, but it was not what was promised. Instead of cooking a complete meal, we made pasta. I had made pasta before and even though our instructor was knowledgeable and entertaining, it was not what I had booked and was very disappointing since attending a cooking school/class was the number one thing I wanted to experience when I visited Italy. Our dinner that evening consisted of more of the meat and cheese and the pasta we had made. It was the worst meal of my trip, certainly not the quality that others have experienced.
The tasting was as described. I ordered product and was billed twice, I was handed multiple billing statements due to the error. The second billing was removed, but additional fees were added for conversion even though my bank pays in local currency and does NOT charge me fees. That night when I read my receipt, I contacted the winery telling them I did NOT agree to the additional charges. They said they would help me with that but they needed information. I sent them the information. When I did not hear from them the next day, I told them that if the charges could not be removed, I would like to cancel my order. Again, they said they would like to help me and ask for the same information that I had already provided.
After disputing this order through my bank, I was finally sent a copy of the contract I signed at the winery stating that the order could not be canceled for any reason, that the wine may cost more than what is listed, and that additional fees could be added to your order. The text of this contract is printed in 4 pt font that I am not able to read and I could only read it because it could be enlarged on my computer screen. While I would not have been pleased, if the winery had told me I had signed a non-cancelable contract on my second contact, I would have had someone read me the contract and realized I was taken advantage of by a company that knew how to write a contract clearly in their favor and my failure to read carefully. Tenuta Torciano informed my bank that they would resend my order, but I've tried to contact the winery by phone, email, and through the website and have received no reply.
I guess I've learned an expensive lesson. Read purchase agreements carefully! Resolve problems before leaving.