Just before Christmas, I found myself searching high and low for a particular bottle of wine for a colleague’s farewell present.
After spending days trawling websites and phoning Canberra-based bottle shops, someone suggested that I might have some luck with Vintage Cellars in Manuka.
When I phoned and explained my dilema to ‘Mike’, he was all too happy to help. He checked the shop and realised that they too did not stock the particular wine I was after, however, they did stock the brand. Rather then fobbing me off like all of the other bottle shops had, Mike took my details and told me he would see what he could do and will get back to me.
Within 10 minutes, Mike phoned me back and explained that he had tracked down the rep for the winery and found out that the reason I could not get a bottle was because it was only sold at the cellar door or in restaurants. He asked how many bottles I required and told me that he would get back to me.
Again, within 10 minutes, Mike called me back and explained that if I were to come in to the store the next day, there would be a bottle there waiting for me. Absolutely impressed with the service I received, I thanked Mike for all of his help.
When I arrived in the store the next day, Mike was not working but I explained to his colleague what had happened. He then handed me a bag that contained 2 bottles of wine – the Chardonnay I was after and an additional bottle of Parish Chardonnay from the same winery. When I asked how much I owed, they told me that it was free and to consider it as a ‘favour’ from Mike. A note I later found in the bag that was written by Mike mentioned that he had included the Parish Chardonnay simply for me to try.
Never before have I received such excellent service from anyone, and I really believe that Mike and the team at Vintage Cellars deserve some recognition. So whenever you are looking for a nice bottle of something, go see Vintage Cellars in Manuka as I can guarantee they will go above and beyond the call of duty.