I have been to Whitetail several times over the past year or so since opening. Â Every time we have had a great experience with wine tastings and purchasing their wine flights. Â The bartender, John is both very knowledgeable, and personable and took good care of us. Â It's great to go when the winemakers are there and sampling their wine and you can learn more about and get to know local vintners. Â My friends and I will be back for more great wine int he coming months!
Review Source:I noticed the other posts and the differences in experience which makes me think two things: ONE you have to be one of the cool kids to be treated well, or TWO you have to go in on a slow day, stand at the bar and stick to the agenda verbatim. We went there during happy hour tapas time and got the impression that we were sorely inconveniencing the hostess and her dogs. The location, decor and accoutrements are perfect, but all appearances aside, I'm more impressed with attentive and genuine hospitality.
Review Source:Elegant, well-designed and a place you'd expect to find in a hip somewhat gentrified neighborhood in S.F., Seattle or Paris (not the one in Texas). Tastefully lighted as inviting as a hospitable friend's living room, excellent choice of wines and beer (many unavailable in similar places). Hospitable owner with an excellent track record in interior design, Â pair of adorable long-haired daschunds waiting to charm whomever walks through the door, original art work on the walls, bar stool or table seating and an inviting sofa to make you feel even more at home.
Review Source:My friends and I came here for dinner Friday night. The service was excellent and the food unbelievable. After a day on the Russian River, I can't think of a better landing spot. We had a great time and Leslie was beyond helpful in locating some items we left behind.
Super-friendly staff and great ambience. Highly recommended, and excellent wine selection too!
We stopped in here after dinner and had a fabulous time -- the atmosphere was just right -- vibrant but not loud at all. Â We had basil and tomato ice cream -- very unique and refreshing. Â The service was wonderful, very attentive but not cloying. Â And finally, they had a free wine tasting offered by a local winery, and a special deal on bottle sales. Â Can't beat that!
Review Source:Stopped to grab a quick bite and loved the atmosphere. It's casual and laid back. Nice wine selections. Fish tacos were a winner. Heirloom tomato bruschetta wonderful. Ceviche was very refreshing. All perfect for a light meal. Our only disappointment was they had run out of basil ice cream. Will have to return to sample. Prices very reasonable for the quality of food. Guerneville is developing a nice set of eateries.
Review Source:After several months of driving by, I finally stopped in here a week ago with three friends after hitting up the Guerneville Farmers Market. The staff was super busy but still found time to answer our questions and provide solid service. The wine selection was very good. We ordered a bottle of the Peterson 2009 Dry Creek Zin & it was perfect. The only reason that I give 4 stars vs. 5 is because there weren't really any vegan food options outside of the olive oil sampler. I have a lot of vegan wine drinking friends and I would love to have the option bring them here.
Overall though, the vibe was good, love that they are dog friendly, and they know their wine. We didn't want to leave, but we needed food.
The place itself is very nice and the wine was good.
Some of the food needs adjustment. The bread is very dry and the cheese was quite expensive for the portions. Also, if you want to charge $9 for a selection of oil and vinegar tastings it should be expected that most folks are going to want to know what it is that they are tasting.... there should be an easy way for people to know this if you don't want to be made to recite it.
I spent a most enjoyable evening at Whitetail on Thursday with three friends who had never been there before.  We thought we'd sample the wine, have an appetizer and then head out to eat at one of the local restaurants.  Instead we felt so snug and comfy, and the wine was so delicious (plus there was some kind of special on) that once we tasted the carmelized onion pizza, we decided to try some additional appetizers, more wine and just hang out.  The décor is unusual and very appealing.  The place was pretty full for a Thursday night,  and there was even a back patio area for people who wanted to bring dogs!  Apparently they have some kind of "dog night."  All very ingeniously presented.  Another thing that really recommends this place is the fact that you can sit comfortably and chat easily with your friends without loud music or restaurant din interfering.  Very conducive to a nice social evening.
Review Source:Firstly, I have to agree with the review posted with William.S!! Â I am frankly very surprised at the negative reviews and am sure there is more to the story than what those negative reviewers have to say!
Leslie and her staff are first rate, very friendly, warm and helpful! Â Loved my visit, loved the wines, the tasty pizza!
Keep up the good work, will definitely be back with more friends!
On July 20th 2012 I went to the Whitetail Wine Bar with my date as we are big Pinot fans. Â It was a special event, and we were looking forward to a nice glass of wine. Â We bought a bottle of wine with our group, and there were not enough glasses for everyone. Â My date went up to the bar, and asked for an extra glass. Â Without knowing it, he had asked the owner and apparently she did not have time for him nor the energy to lean over and give him a glass. Â He asked again, and again was ignored. Â We assumed this was a one time incident based on the fact that they were so busy that night. Â Alas, since then we have heard from several other individuals that they were treated just as rudely - if not more so! Â I was not going to Yelp that one incident when I thought it was an anomaly, but I am compelled to write about it now since it is a disgrace for our local community to be continually treated with such disrespect.
Review Source:If I could I wouldn't even give this a star. I came to this establishment for a meeting with other local moms and we all were treated horribly by the owner. We ordered drinks but when we didn't order food the owner rolled her eyes at us and stormed away. For the rest of the time we were there no one asked if we needed anything. After three of us paid for our drinks (and tipped on those drinks) the owner came over and started to yell at us that we didn't tip enough, even though not everyone had even paid yet!!! Then she yelled at us to leave her bar. Â I have NEVER been treated so badly in Guerneville. I will NOT be going again and I WILL tell everyone I know about the awful service we received.
Review Source:Our local parent group went to Whitetail tonight to have our monthly meeting and support a local business. Instead of good wine and food we were served a platter of harsh and unbelievable rude insults from the owner! She was harassing us about not ordering food, white we attempted to enjoy our beverages. And accused us of under tipping her wait staff, although we hadn't paid our bill in full yet. Â She yelled at us in front of other costumers, and told us to leave. While I'm happy to see our beautiful towns empty store fronts being occupied, business owners like this aren't representative of any part of Guerneville! Don't waste your time or money here... Better spent at Big Bottom or Boon. I'm sorry for her wait staff that missed out on our tips tonight, we were forced to leave before we could even finish paying. So disappointed and insulted!
Review Source:We adore this place!!!! As locals, we really love being able to purchase amazing bottles of locally produced wine for the same price as we would pay for a mass produced bottle at Safeway. Leslie also has fantastic snacks to share while you enjoy a glass or three. By far the best place to enjoy a glass of wine in Guerneville!!!
Review Source:Fabulous!  If you're looking for a cozy but modern spot for wine and gourmet snacks, this is the place.  The inside looks like it belongs on the pages of Elle Décor, and is the handiwork of the owner Leslie, an interior designer.  But don't be intimidated by the stylish setting, for the atmosphere is nothing but warm and welcoming.  Leslie is typically there to greet you herself, and is extremely sweet and hospitable.  They offer a lovely selection of local wines and delectable small plates, perfect for a pre-dinner stop.  I recommend opting for a wine flight (3 pours of white or red), and letting the knowledgeable staff pick your selection.  For snacks, the menu is limited but you can't go wrong.  On the lighter side, the crostinis are delicious, but if you really want to indulge go for the 5 variety cheese plate with salami. So tasty!  We made this our go-to afternoon spot both days that we were in town.  While we were there it looked like they were constructing a patio in the back as well - can't wait to check it out next time I'm in town!
Review Source:My wife and I made the trip up to the Sonoma County area and discovered this great place. Â Nice local wines and a friendly staff and decor. Â Music lends itself to nice conversation that is pleasing. Â Great crowd on the night we were there, had their wood fired pizza...an added surprise.
Review Source:Thanks to Leslie and Yaro for treating us so nicely and introducing us to the extensive wine selection. Wonderful to have such an impressive wine bar and wine selection right in the heart of Guerneville. Definitely a nice place to chill out at their bar or on one of their comfy sofas.
Excited to go back and see what they are pouring next.
At last, a real wine bar on Main Street.
The Whitetail in Guernville, is a beautiful bar to hang out in and have a drink. They have a small selection of great local beers that I enjoy, I don't drink that much wine, but their selection of wine is awesome. The laminated zinc bar is quite stunning and the servers are very knowledgeable about the inventory and the local goings. The Whitetail sign outside is really beautiful too.
Review Source:Finally a  good wine bar for the river... wish the owner was there more to really cutivate the clients.  1 of the gals asked if I wanted to add a tip to the bill after serving wine to me in a dirty glass.  Granted, lip stick is hard to remove, but bothered me.  Will definitely go back though to support the local biz... the owner is really great, but needs to be more "hands on".
Review Source:Great list of 2 and 4 ounce pours changes often and includes RRV, Green Valley, Sonoma Coast and even a few farther flung. The atmosphere is casual luxurious relaxing the staff is lovely, knowledgeable and unpretentious. We've been waiting for a wine bar since we moved to Guerneville from the city in 2004. Finally, the Whitetail is here and we love it!
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