The shop itself is really nice decor-wise. There's plenty of seating at the bar, which has a great light fixture above it. There's also a long table (one solid slice of tree) to the side. When we went, they were setting up for a painting event, so I imagine that there is usually more standard seating throughout the rest of the shop.
Mint Hill is desperate for a place like this, which is why I had hoped it would be so much better than it was. It certainly wasn't. There are a lot of staffing and management issues to work out before Vintner's Hill is worth a second trip.
When we first came in, we were halfheartedly greeted by employees who were focused on setting up for a painting class. Nobody welcomed us, explained the setup to us, or asked if we had questions. We seated ourselves at the bar and were handed menus. That was about the extent of the customer service.
Right away, my wife got a bad vibe and started hinting about just having one drink there. We had planned on Vintner's Hill being our only stop of the evening and doing the whole shebang there. It ended up being a one-and-done for us.
Six craft beers are on tap, and there's a heavy Charlotte focus (five taps). One tap was from Westbrook, which made everything on tap a Carolina craft beer. For small 12 ounce pours - especially of the standard stuff - the prices are a little much. The bartender that served us knew nothing about craft beers - or what they served on tap in general - and spent a few minutes looking though all of the wines for the Sugar Creek one. Seriously? The glassware selection is terrible as well, especially for a place that emphasizes craft beer with huge window stickers.
The wine tap system is strange. It might have been soap residue on the glass or just a bad pour, but my wife's wine had a frothy head to it that made it really unpalatable.
The entire time we were there, we were served by a new employee, and she was terrible. I chalk that up to management. Who leaves a new employee, who doesn't even know that Sugar Creek is a brewery, how to close a tab, or how to perform other basic tasks, to function completely independently behind the bar? The other regular employees were busy setting up for the painting class. Really? Priorities, people!
Finally, when we received our check, it was messed up. On half-off glass night, we were charged $8 for a glass of wine that was originally $8. I understand the idea of different size pours, but this was never stated on the menu or by the bartender.
Overall, it was not a pleasant experience, and certainly not one that justifies a return visit in the near future. I hope this place is a success, and I will come back once they show some competent management, but I've talked to a lot of people with similar experiences, and the situation looks fairly grim.