Taking Your Own Wine-No Problems

[Bfson]

We just got off the O'dam yesterday. I wanted to report back on taking your own wine onboard. We pulled a case of older wines out of our cellar, packed it into one of the specially designed styrofoam wine shippers, sealed it up and checked it with our other bags. It was deliverred to our room in perfect shape. We trook one or two bottles to each dinner. Either in the dining room or the Pinnacle Grill the staff knew what to do and clearly did not mind that we had brought our own wine. There was the $15 corkage charge but we knew that before going on board. In out cabin there were glasses for red, white and sparling wines so we could have consumed it there as well. The wine travelled well and tasted great (esp. since we were on vacation (G))

My only minor criticsm is that the wine decanters in the Pinnacle, while very lovely to look at, are awkward. The base is small and when on a soft surface, like a tablecloth, they have a tendancy to tip over sua sponte. (we had it happen 3 times) They do not pour the wine out smoothly. When we've asked the staff to decant an older wine, the juice deserves a sturdier, more functional vessel.

[richcrow]

We just got off the O'dam yesterday. I wanted to report back on taking your own wine onboard. We pulled a case of older wines out of our cellar, packed it into one of the specially designed styrofoam wine shippers, sealed it up and checked it with our other bags. It was deliverred to our room in perfect shape. We trook one or two bottles to each dinner. Either in the dining room or the Pinnacle Grill the staff knew what to do and clearly did not mind that we had brought our own wine. There was the $15 corkage charge but we knew that before going on board. In out cabin there were glasses for red, white and sparling wines so we could have consumed it there as well. The wine travelled well and tasted great (esp. since we were on vacation (G))

My only minor criticsm is that the wine decanters in the Pinnacle, while very lovely to look at, are awkward. The base is small and when on a soft surface, like a tablecloth, they have a tendancy to tip over sua sponte. (we had it happen 3 times) They do not pour the wine out smoothly. When we've asked the staff to decant an older wine, the juice deserves a sturdier, more functional vessel.

Bob,

Thanks for the input about taking wines onboard with you. My DW and I are sailing on Zuiderdam for our 40th wedding anniversary. Our Chef daughter was going to give us some wines from her winery as a bon voyage gift and we were not sure what we were goingto be able to do with them. I'm really glad to hear about the assortment of wine glasses available in the SR. A glass (or two) on the verandah before dinner sounds really good.

Richard and Judie

[Bfson]

Glad to help. May I ask which winery does she work at?

[DJErikD]

In out cabin there were glasses for red, white and sparling wines so we could have consumed it there as well. The wine travelled well and tasted great (esp. since we were on vacation (G))

Bob, do you remeber if they offer flutes, tulips or saucers for the sparkling wines? My DW prefers a champagne glass/saucer/coupe over a flute/tulip. I'm wondering if I should bring our own...

Thanks in advance,
- Erik

[richcrow]

Glad to help. May I ask which winery does she work at?

Sorry to say, but she is not at a Calif. winery. She is the Chef at the Barboursville Winery just outside of Charlottesville, VA. Not Calif. wine, but they do make excellent wine. Even if it is a proud father doing the review.:D

Richard Crowther
Mobile, AL

[super_grover]

we brought about 12 bottles aboard the Zuiderdam last week in a plain old box with our cabin number on it. checked it with the luggage at the place where they take your luggage and it appeared in our stateroom. The wine steward was kinda slow for the first few nights but a word to our area supervisor ensured prompt service for the rest of the cruise :)
Um..i dont know the different kinds of champagne glasses by name but if you describe the differences I'm sure I could tell you. NOT that I drank excessive amounts of champagne from the glasses in the bathroom or anything......

[macable]

[QUOTE=DJErikD]Bob, do you remeber if they offer flutes, tulips or saucers for the sparkling wines? My DW prefers a champagne glass/saucer/coupe over a flute/tulip. I'm wondering if I should bring our own...

We too brought along a case from our cellar. Our suite offered flutes, & small red wine glasses. I believe the dining room offered flutes for sparkling wines & whites. We drink reds most of the time, but I remember our tablemates drinking whites in flutes. Curious.. that we were charged $15 in the DR, & $20 in the Pinnacle for corkage. It was still worth it, to drink what we enjoy & favor.

Note: Neither RCI or Carnival EVER charged us corkage, even though the charge was stated. Hal sticks to the rules, which is fine. Maybe Hals stewards are better trained?

[DJErikD]

Um..i dont know the different kinds of champagne glasses by name but if you describe the differences I'm sure I could tell you. NOT that I drank excessive amounts of champagne from the glasses in the bathroom or anything......

Grover,

A Champagne glass, saucer or coupe has the classic, wide and shallow bowl. Urban legend has it that they were modeled off of the breast of various 16th(?) century (female) members of nobility.

Since the 70s, the flute and the tulip (tall and narrow) have come into favor. They're preferred since the champagne retains the bubbles longer and are harder to spill.

However, my DW still prefers the saucer if we're seated at a table, and a flute if we'll be standing or walking.

Thanks,
- Erik

[Bfson]

They had champagne flutes. Never saw a saucer the whole trip. Hoorah!

[super_grover]

I concur, the tall skinny kind were in the rooms so I suppose it depends if you will be sitting or standing in the room....I didn't see any of the shallow wide kind. Nor did I, not that I paid that close attention, see different kinds of red v. white glasses on the tables in the vista. Although my table drank red all the time so maybe that is why.

[Bfson]

Interesting. We were only charged $15 for corkage in the Pinnacle (and we ate there more than one night) Go figure.

[TeresaJenkins]

Sorry to say, but she is not at a Calif. winery. She is the Chef at the Barboursville Winery just outside of Charlottesville, VA. Not Calif. wine, but they do make excellent wine. Even if it is a proud father doing the review.:D
Richard Crowther
Mobile, AL

Hi Bob,
I normally go to the wine fests every year here in Richmond, but have missed the past 2 years. I used to buy this wonderful wine which I have forgotten the name now.
I was wondering if you could help me identify a certain concord grape tasting desert wine made there in Charlottesville? It smells and tastes just like the grapes found in many grandmother's back yards.
It is hard to explain, if you have never tasted it.

[trubey]

When we've asked the staff to decant an older wine, the juice deserves a sturdier, more functional vessel.

Would you please educate me a bit here, Bob?

I've always been under the impression that a wine which has thrown enough sediment to be decanted should be allowed to rest for a month or more after being manhandled, as by a baggage handler.

:confused: Lane

A closed mouth gathers no feet.

[TinaLee]

Hi Bob,
I normally go to the wine fests every year here in Richmond, but have missed the past 2 years. I used to buy this wonderful wine which I have forgotten the name now.
I was wondering if you could help me identify a certain concord grape tasting desert wine made there in Charlottesville? It smells and tastes just like the grapes found in many grandmother's back yards.
It is hard to explain, if you have never tasted it.


Teresa - was this a white dessert wine??

[TeresaJenkins]

"Teresa - was this a white dessert wine??"

Yes it is. Can you tell me the name?
I miss it. LOL

[TinaLee]

I'm not sure I can give you the exact one, but could it possibly be a wine from Afton Mountain Vineyards called Sweet Afton? That's the first one I thought of from your description.

TinaLee

[Bfson]

Trubey-sometimes you decant a young wine so as to get more air into it to have it open up and show more fruit. With older wines, I find that with a day or two of being upright most of the sediment settles back to the bottom. We took a 90 Caymus Cab and an 85 Beringer Private Reserve Cab on our last cruise. Both had sediment but after standing up for 2 days and then being carefully decanted, the wine in our glasses was virtually sediment free. I know that there are some folks who believe you have to let a wine rest for days or weeks. I have not found that to be the case (but I've only been into wine since 1970)(g)

[Bfson]

Teresa-I'm sorry but I don't know the wine that you are describing. I've had some really super east coast wines but not that one.

[dakrewser]

"Teresa - was this a white dessert wine??"

Yes it is. Can you tell me the name?
I miss it. LOL

Sounds like it might be a Scuppernong. This is a grape that Thomas Jefferson cultivated heavily around Monticello.

[dakrewser]

Trubey-sometimes you decant a young wine so as to get more air into it to have it open up and show more fruit. With older wines, I find that with a day or two of being upright most of the sediment settles back to the bottom. We took a 90 Caymus Cab and an 85 Beringer Private Reserve Cab on our last cruise. Both had sediment but after standing up for 2 days and then being carefully decanted, the wine in our glasses was virtually sediment free. I know that there are some folks who believe you have to let a wine rest for days or weeks. I have not found that to be the case (but I've only been into wine since 1970)(g)


It's that "virtually" sediment free that gets me - there shouldn't be any sediment in the glass. But if you must drink that wine, look for a filtering funnel to use while decanting which should catch most of the still-suspended particles.

-dave

[Pudgesmom]

My DH stopped at the grocery on the way to the ship in FLL, bought a box of wine, opened it, put it on the shelf in the clothes closet, and then drank a couple of 8 oz. glasses each night on our cruise. He said it was delicious.

(I think his taste buds were ruined during a three year stint in Pakistan!)

Beth :rolleyes:

[dakrewser]

My DH stopped at the grocery on the way to the ship in FLL, bought a box of wine, opened it, put it on the shelf in the clothes closet, and then drank a couple of 8 oz. glasses each night on our cruise. He said it was delicious.
Beth :rolleyes:

Unfortunately the boxes don't fit in the mini-fridge too well - maybe that's another "suite amenity" we could ask for!

:) -dave

[trubey]

Bob -- I never tried to drink a bottle which had been recently moved, so sediment has never been a precipitant issue.

Thanks

Lane

[Bfson]

To clarify (pardon the pun) an earlier note: On the bottles we took, let stand and then decanted there was virtually no sediment. I say virtually because in the very last glass there was one tiny particle the size of a half grain of sand. That grain was so small as that it did nothing to hurt the taste.

[Bfson]

Beth-most of the wines that come in boxes have a collapsable bag inside so as you take out wine the bag gets smaller without letting air in. The wine holds for some time. Don't let the box fool you. At the 2005 SF Chronicle Wine Competition at least one box wine took a silver medal! It tasted quite good.

[dakrewser]

At the 2005 SF Chronicle Wine Competition at least one box wine took a silver medal! It tasted quite good.

Which one was that?

-dave

[richcrow]

Hi Bob,
I normally go to the wine fests every year here in Richmond, but have missed the past 2 years. I used to buy this wonderful wine which I have forgotten the name now.
I was wondering if you could help me identify a certain concord grape tasting desert wine made there in Charlottesville? It smells and tastes just like the grapes found in many grandmother's back yards.
It is hard to explain, if you have never tasted it.


Teresa,

I'm the one who posted the information about my daughter who is the executive chef at the Palladio Rest. located at Barboursville Vineyards. I'm not sure which wine your are talking about, but the best dessert wine that I have ever had (including those Calif. wines:) ) is from Barboursville Vineyards. It is called Phileo and you can buy it through their web site at www.barboursvillewine.com (http://www.barboursvillewine.com) if you can't get it any place in Richmond. Just to make her dad proud, you may also read about her on the web site. We do plan on taking a few bottles with us on the Zuiderdam in Oct.

Richard

[TeresaJenkins]

Teresa,

I'm the one who posted the information about my daughter who is the executive chef at the Palladio Rest. located at Barboursville Vineyards. I'm not sure which wine your are talking about, but the best dessert wine that I have ever had (including those Calif. wines:) ) is from Barboursville Vineyards. It is called Phileo and you can buy it through their web site at www.barboursvillewine.com (http://www.barboursvillewine.com/) if you can't get it any place in Richmond. Just to make her dad proud, you may also read about her on the web site. We do plan on taking a few bottles with us on the Zuiderdam in Oct.
Richard

I guess I got you mixed up with another poster. Thanks for the link. I'll check it out and see if they have my favorite.

Thanks a million!:)

[Bfson]

It was the "Black Box Wines" 2003 Chardonnay from Monterey County. $18 a box. My apologies, it was a bronze medal. But I tried it and it was really good.

[dakrewser]

It was the "Black Box Wines" 2003 Chardonnay from Monterey County. $18 a box. My apologies, it was a bronze medal. But I tried it and it was really good.

OK, I did buy a box of that (Whole Foods market had some, I think) but wasn't impressed (I don't remember the vintage). Found it thin and sharp especially compared to better boxed wines we've had in both France and Australia.

You'd think someone would box up a decent chenin blanc or pinot gris...

-dave

[CDRMark]

Teresa:

Could this be the one?
http://www.chateaumorrisette.com/swtmtlaurel.shtml

Cheers
MarkB

[TeresaJenkins]

Yes, You found it! Thank you, Thank you, Thank you! Have you ever tasted it?

It is the smoothest, most aromatic dessert wine I have ever tasted.

[CDRMark]

The winery had a tasting here last month. No one who tasted it could have not identified it from your description. It is an interseting blend of Chateau d'Yquem and Welches. Very "grapey". Happy to assist.
Cheers
MarkB

[BoardwalkBabe]

For those who have brought wine onboard, did you bring your own corkscrew or did you purchase one on the ship?

[Bfson]

We brought our own corkscrew. Of course, since the modern trend is use screw caps on all wines (to avoid the 6 to 8% that go bad from a chemical called TCA that is in the cork itself) the corkscrew will someday be in the same class as shoe button hooks. The problem is that the public associates corks with quality and screw caps with lousy wine. But, for example, virtually all of the 04 sauvignon blanc's from New Zealand are in screw caps, and some of them are outstanding (see if you can find in Huia) The wines from the outstanding Aussie producer, Kay Brothers, are in screw caps and sell for up to $80 a bottle. The change is coming.