Wine Selection & Stemware

[Dr H]

Okay, do you have any clue as to the name? I would have no problem doing a bubbly challenge with la grouppe.

[lovecruzin]

Being a California girl, I am partial to the California sparkling wines! Mumm Napa is probably my favorite... some good lower cost and some even better for special occassion. Also, Artesa makes a nice Cava...

 

We have a several stoppers, but in my experience if you have 1/2 a bottle left, the bottle will retain the bubbles overnight without it.

[quivet c]

The best value in sparkling wine if you like dry yeasty sparklers in my opinion is Schramsberg Mirabelle Brut Rose it is $19 at Costco in Chicago. Also like Gloria Ferrer, Roederer Anderson Valley, Scharffenberger for us sparklers which can be found for under $15. Usually drink grower Champagne though which runs from $25-$40, as the big houses are overpriced and overrated. But the bottom line is drink what you like and if it is cheap even better no matter where it comes from and who cares what others think about it.

[lovecruzin]

The best value in sparkling wine if you like dry yeasty sparklers in my opinion is Schramsberg Mirabelle Brut Rose it is $19 at Costco in Chicago. Also like Gloria Ferrer, Roederer Anderson Valley, Scharffenberger for us sparklers which can be found for under $15. Usually drink grower Champagne though which runs from $25-$40, as the big houses are overpriced and overrated. But the bottom line is drink what you like and if it is cheap even better no matter where it comes from and who cares what others think about it.

 

Agree with your bubbly selections! :D

[Dr H]

Ditto Quivet, although I've never had the Mirabelle. I've been a bit disappointed with the Kirkland (Costco) label Champagne - the price is great, it is unquestionably champagne and does not taste (or feel) like a California sparkler, but the quality, is well, a disappointment. As a mixer for say a Kir or Bellini, it is perfect. I think I've settled on Piper Heidseick Extra Dry for Champagne, which tends to be half the price of Veuve down here, and my Gloria Ferrer Blanc de Noirs. Having had Dom once, I must say it was a wonderful glass of wine, and it tasted even better because someone else was paying. But no, no glass of fermented grape juice with carbon dioxide bubbles, no matter how tingly, is worth those prices. My opinion. Oh, my latest and greatest find - Gruet Winery, located in of all places, New Mexico. A fantastic financial success story, French kids who came from a Champagne producing family, who could not open their own winery in France because of legal impediments put up by the French Government, came to (evil, capitalistic, unsophisticated, primitive) America, found land they could actually afford in New Mexico, and are now producing very high quality very French sparklers in the SouthWest. Again, great prices, and becoming more and more available nation wide. I highly recommend you try a bottle, and decide for yourselves. They run under $15 a bottle.

[California Native]

Okay, do you have any clue as to the name? I would have no problem doing a bubbly challenge with la grouppe.

 

Had to go find a picture of the bottle in our photos

There were actually 2 bottles being passed around in our group

Altin Kopuk and Inci damlasi

we were told they were locally made...

You can probably find them in port, though alcohol can be more difficult to locate outside of a restaurant in Turkey than what we are commonly used to in the states.

(as in a grocery store, etc.)

[California Native]

I meant to add this link to my post

If you look on the right side of the page ..

you can see links to sparkling wines click that and then there's both brands, the description and the awards

http://www.kavaklidere.com/products.aspx

[Dr H]

Karen my dear, you have thrown down the gauntlet, and I accept the challenge. 4 days in Turkey, lets see if we can find the stuff!:p

[quivet c]

Just got off the Quest yesterday and the cruise was great but I wanted to follow-up on some information on the stemware and complimentary wines. The wine glasses they use everywhere but in Prime C and Aqualina are unacceptable for a cruise line like Azamara (they used cheap wine glasses like you get at a cheap restaurant or corner bar). I complained to several crew members about this and they agreed but told me RCCL makes them use cheap glasses in the MDR. Oceania use much better wine glasses in the MDR and the bars and Azamara needs to improve this soon.

 

Regarding the house wines they did keep them flowing but some were good, some were ok and some were terrible I even got served wine from an oxidized bottle (which was quickly replaced). If you are a big wine fan I suggest bringing your own wine or choosing from the 1/2 price bottles each night.

[xplrcrzn]

I'm curious as to what constitutes a "cheap" wine glass vs. an "acceptable" one?

[OneSmartDaddy]

Dr. H,

I guess I am going to have my scotch glass also.

OSD

[Dr H]

"Cheap" glasses, tend to be thick, heavy, lipped, and at the risk of really sounding like a snob, don't "enhance" the wine drinking "experience", whatever that may mean. Now expensive doesn't automatically equate with "better". I have a Waterford collection that I love, it graces our dining room table, it's fun to use. And runs about roughly $50-100/glass, so you don't want to break one. Each Waterford glass is expensive, hand cut, and an individual work of art. But the wine tastes no better (or worse) out of Waterford than it would out of a straw. Now, the Riedel (from Austria) or Spiegelau (Germany) that we have referred to are thinner, hand or machine made lead crystal glasses. The feel good in the hand, and their shapes may actually improve the taste, and but most definitely the aroma, of the wine.The crude analogy is if you are at a fine restaurant, you order an expensive bottle of wine, and they serve it in a 1 pint mason jar rather than a pretty glass, which would you prefer? It does indeed make a difference.

 

As for Scotch with dinner, I love my scotch, have actually had a smoky Islay with smoked salmon (Wine Spectator said it was an excellent match...), and didn't care for the combo. Single malt should be enjoyed for what it is, but unlike wine, I've never found it to enhance the flavor of food.

 

And speaking of food, more to follow on the Roll Call BB re Rome/Amalfi...

 

David

[quivet c]

I not trying to come off as a wine snob and am not asking for $20 a stem glasses, I just expect something better than cheap glasses that as Dr H describes are thick, heavy, lipped, have a small bowl (that does not allow you to swirl) and do not "enhance" the wine drinking experience. There are plenty of good wine glasses out there that are not expensive and used by nice restaurants/other cruise lines that allow you to smell and swirl the wine and "enhance" the wine experience. Azamara buys wine glasses in bulk and get a big discount and if they expect position themselves as a deluxe/upscale cruise line they need to make this small change that will go a long way with customers and to enhance the food/wine experience.

[Photogirl]

Oh my goodness!!!!

 

I do hope they have the proper glasses. Azamara needs to have, at least:

Burgundy

Sherry

Champagne

Chinati

Sauvignon

Bordeaux

Port

 

plus the usual compliment of aperitif, beer, water, martini, etc., etc.,

or I really won't be able to imbibe in the proper manner.

 

Of course, I have been known to make use of a plastic cup in a pinch.

[cindilouwho]

Straw works for me!!!

[SFL]

As for Scotch with dinner, I love my scotch, have actually had a smoky Islay with smoked salmon (Wine Spectator said it was an excellent match...), and didn't care for the combo. Single malt should be enjoyed for what it is, but unlike wine, I've never found it to enhance the flavor of food.

David

 

 

David

I have found that a good smoky scotch like Ardbeg or Langavulin will enhance the flavor of a good steak, but is really overpowering with Fish which calls for Glenmorangie, Balvenie or a smoooooooooth wine like Ripple!!!!!!!!!!!! and in copious amounts any good single malt will smooth out the lumps in your onboard mattress regardless of the Stemware!!!!!!

Enjoy

:D

[Dr H]

"and in copious amounts any good single malt will smooth out the lumps in your onboard mattress regardless of the Stemware!!!!!!"

 

Lord of mercy, from what I've read on several of the other threads about Azamara's beds, I hope I don't have to fall back on your advise! I'm going to be calling for a topper on day 1 anyway.

 

Seriously, I really don't care for hard alcohol with "food". The scotch did overpower the fish, diminishing both. But I have to admit, I've never tried scotch with steak, and it does sound like a very interesting combo. And it's nice to meet someone who also appreciates the Islays, they most certainly are not for everyone. (Have you ever tried Laphroigh's Quarter Cask? It's very hard to find here in the States, and for a while when it first came out, Scotland wasn't even exporting it to London, believe it or not. It is, hands down my favorite Laphroigh, be it 10 year, 15 year, cask strength, etc. Much smoother, richer flavor than the others. If you find it, try it)

[lhbsurf]

Oh my goodness!!!!

 

I do hope they have the proper glasses. Azamara needs to have, at least:

Burgundy

Sherry

Champagne

Chinati

Sauvignon

Bordeaux

Port

 

plus the usual compliment of aperitif, beer, water, martini, etc., etc.,

or I really won't be able to imbibe in the proper manner.

 

Of course, I have been known to make use of a plastic cup in a pinch.

 

When we were on Quest a couple of weeks ago - one glass for red and one for white, even in Aqualina. We found we enjoyed most all of the wines though. I have Riedel and Spigelau here at home, but can honestly say the glasses did not affect my enjoyment - I suppose I'm pretty uncultured lol... I too, have used plastic cups from time to time :) Many of the wines were related to the ports we visited, which I really enjoyed.

[happy cruzer]

Just got off the Quest yesterday and the cruise was great but I wanted to follow-up on some information on the stemware and complimentary wines. The wine glasses they use everywhere but in Prime C and Aqualina are unacceptable for a cruise line like Azamara (they used cheap wine glasses like you get at a cheap restaurant or corner bar). I complained to several crew members about this and they agreed but told me RCCL makes them use cheap glasses in the MDR. Oceania use much better wine glasses in the MDR and the bars and Azamara needs to improve this soon.

 

Regarding the house wines they did keep them flowing but some were good, some were ok and some were terrible I even got served wine from an oxidized bottle (which was quickly replaced). If you are a big wine fan I suggest bringing your own wine or choosing from the 1/2 price bottles each night.

 

thanks for the report. Seems that RCI is changing more than the food as mentioned in another thread.