for those who cruised out of Barcelona

[DoulaAnn]

Seems like there may be a difference in terminology here. Seems like many lines will allow some wine to be taken on board, but alcohol (what Americans call hard liquor) is usually confiscated and returned at the end of the cruise. From what I can glean, it is because 750 ml. of wine will get an individual much less drunk than 750 ml. of liquor.

 

Some lines allow unlimited wine to be brought aboard, others charge a USD$15 "corkage fee" for more than a set number of bottles, and others have a strict 1 or 2 750 ml bottle limit. Hope this helps some.

[OUR CAROL]

Seems like there may be a difference in terminology here. Seems like many lines will allow some wine to be taken on board, but alcohol (what Americans call hard liquor) is usually confiscated and returned at the end of the cruise. From what I can glean, it is because 750 ml. of wine will get an individual much less drunk than 750 ml. of liquor.

 

Some lines allow unlimited wine to be brought aboard, others charge a USD$15 "corkage fee" for more than a set number of bottles, and others have a strict 1 or 2 750 ml bottle limit. Hope this helps some.

 

Hello, I think it's much more basic than that. The ship can make much more money from a bottle of spirit than a bottle of wine, thats why they don't approve of you bringing it aboard. I would not be able to finish off a bottle of spirit in one night with my Husband but I could easily polish off a bottle of wine. Its very nice finding a local wine you are not familiar with and raising a glass of local wine to the region of its origin. It also adds a little to the local economy. Cheers, Carol x

[budgetfairytale]

I'm wondering if anyone can tell me the price ranges for the bottle of wines in the port shops? It seems NCL charges a $15 fee for each wine bottle bought on board, which means we would need to find bottles of wine for no more than $10 to make buying our own wine a good value.

 

We will find out when we get there, obviously, but I'm a major planner and just curious if anyone happens to know prices. Thanks!

[mcmomny]

I'm wondering if anyone can tell me the price ranges for the bottle of wines in the port shops? It seems NCL charges a $15 fee for each wine bottle bought on board, which means we would need to find bottles of wine for no more than $10 to make buying our own wine a good value.

 

We will find out when we get there, obviously, but I'm a major planner and just curious if anyone happens to know prices. Thanks!

 

At the Barcelona port NCL did not charge a $15 fee per bottle! We were allowed to carry on two bottle per person with no corkage fee! Hard liquior also included in no corkage fee.

 

However the wine choices at the port store were not great, cheapest bottle was $15 and it wasn't very good but it was still cheaper than NCL's cheapest wine!

[Wendy The Wanderer]

Seems like there may be a difference in terminology here. Seems like many lines will allow some wine to be taken on board, but alcohol (what Americans call hard liquor) is usually confiscated and returned at the end of the cruise. From what I can glean, it is because 750 ml. of wine will get an individual much less drunk than 750 ml. of liquor.

 

Some lines allow unlimited wine to be brought aboard, others charge a USD$15 "corkage fee" for more than a set number of bottles, and others have a strict 1 or 2 750 ml bottle limit. Hope this helps some.

 

And some cruiselines allow you to bring as much alcohol on board as you like. Some of those charge a corkage fee if you bring the bottle to the dining room, others don't.

 

...

They do not have a great selection but it is convenient as you do not have to carry it far.

 

If you want a better selection, there are other, better, places in Barcelona where you can get a better selection but that would, of course, mean having to carry it.

 

Can you suggest a good place to buy some nice Spanish wine in Barcelona? Any favorite varieties that you like?

[English_in_Spain]

And some cruiselines allow you to bring as much alcohol on board as you like. Some of those charge a corkage fee if you bring the bottle to the dining room, others don't.

 

 

 

Can you suggest a good place to buy some nice Spanish wine in Barcelona? Any favorite varieties that you like?

 

As mentioned elsewhere, I think one of the best priced and most convenient places to buy wine is Carrefour Express supermarket at the top of Las Ramblas.

 

 

There are specialist wine stores around the city for top of the range fine wines but unless you want these, Carrefour is fine. Supermarkets are where most people buy wine in Spain.

 

A lot of the wines I drink here at home in the Valencia region are not readily available in Barcelona. They prefer to sell their own local wines.

 

Quite a nice light, fruity medium dry white wine for everyday drinking from this region is Torres Viña Sol (about €4.50 a bottle) or the more expensive vintage Torres Gran Viña Sol (about €10 a bottle)

 

Another white wine type to look out for is Rueda Verdejo (Rueda is a wine region Northwest of Madrid). These tend to be light, crisp and dry.

 

Catalunya is not known for its red wines. The obvious choice for red wine is a Rioja. I would recommend getting at least a Crianza (aged for 2 years with at least 6 months in oak) or better still Reserva (aged for at least 3 years with at least 1 year in oak). Best of all is Gran Reserva (aged for at least 5 years, 18 months of which in oak and a minimum of 36 months in the bottle)

 

A Crianza would be about €5-6. A Reserva would be about €10-15. A Gran Reserva would start at around €20.

 

Lesser known than Rioja but well worth trying are red wines from Jumilla (especially Juan Gil Jumilla – from €10 a bottle) but these are not often found in Barcelona.

 

Of course there is always Cava - Spanish champagne style sparkling wine from Catalunya. In my opinion, the best of these is Codorníu Cremant either Brut (dry) or Semi Seco (medium dry).

 

In Carrefour you will see everyday wines from about €1.50. Some of these are very good, some are awful. If you are in Spain for a long time it is possible to try these out to find one you like but, if you are buying to take on a cruise, this is probably not a good idea.

 

It is, of course, worth looking out for better wines on special offer. Carrefour often do some very good deals.

 

[budgetfairytale]

At the Barcelona port NCL did not charge a $15 fee per bottle! We were allowed to carry on two bottle per person with no corkage fee! Hard liquior also included in no corkage fee.

 

However the wine choices at the port store were not great, cheapest bottle was $15 and it wasn't very good but it was still cheaper than NCL's cheapest wine!

 

This is what we were told when we called. Maybe the policy has changed since you last cruised?

[Wendy The Wanderer]

Thanks English for the rundown, yes, Rioja was what I was thinking. I might take a bottle or two on the ship, since we can take as much as we like, but since we'll be buying a wine package onboard, I doubt it. But we'll be around for the better part of a week, so it would be nice to buy something for our room, or perhaps a picnic.

 

May I presume that most wines in Spain still have corks? I was just in Portugal, and that is true there, although being the home of the cork tree, they might be different from Spain.

[English_in_Spain]

Thanks English for the rundown, yes, Rioja was what I was thinking. I might take a bottle or two on the ship, since we can take as much as we like, but since we'll be buying a wine package onboard, I doubt it. But we'll be around for the better part of a week, so it would be nice to buy something for our room, or perhaps a picnic.

 

May I presume that most wines in Spain still have corks? I was just in Portugal, and that is true there, although being the home of the cork tree, they might be different from Spain.

 

Yes, most have corks. There are a few screw top but not many. If you limit yourself to screw top you will miss out on some nice wines.

 

[Scotico]

Yes, most have corks. There are a few screw top but not many. If you limit yourself to screw top you will miss out on some nice wines.

 

 

Is it mostly white wine that is consumed in Barceolona? I actually prefer a red wine (merlot). Anything comparable there?

[English_in_Spain]

Is it mostly white wine that is consumed in Barceolona? I actually prefer a red wine (merlot). Anything comparable there?

 

There are plenty of red wines. I am a white wine drinker and I do not know what would be equivalent to a Merlot.

 

I suggest you do some investigating online before you go.

 

[jconeil]

As mentioned elsewhere, I think one of the best priced and most convenient places to buy wine is Carrefour Express supermarket at the top of Las Ramblas.

 

 

There are specialist wine stores around the city for top of the range fine wines but unless you want these, Carrefour is fine. Supermarkets are where most people buy wine in Spain.

 

A lot of the wines I drink here at home in the Valencia region are not readily available in Barcelona. They prefer to sell their own local wines.

 

Quite a nice light, fruity medium dry white wine for everyday drinking from this region is Torres Viña Sol (about €4.50 a bottle) or the more expensive vintage Torres Gran Viña Sol (about €10 a bottle)

 

Another white wine type to look out for is Rueda Verdejo (Rueda is a wine region Northwest of Madrid). These tend to be light, crisp and dry.

 

Catalunya is not known for its red wines. The obvious choice for red wine is a Rioja. I would recommend getting at least a Crianza (aged for 2 years with at least 6 months in oak) or better still Reserva (aged for at least 3 years with at least 1 year in oak). Best of all is Gran Reserva (aged for at least 5 years, 18 months of which in oak and a minimum of 36 months in the bottle)

 

A Crianza would be about €5-6. A Reserva would be about €10-15. A Gran Reserva would start at around €20.

 

Lesser known than Rioja but well worth trying are red wines from Jumilla (especially Juan Gil Jumilla – from €10 a bottle) but these are not often found in Barcelona.

 

Of course there is always Cava - Spanish champagne style sparkling wine from Catalunya. In my opinion, the best of these is Codorníu Cremant either Brut (dry) or Semi Seco (medium dry).

 

In Carrefour you will see everyday wines from about €1.50. Some of these are very good, some are awful. If you are in Spain for a long time it is possible to try these out to find one you like but, if you are buying to take on a cruise, this is probably not a good idea.

 

It is, of course, worth looking out for better wines on special offer. Carrefour often do some very good deals.

 

The Carrefour Express is at the Plaça Catalunya? Can you be more specific?

Is it easily found from the Metro stop? Googling only found one near the port in Barceloneta. I assume that is a large store. Thanks for your help.

[English_in_Spain]

The Carrefour Express is at the Plaça Catalunya? Can you be more specific?

Is it easily found from the Metro stop? Googling only found one near the port in Barceloneta. I assume that is a large store. Thanks for your help.

 

It is on Las Ramblas a couple of doors away from Hotel Méridien.

 

From Plaça Catalunya walk down Las Ramblas and it is on the right hand side.

 

It is a medium size supermarket but it stocks most things that you will need

 

[jconeil]

Thanks so much!

[mamaofami]

Carol, is there a place in Barcelona where I can buy a case of bottled water before getting on the ship?

[English_in_Spain]

[quote name='mamaofami'][SIZE=3]Carol, is there a place in Barcelona where I can buy a case of bottled water before getting on the ship?[/SIZE][/QUOTE]

[FONT="Georgia"][SIZE="4"]You can get bottled water in the shop that sells wine in the cruise terminal. It is not in a case but bottles wrapped in plastic. This shouldn't be a problem to carry as, at that point, you are almost at the ship.

If you look at my first picture in post #21 of this thread you will see the bottled water in the foreground.

[/SIZE][/FONT]

[waitnc]

Do they sell soda at the store or would I be better to purchase it before going to the terminal?

[Jenna1983]

A very silly question- this shop closest to the terminal, will it have white wine varieties available? I cannot drink red (I break out into severe hives), so I am only a white wine drinker and want to make sure I can get a bottle either at that store or elsewhere before boarding.

Thanks!

[English_in_Spain]

[quote name='Jenna1983']A very silly question- this shop closest to the terminal, will it have white wine varieties available? I cannot drink red (I break out into severe hives), so I am only a white wine drinker and want to make sure I can get a bottle either at that store or elsewhere before boarding.

Thanks![/QUOTE]

[FONT="Georgia"][SIZE="4"]Yes, they will have white, red and rosé but not a very large selection. It is only a small shop

[/SIZE][/FONT]