Non-alcoholic wine?

[RikkuCat]

I can't imagine that this is a super-popular subject, but surely SOMEONE must know, right? ;)

 

Does anyone have any information on non-alcoholic wines available on NCL? I checked the published wine list and did not see any, but I'm sure they must have at least a couple selections. I'd love to find out what is available so I can test-try a bottle at retail price instead of paying cruise line price for a wine that I may not want to take a second sip of...particularly since I've never tried non-alcoholic wine before and don't even know if I like it.

 

Can anybody educated me on this? I've never ventured into non-alcoholic wines before, but I'm pregnant for the first time and hoping to find something to drink with dinner that seems a little more adult than sticking with water. Are non-alcoholic wines generally sweeter than regular wines? Do they come in different varietals, or just white or red blends? Are any of them any good? I'm far from a wine expert, but I don't drink cheap wine (life's too short for it, right?), either. I usually go for bold reds or dry whites. I'm also looking for a sparkling option, since we'll be celebrating our anniversary on board. If I bring my own, does a corkage fee still apply, even though it's non-alcoholic?

 

Even if nobody has any info about the non-alcoholic options on the NCL wine list, if you know ANYTHING about non-alcoholic wines, please chime in! For whatever reason, I have it stuck in my head that non-alcoholic wines are all very sweet - say it isn't so, LOL! :D

[watchdiva]

On our Pearl cruise in November we ordered the St. Regis Chardonnay (non-alcoholic). We exchanged all of our wines for the St. Regis. It is excellent! We brought a bottle of Sparkling Cider onboard with us (for sail away) with no corkage fee (since it is non-alcoholic). You should try St. Regis on land...IIRC it was about $26 dollars a bottle on the ship. I do not enjoy sweet wines and was very happy with the St. Regis. We will be pre-ordering a few bottles through the pre-concierge just to be sure that what we want will be there for us.

[deb_buffy]

I look forward to the answers you get. I don't drink alcohol and had read that there are non alcoholic wine options. One thing to be mindful of that I've found the good non alcoholic wines usually have 0.05% alcohol in them. Also the white, rose and sparkling are usually sweeter but there are some very nice reds out there.

[watchdiva]

Not a lot of experience with reds but the St. Regis Cab is pretty good.

[tallnthensome]

Grape juice! :D

[RikkuCat]

Thanks, everyone! I'll try the St Regis - it looks like they have it at my local wine store. It's only $6.99, though, which makes me nervous - but better to try it now than waste more money trying it on board. The Chardonnay has good reviews on the site for my local store, but I'm not a big Chardonnay fan - will try it on the recommendation, though. The Cab has pretty mixed reviews and I'm a little scared to try it, but if I hate it, at least it's cheap.

 

Anybody know if they have other options on board, or just the St Regis? Ariel makes the highest-rated non-alcoholic red in the local store's reviews.

[owensamo]

If you don't find any NA wines you like, you could always go for virgin mixed drinks - daiquiris, etc. Even after I was old enough to drink alcohol, I stuck with virgin strawberry daiquiris for years because I liked them! I'm sure the bartenders/servers can give you some suggestions for other drinks to try as well.

[RikkuCat]

If you don't find any NA wines you like, you could always go for virgin mixed drinks - daiquiris, etc. Even after I was old enough to drink alcohol, I stuck with virgin strawberry daiquiris for years because I liked them! I'm sure the bartenders/servers can give you some suggestions for other drinks to try as well.

 

Thanks, that's my backup plan! I enjoy a fruity drink sometimes during the day, but prefer wine with dinner and a martini if I'm having a cocktail. I need to find a good resource for non-fruity non-alcoholic drinks!

[Cruisercl]

Thanks, that's my backup plan! I enjoy a fruity drink sometimes during the day, but prefer wine with dinner and a martini if I'm having a cocktail. I need to find a good resource for non-fruity non-alcoholic drinks!

 

Agree!! The drinks with the non-alcohol factor are not the same. Most of the 'specialty drinks' are very filling (fufu) with a bit of alcohol. I actually wonder how many 'drinks of the day or sail away drinks' have the alcohol that you paid for....one has to trust. :)

[watchdiva]

Ariel was available a few years ago but last year it had been replaced with the St. Regis. The Ariel Brut is quite good. Fre is another option. Try them all and when you find one you like, just bring a few bottles onboard with you. I had mine in a rolling carrying and when I was pulled over by security I explained that it was sparkling cider and they waived me through. The Martinelli Sparkling Cider is about $2.99-3.99 a bottle.

[RikkuCat]

Ariel was available a few years ago but last year it had been replaced with the St. Regis. The Ariel Brut is quite good. Fre is another option. Try them all and when you find one you like, just bring a few bottles onboard with you. I had mine in a rolling carrying and when I was pulled over by security I explained that it was sparkling cider and they waived me through. The Martinelli Sparkling Cider is about $2.99-3.99 a bottle.

 

Thanks so much! I guess I have some wine-tasting to do! ;) Will need to find a place to pick some up in Miami, if I decide to carry it on - but I can't imagine that will be hard to find. I actually do like the Martinelli sparkling cider - my mom buys it for holiday dinners for the non-drinkers and I tasted it years ago and don't remember it being bad.

[RikkuCat]

Agree!! The drinks with the non-alcohol factor are not the same. Most of the 'specialty drinks' are very filling (fufu) with a bit of alcohol. I actually wonder how many 'drinks of the day or sail away drinks' have the alcohol that you paid for....one has to trust. :)

 

LOL, I'm afraid I might be SOL on the non-alcoholic cocktail front, since I like my cocktails to taste like booze. Oh well, I will enjoy a non-alcoholic daiquiri or two over the course of the cruise and a seltzer with a splash of cranberry if I want something other than water when DH has a cocktail. Or maybe I can find an amazing bartender who will be able to help me out!