Wine experts, I REALLY need help!

[RocketMan275]

I'm running around getting ready, but just wanted to thank you all for some great ideas. Please don't stop now!

 

I've got an idea for you. Instead of doing the same ole, same ole, cruise review, come back and give us a review of the wines you buy.

 

Tell us the wines you bought, when you consumed them, the foods you had with them, and your very brief thoughts about the wines. You could tell us about your experience in Total Wines. You could tell us the name of the sales person who helped you. Get the idea?

[mllewis48]

I thought you were only allowed to bring one bottle of wine (750ml) per person. I know in the past it was unlimited but my last HAL cruise it was just one per person. Has this policy changed? If it went back to unlimited, that is great news! Hope someone here can clarify.

 

 

You are still permitted only one bottle, 750ml, pp but above that number you are charged a corkage fee if $18 per bottle, so the 1st is okay! No recent change in policy .

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Edited February 5, 2016 by mllewis48

[sppunk]

my favorite red is Hazlett's Red Cat, which is like $9/bottle. Wine dollar value isn't always a telling fact IMO.

 

I am not a huge wine snob, mind you. But the same can mostly be said for beers.

[WVU_Neal]

 

The problem is that we really know NOTHING about wine, other than generally the more you spend the better it is. We both tend to like Pino Grigio or a rhine wine as whites and Pinot Noir as red, but that is likely because that is pretty much all that we've tried. We have forgotten most of the wine that we purchased aboard but did like a red that was both a bit spicy.

 

I'm looking to spend abut 30$/bottle on average but would consider a bit more.

 

Recommendations and any other help about transport and storage is greatly appreciated. What should I do with it after boarding?

 

Total Wine is a good choice, as they have knowledgeable people, great selection, and it's close to the port. Allow them to help you; last time I was there, they also had some wines to taste, which always helps.

 

Price has some relationship to quality, but not always. For $30, you can get some darn good wines, I don't know that you need to spend that much, there are some amazing bottles under $20, which is the range I normally choose, often $15 or under.

 

It's all about your own tastes and what you like.

 

We are sailing on the Oosterdam leaving March 11. In looking at the wine lists onboard, the wines seem pricy and of medium quality. I plan to stop at a wine store myself, and buy some wine for meals. I suspect I'll be better satisfied with my selections at a similar value including HALS's corkage.

 

As far as storage, assuming the AC works, keep it in your room.

 

Enjoy....

[jimmy2x]

I'll post at more length later, but just wanted to say you folks are absolutely awesome. Have to do some ironing 1st.;)

[dockman]

http://www.forbes.com/sites/katiebell/2012/07/09/is-there-really-a-taste-difference-between-cheap-and-expensive-wines/#1d368a2d7581

 

I have a lot of "wine snob friends" who laugh at some of my wine choices..BUT...can they tell the difference in blind taste tests?

 

Drink whatever tastes good to you.

[mllewis48]

On our last cruise on the Oosterdam over Christmas the Wine Sommelier hosted a International Wine Festival with wines from six countries, 6 white and 6 red which included cheeses, crackers, etc. this was a 1st on our many HAL cruises and it was very nice. Limited to a certain number of guests and the cost was $35pp. We enjoyed it very much. This was in addition to the Navigator and Admiral wine tastings.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[OceanTraveller4ever]

The information on wines in this thread is quite good,

 

If one is really not a wine coinosseur/snob, and does not want to be bothered shlepping wine bottles on the ship, then the onboard wine packages do fine.

 

Paying 30+18 for x bottles on a x day cruise can get a little pricey.

 

Just saying, that the ship wine packages are OK for most folks....(moreover if one gets a mariner discount)

 

JMO

Edited February 6, 2016 by jpelleti007

[chefestelle]

Absolutely. There's a tasting desk in between aisles 1 & 2, about halfway towards the back of the store. There are also organized tastings on the weekends. Wine tasting hours at the Fort Lauderdale store are noon to 6 on Friday and Saturday, and noon to 5 on Sunday.

 

Normal tastings are free of charge and they typically have 4 - 8 selections.

 

 

Have you moved in?[emoji23][emoji23][emoji23]

[MaisonRose]

Hi,

I live part of the year in the Rhone Valley and would heartily suggest the red from the village of Gigondas. Second and less expensive but really pleasant is the Vacqueras. These are not heavy. Years: 2009/2010 Hermitage.

 

For a serious red you might try Nuits St. Georges, a Burgundy.highest ratings 2005 and 2010. A slightly lighter version would be a Beaune.

For Bordeaux, if you can find a 2005, I can vouch for that. St. Esteph 2009 is almost off the charts.

 

For white my go to wine is Gewurtstaminer.from Germany, 2007.

A serious white burgundy is Puligny Montrachet 2010. it will cost you but hands down is the best white I have ever drunk....Look up the vintages

 

Having said all that, locally (east of Avignon) we all happily enjoy the local wines, and In hot weather the roses (Tavel is my favorite).

 

Bon Voyage!

Susan

[Lizzie68]

http://www.forbes.com/sites/katiebell/2012/07/09/is-there-really-a-taste-difference-between-cheap-and-expensive-wines/#1d368a2d7581

 

I have a lot of "wine snob friends" who laugh at some of my wine choices..BUT...can they tell the difference in blind taste tests?

 

Drink whatever tastes good to you.

 

Just about every white wine I have really enjoyed has been in the under-$20 for a 750 mil bottle. That's Canadian dollars and would be quite a bit cheaper in the US.;) My favourites are Oyster, Apothic, and Copper Moon pinot grigio. And even cheaper is an Italian chardonnay that is pretty decent, but I can't remember the name. I'm a wine heathen.:D

[Boytjie]

The problem is that we really know NOTHING about wine, other than generally the more you spend the better it is.

 

That is your first mistake! That is not always true. :)

[NaughtyNanna]

Please be aware that some of these wines will have screw cap. Don't let that throw you. Just call is a "Stelvin Closure" and it'll sound a little better.

 

Just curious as to why anyone would be thrown by screw caps? They are the norm in Australia and New Zealand now and have been for many years. In fact I would be thrown by corks!! :D It seems we are very spoilt down here because I would never spend any more than $10 for an every day wine. In fact my usual "glass with dinner" is half that! Even my "special occasion" bubbly is only $12.95. Then again, I know nothing about wine - just know what I like!!

[kazu]

Just curious as to why anyone would be thrown by screw caps? They are the norm in Australia and New Zealand now and have been for many years. In fact I would be thrown by corks!! :D It seems we are very spoilt down here because I would never spend any more than $10 for an every day wine. In fact my usual "glass with dinner" is half that! Even my "special occasion" bubbly is only $12.95. Then again, I know nothing about wine - just know what I like!!

 

Wine without corks or in boxes are perceived as lower quality wines by some.

 

When we went to Australia I was amazed to see countless boxes of wine in all sizes and screw tops. I was told way back then that they still did some corked bottles for North America due to perceptions at that time. Happy to say that we now have boxed wine and screw tops available on our Australian wine here in Canada :). Love many Australian wines, but of course they are pricier here ;)

[denatravels]

Then again, I know nothing about wine - just know what I like!!

 

 

That's really enough-- I have taken a few wine classes because I enjoyed learning about it, but it's really all about your personal taste. People who buy expensive wine JUST BECAUSE it's expensive are really missing the point. Buy what you like!!

[NaughtyNanna]

Wine without corks or in boxes are perceived as lower quality wines by some.

 

When we went to Australia I was amazed to see countless boxes of wine in all sizes and screw tops. I was told way back then that they still did some corked bottles for North America due to perceptions at that time. Happy to say that we now have boxed wine and screw tops available on our Australian wine here in Canada :). Love many Australian wines, but of course they are pricier here ;)

 

It's true that box wine (or cask wine as we call it) was perceived as lower quality (and probably was), but as far as I can recall, the quality of the wine was never an issue with screw tops. The best of our winemakers just gradually changed over to what is thought to be a far better way. In France a couple of years ago I was surprised that I couldn't find any screw tops in the stores. Then when having dinner and a tour of a winery in Dijon, I asked the owner about it. He said he would be extremely happy when they could use them in France, but unfortunately they are restricted by so many rules and regulations and not the very least, tradition, in the industry, that change is very slow.

 

I think our cask wine is much better quality now, but I haven't tried any for a really long time so don't know for sure. Perhaps you could try one and let me know!! :D

 

I'm glad you enjoy our wines!

 

 

That's really enough-- I have taken a few wine classes because I enjoyed learning about it, but it's really all about your personal taste. People who buy expensive wine JUST BECAUSE it's expensive are really missing the point. Buy what you like!!

 

While I haven't taken a wine class, I have been on many tours of wineries and vineyards. I'm afraid when they start talking about the underlying flavours of citrus, melon and straw in whites and chocolate and berries in reds, as hard as I try, I can never taste them!! :eek::eek::eek:

Edited February 6, 2016 by NaughtyNanna

[WVU_Neal]

The information on wines in this thread is quite good,

 

If one is really not a wine coinosseur/snob, and does not want to be bothered shlepping wine bottles on the ship, then the onboard wine packages do fine.

 

In looking the the price of the packages, that makes some sense. I haven't comparison shopped the selections. I would suspect they are in the under $20 retail range.

 

I just prefer my own selections at similar prices with the corkage. Since we're driving the Florida from Ohio, I may just bring some of my own.

 

Regardless, I'll likely go to the wine tastings to see what they have. :)

[Island-lover]

i love Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio is amazing! Enjoy your vacation :)

[jimmy2x]

Well, the amount of information I've gotten here has been very helpful and will be compiling a list of the suggested wines. I truly thank ALL of you for your help.

 

In the end it will come down to figuring out if I can manage to schlep eight bottles of wine along with a roll-on piece of luggage and a large gym bag. I've generally carried them because they contain my wife's meds and a bunch of electronic stuff that we HAVE to have.

 

If I decide against that option (purely because of the logistics), we will purchase one the the Navigator packages and hope for the best. Am assuming that we can buy additional packages as required;).

 

I had also forgotten that as 3* there would be a 25% discount. After this cruise we will finally make 4* which would make the packages even more attractive.

[POA1]

In looking the the price of the packages, that makes some sense. I haven't comparison shopped the selections. I would suspect they are in the under $20 retail range.

 

I am prefer my own selections at similar prices with the corkage. Since we're driving the Florida from Ohio, I may just bring some of my own.

 

Last time I looked at the package list, there was exactly one wine with a release price of over $20. Having said that, the packages aren't a bad deal with your discount. We almost always bring our own wine, but we live close to the port and we are from strong and sturdy stock, capable of carrying a lot of wine. :)

 

If you are in Fort Lauderdale with time to spare, definitely check out Total Wine. You can pre shop on their website. Just make sure to pick the Fort Lauderdale store and you can see the inventory and prices. Special hint: If you see a price ending in 7, that will indicate that the wine is aggressively priced.

[bcummin]

Enjoy what you like, even if someone calls it "rot gut."

 

Barbara

[dakrewser]

Hi,

I live part of the year in the Rhone Valley and would heartily suggest the red from the village of Gigondas. Second and less expensive but really pleasant is the Vacqueras. These are not heavy. Years: 2009/2010 Hermitage.

 

Bon Voyage!

Susan

 

I do love my Rhones, but our goto, everyday red is Domaine Saint Luc from what used to be the Coteaux du Tricastin and is now the AOC Grignan-les-Adhémar which we can get as either a 750ml bottle - or a 5 ltr box. Interestingly, noting your address, we were introduced to it by the Frederick Wine House...

[RocketMan275]

 

If you are in Fort Lauderdale with time to spare, definitely check out Total Wine. You can pre shop on their website. Just make sure to pick the Fort Lauderdale store and you can see the inventory and prices. Special hint: If you see a price ending in 7, that will indicate that the wine is aggressively priced.

 

That's good information. You can see the wine prices on board using this website:

 

http://www.rogerjett-photography.com/specialty-2/hal-regular-and-specialty-restaurants/

 

You can see the prices at Total Wine using this website:

 

http://www.totalwine.com/

 

I did two price checks.

 

I picked one of the least expensive reds.

 

Penfolds Koonunga Cabernet-Shiraz is $29 on board and $11.99 at Total Wine in FLL. About a wash once you add the corkage.

 

One of the more expensive reds:

 

Franciscan Magnificat is $84 on board and $55 at Total Wine. Save about $10 after the corkage.

 

I'm thinking that it might be useful to OP (and myself) if some of the wine experts were to recommend some of the wines on the wine list or on the packages for OP to consider.

Edited February 6, 2016 by RocketMan275

[Tom O.]

Just curious as to why anyone would be thrown by screw caps? They are the norm in Australia and New Zealand now and have been for many years. In fact I would be thrown by corks!! :D It seems we are very spoilt down here because I would never spend any more than $10 for an every day wine. In fact my usual "glass with dinner" is half that! Even my "special occasion" bubbly is only $12.95. Then again, I know nothing about wine - just know what I like!!

 

About 40 years ago, all California wine (such as Gallo) was considered cheap junk, and European wine was the only wine that was socially acceptable. This was before anyone had heard of wine from Australia or NZ. At that time California wine bottles all had screw tops, while European wine had corks. It became a simple way to tell good wine from bad - the good stuff had corks while the cheap stuff had screw tops.

The cheap wine makers very soon learned if they used corks, they could pass for a better class of wine. So for many years pretty much all wine had corks. Eventually, California wine became known for quality, and so did Australian and NZ wine.

At some point, someone realized that pulling corks is a hassle and screw tops started reappearing, mostly on finer wine.

But some people still remember the old days when screw tops meant cheap wine, and they have to be re-educated.

[lcand1923]

 

While I haven't taken a wine class, I have been on many tours of wineries and vineyards. I'm afraid when they start talking about the underlying flavours of citrus, melon and straw in whites and chocolate and berries in reds, as hard as I try, I can never taste them!! :eek::eek::eek:

 

I thought I was the only one!:confused::eek::)

 

On the Total Wine front -- I don't know if it is just our Total Wine (they recently bought out a local wine store), or if this is common at all of them, but sign up for whatever they are calling their email club this week. (I've seen two different names for it since they opened in my area.)

 

Since you have a few weeks before your trip, you may get an email coupon for some money off your purchase pre-cruise.