Wine By The Glass -Limited choices, even with Premium Package

[padgman1]

So......what do the fine wine drinkers who enjoy their fermented grape juice think of the following wine by the glass list ? I have included info on suggested retail price/bottle per Wine Spectator ( or "actual retail" as per Wine Searcher) as well as production in cases ( if known).

 

REDS

 

Pinot Noir (Sonoma) Au Contraire $30 10,500 cases

Pinot Noir ( Sonoma) Chateau St. Jean $10 unknown

Pinot Noir ( Santa Barbara) Meiomi $25 555,000

Zinfandel (Sonoma) Seghesio $26 102,000

Merlot ( Napa) Duckhorn $54 48,300

Merlot (Sonoma) Kenwood $15 20,000

Cab Sauvignon (Calif.) 50 Acre Ranch $10 unknown

Cab Sauv. ( Knight's Valley) Beringer $34 55,000

Cab Sauv. (Stag's Leap) Chimney Rock $86 10,000

Cab Sauv. (Napa) Duckhorn $72 31,700

Cab Sauv. (Napa) Merryvale $65 3000

Cab Sauv. (Napa) Sanctuary Ushibelli $35 4000

Cab Sauv. (Napa) Uppercut $15 unknown

Meritage (Napa) Jayson, Pahlmeyer $75 1500

Meritage (Paso Robles) Pessimist, Daou $20 unknown

Meritage (Napa) Prisoner, Orin Swift $38 68,000

Meritage (Tuscany) Il Bruciato, Antinori $31 8000

Meritage (Argentina) Amancaya, Caro $20 13,500

Cab/Carmenere (Chile) Montgras "Antu" $20 5500

Malbec (Argentina) Terrazas de los Andes $20 90,000

Shiraz (Barossa) Woodcutters, Torbreck $ 20 8000

 

 

WHITES

 

Pinot Grigio (Italy) Santa Cristina $12 73,000 cases

Pinot Grigio (Italy) Santa Margherita $25 560,000

Sauv. Blanc (NZ) Kim Crawford $18 950,000

Sauv. Blanc (France) Michel Lynch $10 unknown

Sauv. Blanc (Napa) St. Supery $20 40,000

Rose (Washington) Chas. and Chas. $10 unknown

Gruner Veltliner (Austria) Laurenz V $20 4000

Riesling (Germany) S. A. Prum $14 41,000

Moscato (Chile) Terra Andida $15 unknown

Albarino (Spain) Torres $14 unknown

Pinot Gris (Oregon) A to Z $15 85,000

Chardonnay (Napa) Cakebread $37 40,000

Chardonnay (Monterray) Concannon $15 unknown

Chardonnay (Napa) Sonoma Cutrer RRR $25 180,000

Champagne (France) Veuve Cliquot, Yellow $ 50 >20,000

Brut (Calif.) Roederer Estate $23 80,000

Prosecco (Italy) La Marca $14 >20,000

 

Comments? Would this be preferable to the current wine list? Would you be willing to pay up to $25 per glass ( or $10-12 more than current ceiling on UDP) for some of these wines?

 

Oh, by the way..........this list comes from a Wine Spectator award winning restaurant chain........goes by the name Ruth's Chris.......:)

[Bo1953]

So......what do the fine wine drinkers who enjoy their fermented grape juice think of the following wine by the glass list ? I have included info on suggested retail price/bottle per Wine Spectator ( or "actual retail" as per Wine Searcher) as well as production in cases ( if known).

 

REDS

 

Pinot Noir (Sonoma) Au Contraire $30 10,500 cases

Pinot Noir ( Sonoma) Chateau St. Jean $10 unknown

Pinot Noir ( Santa Barbara) Meiomi $25 555,000

Zinfandel (Sonoma) Seghesio $26 102,000

Merlot ( Napa) Duckhorn $54 48,300

Merlot (Sonoma) Kenwood $15 20,000

Cab Sauvignon (Calif.) 50 Acre Ranch $10 unknown

Cab Sauv. ( Knight's Valley) Beringer $34 55,000

Cab Sauv. (Stag's Leap) Chimney Rock $86 10,000

Cab Sauv. (Napa) Duckhorn $72 31,700

Cab Sauv. (Napa) Merryvale $65 3000

Cab Sauv. (Napa) Sanctuary Ushibelli $35 4000

Cab Sauv. (Napa) Uppercut $15 unknown

Meritage (Napa) Jayson, Pahlmeyer $75 1500

Meritage (Paso Robles) Pessimist, Daou $20 unknown

Meritage (Napa) Prisoner, Orin Swift $38 68,000

Meritage (Tuscany) Il Bruciato, Antinori $31 8000

Meritage (Argentina) Amancaya, Caro $20 13,500

Cab/Carmenere (Chile) Montgras "Antu" $20 5500

Malbec (Argentina) Terrazas de los Andes $20 90,000

Shiraz (Barossa) Woodcutters, Torbreck $ 20 8000

 

 

WHITES

 

Pinot Grigio (Italy) Santa Cristina $12 73,000 cases

Pinot Grigio (Italy) Santa Margherita $25 560,000

Sauv. Blanc (NZ) Kim Crawford $18 950,000

Sauv. Blanc (France) Michel Lynch $10 unknown

Sauv. Blanc (Napa) St. Supery $20 40,000

Rose (Washington) Chas. and Chas. $10 unknown

Gruner Veltliner (Austria) Laurenz V $20 4000

Riesling (Germany) S. A. Prum $14 41,000

Moscato (Chile) Terra Andida $15 unknown

Albarino (Spain) Torres $14 unknown

Pinot Gris (Oregon) A to Z $15 85,000

Chardonnay (Napa) Cakebread $37 40,000

Chardonnay (Monterray) Concannon $15 unknown

Chardonnay (Napa) Sonoma Cutrer RRR $25 180,000

Champagne (France) Veuve Cliquot, Yellow $ 50 >20,000

Brut (Calif.) Roederer Estate $23 80,000

Prosecco (Italy) La Marca $14 >20,000

 

Comments? Would this be preferable to the current wine list? Would you be willing to pay up to $25 per glass ( or $10-12 more than current ceiling on UDP) for some of these wines?

 

Oh, by the way..........this list comes from a Wine Spectator award winning restaurant chain........goes by the name Ruth's Chris.......:)

 

p - Thank you for taking the time to post this....

 

bon voyage

[Mynki]

I haven't, but I'm thinking I'll ask the sommeliers on my upcoming sailing how I might do just that. I was also thinking I'd write something up in advance (so I don't use up precious cruise time), reference this forum, and drop it at Guest Relations.

 

 

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You might be pleased to know we've had our sommelier open a few bottles not on the wine per glass menu and only apply a modest up charge. The deal seems to be that she must get four glasses out of the bottle. In other words, you have to finish as she doesn't want to be stuck with a half full bottle she's not supposed to sell by the glass. It beats paying for the whole bottle for sure.

[Chardo]

You might be pleased to know we've had our sommelier open a few bottles not on the wine per glass menu and only apply a modest up charge. The deal seems to be that she must get four glasses out of the bottle. In other words, you have to finish as she doesn't want to be stuck with a half full bottle she's not supposed to sell by the glass. It beats paying for the whole bottle for sure.

 

 

Well, the four glasses is never a problem :)

 

How much of an upcharge?

[chamima]

You might be pleased to know we've had our sommelier open a few bottles not on the wine per glass menu and only apply a modest up charge. The deal seems to be that she must get four glasses out of the bottle. In other words, you have to finish as she doesn't want to be stuck with a half full bottle she's not supposed to sell by the glass. It beats paying for the whole bottle for sure.

 

 

 

So if you have the premium package they're basically giving you $52 ($13x4) towards a bottle.

That might actually be a nice alternative.

[PRH]

We had the same experience three times on Equinox--opening a bottle and the charging us by the glass. Had some excellent surprises this way! Not sure all sommeliers are willing to step out. But if you pressed the dining room manager, it might happen for you. We had this in the mdr and in blu.

 

 

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[doug52]

So......what do the fine wine drinkers who enjoy their fermented grape juice think of the following wine by the glass list ? I have included info on suggested retail price/bottle per Wine Spectator ( or "actual retail" as per Wine Searcher) as well as production in cases ( if known).

 

REDS

 

Pinot Noir (Sonoma) Au Contraire $30 10,500 cases

Pinot Noir ( Sonoma) Chateau St. Jean $10 unknown

Pinot Noir ( Santa Barbara) Meiomi $25 555,000

Zinfandel (Sonoma) Seghesio $26 102,000

Merlot ( Napa) Duckhorn $54 48,300

Merlot (Sonoma) Kenwood $15 20,000

Cab Sauvignon (Calif.) 50 Acre Ranch $10 unknown

Cab Sauv. ( Knight's Valley) Beringer $34 55,000

Cab Sauv. (Stag's Leap) Chimney Rock $86 10,000

Cab Sauv. (Napa) Duckhorn $72 31,700

Cab Sauv. (Napa) Merryvale $65 3000

Cab Sauv. (Napa) Sanctuary Ushibelli $35 4000

Cab Sauv. (Napa) Uppercut $15 unknown

Meritage (Napa) Jayson, Pahlmeyer $75 1500

Meritage (Paso Robles) Pessimist, Daou $20 unknown

Meritage (Napa) Prisoner, Orin Swift $38 68,000

Meritage (Tuscany) Il Bruciato, Antinori $31 8000

Meritage (Argentina) Amancaya, Caro $20 13,500

Cab/Carmenere (Chile) Montgras "Antu" $20 5500

Malbec (Argentina) Terrazas de los Andes $20 90,000

Shiraz (Barossa) Woodcutters, Torbreck $ 20 8000

 

 

WHITES

 

Pinot Grigio (Italy) Santa Cristina $12 73,000 cases

Pinot Grigio (Italy) Santa Margherita $25 560,000

Sauv. Blanc (NZ) Kim Crawford $18 950,000

Sauv. Blanc (France) Michel Lynch $10 unknown

Sauv. Blanc (Napa) St. Supery $20 40,000

Rose (Washington) Chas. and Chas. $10 unknown

Gruner Veltliner (Austria) Laurenz V $20 4000

Riesling (Germany) S. A. Prum $14 41,000

Moscato (Chile) Terra Andida $15 unknown

Albarino (Spain) Torres $14 unknown

Pinot Gris (Oregon) A to Z $15 85,000

Chardonnay (Napa) Cakebread $37 40,000

Chardonnay (Monterray) Concannon $15 unknown

Chardonnay (Napa) Sonoma Cutrer RRR $25 180,000

Champagne (France) Veuve Cliquot, Yellow $ 50 >20,000

Brut (Calif.) Roederer Estate $23 80,000

Prosecco (Italy) La Marca $14 >20,000

 

Comments? Would this be preferable to the current wine list? Would you be willing to pay up to $25 per glass ( or $10-12 more than current ceiling on UDP) for some of these wines?

 

Oh, by the way..........this list comes from a Wine Spectator award winning restaurant chain........goes by the name Ruth's Chris.......:)

 

My favorite week night drinker on this list is the 2013 Prisoner, still Orin Swift. The '14 and the '15 are not quite as complex and I think I read that Orin Swift is no longer involved. If this wine is available on the Reflection in April, this would be worth the up-charge for our Premium package.

 

For a special occasion, the Pahlmeyer stands out.

 

Not wild about any of the whites, we tend to just drink French whites for their minerality versus California buttery and oak.

 

Doug

[tnfcruise]

You might be pleased to know we've had our sommelier open a few bottles not on the wine per glass menu and only apply a modest up charge. The deal seems to be that she must get four glasses out of the bottle. In other words, you have to finish as she doesn't want to be stuck with a half full bottle she's not supposed to sell by the glass. It beats paying for the whole bottle for sure.

 

 

 

Well, the four glasses is never a problem :)

 

 

 

How much of an upcharge?

 

 

 

So if you have the premium package they're basically giving you $52 ($13x4) towards a bottle.

 

That might actually be a nice alternative.

 

 

 

We had the same experience three times on Equinox--opening a bottle and the charging us by the glass. Had some excellent surprises this way! Not sure all sommeliers are willing to step out. But if you pressed the dining room manager, it might happen for you. We had this in the mdr and in blu.

 

 

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Oh, Mynki, and others, this does please me and gives me hope for upcoming Eclipse sailing. I'm really looking forward to 14-nights of decent [emoji485]...no problem with a small per-glass upcharge to my premium package max. Fingers crossed.

 

 

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[tnfcruise]

So......what do the fine wine drinkers who enjoy their fermented grape juice think of the following wine by the glass list ? I have included info on suggested retail price/bottle per Wine Spectator ( or "actual retail" as per Wine Searcher) as well as production in cases ( if known).

 

 

 

REDS

 

 

 

Pinot Noir (Sonoma) Au Contraire $30 10,500 cases

 

Pinot Noir ( Sonoma) Chateau St. Jean $10 unknown

 

Pinot Noir ( Santa Barbara) Meiomi $25 555,000

 

Zinfandel (Sonoma) Seghesio $26 102,000

 

Merlot ( Napa) Duckhorn $54 48,300

 

Merlot (Sonoma) Kenwood $15 20,000

 

Cab Sauvignon (Calif.) 50 Acre Ranch $10 unknown

 

Cab Sauv. ( Knight's Valley) Beringer $34 55,000

 

Cab Sauv. (Stag's Leap) Chimney Rock $86 10,000

 

Cab Sauv. (Napa) Duckhorn $72 31,700

 

Cab Sauv. (Napa) Merryvale $65 3000

 

Cab Sauv. (Napa) Sanctuary Ushibelli $35 4000

 

Cab Sauv. (Napa) Uppercut $15 unknown

 

Meritage (Napa) Jayson, Pahlmeyer $75 1500

 

Meritage (Paso Robles) Pessimist, Daou $20 unknown

 

Meritage (Napa) Prisoner, Orin Swift $38 68,000

 

Meritage (Tuscany) Il Bruciato, Antinori $31 8000

 

Meritage (Argentina) Amancaya, Caro $20 13,500

 

Cab/Carmenere (Chile) Montgras "Antu" $20 5500

 

Malbec (Argentina) Terrazas de los Andes $20 90,000

 

Shiraz (Barossa) Woodcutters, Torbreck $ 20 8000

 

 

 

 

 

WHITES

 

 

 

Pinot Grigio (Italy) Santa Cristina $12 73,000 cases

 

Pinot Grigio (Italy) Santa Margherita $25 560,000

 

Sauv. Blanc (NZ) Kim Crawford $18 950,000

 

Sauv. Blanc (France) Michel Lynch $10 unknown

 

Sauv. Blanc (Napa) St. Supery $20 40,000

 

Rose (Washington) Chas. and Chas. $10 unknown

 

Gruner Veltliner (Austria) Laurenz V $20 4000

 

Riesling (Germany) S. A. Prum $14 41,000

 

Moscato (Chile) Terra Andida $15 unknown

 

Albarino (Spain) Torres $14 unknown

 

Pinot Gris (Oregon) A to Z $15 85,000

 

Chardonnay (Napa) Cakebread $37 40,000

 

Chardonnay (Monterray) Concannon $15 unknown

 

Chardonnay (Napa) Sonoma Cutrer RRR $25 180,000

 

Champagne (France) Veuve Cliquot, Yellow $ 50 >20,000

 

Brut (Calif.) Roederer Estate $23 80,000

 

Prosecco (Italy) La Marca $14 >20,000

 

 

 

Comments? Would this be preferable to the current wine list? Would you be willing to pay up to $25 per glass ( or $10-12 more than current ceiling on UDP) for some of these wines?

 

 

 

Oh, by the way..........this list comes from a Wine Spectator award winning restaurant chain........goes by the name Ruth's Chris.......:)

 

 

Yep, any number of these reds would be just fine with me, including with an upcharge. I particularly favor the Santa Barbara Pinot Noir and a couple of the Meritage...I'd like to try that Sonoma Zin, too.

 

 

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[Mynki]

Well, the four glasses is never a problem :)

 

How much of an upcharge?

 

So if you have the premium package they're basically giving you $52 ($13x4) towards a bottle.

That might actually be a nice alternative.

 

Up charge depends on the individual bottle, but it's only been a few dollars so far.

 

I could be completely wrong here, but I think the sommeliers are empowered with a little bit of flexibility here. How 'flexible' they want to be may depend on their mood and your individual relationship with them.

 

The best advice I can give anyone is get to know them, make friends and ask what they can do.....

[Softball20]

Up charge depends on the individual bottle, but it's only been a few dollars so far.

 

I could be completely wrong here, but I think the sommeliers are empowered with a little bit of flexibility here. How 'flexible' they want to be may depend on their mood and your individual relationship with them.

 

The best advice I can give anyone is get to know them, make friends and ask what they can do.....

 

Good advice - and it typically works! We were on a HAL sailing a few years ago. HAL allows you, at least at that time, to bring on unlimited amounts of wine and just pay the corkage fee if you consume it in a dining venue. Being that we were in Europe, we took full advantage of this and found some great (and a few not so great) wines at really reasonable prices. Even with the corkage fees, we came out ahead. Even better - we had the most fun and knowledgeable sommelier/wine steward. Each night he would look to see what we brought and then offer his comment/critique. At the end of the cruise when we checked our bill, he had only charged ONE corkage fee for the entire sailing. He was well taken care of for his "flexibility." A couple years later we did another HAL sailing. Even though the corkage fee had gone up by a little bit, our method still made sense. We quickly made friends with that sommelier/wine steward on the first night and implied (okay, stated) that he would be compensated if he, too, were "flexible." While neither of these two should have been that flexible, they knew the game.

 

I know - it was HAL, not Celebrity, and we weren't talking about wines by the glass. The point is that if you take the time to make the relationship, who knows what they may be willing to do or if they'll be able to find a nice selection that didn't show up on a wine list.

[WestCoastFlyer]

At least you didn't upgrade before sailing...check-in with the sommelier in the MDR and Cellar Masters once you're onboard. Find out what's actually in stock and available by the glass before you upgrade. And, as a few folks have indicated on this thread, the wines on the Classic may end up being sufficient. You can always order a full-price glass of better wine here or there that wouldn't total the cost of the upgrade.

 

Great advise - the price of our premium upgrade didn't come close to value received. Classic package would have given us the same wines in the MDR.

[WestCoastFlyer]

I could be completely wrong here, but I think the sommeliers are empowered with a little bit of flexibility here. How 'flexible' they want to be may depend on their mood and your individual relationship with them.

 

The best advice I can give anyone is get to know them, make friends and ask what they can do.....

 

That had always been our experience too, until just a couple weeks ago on the Eclipse. An extended friendly conversation with our sommelier and then the head sommelier resulted in an admission that they had been told by corporate no more "special favors" and, according to him, despite his desire to go search for something else it was now strictly forbidden. He said he would pass on our comments.

 

Our next trip is in September and I would love to hear if others are still seeing "favors" or if that is really gone.

[Hlitner]

Good advice - and it typically works! We were on a HAL sailing a few years ago. HAL allows you, at least at that time, to bring on unlimited amounts of wine and just pay the corkage fee if you consume it in a dining venue. Being that we were in Europe, we took full advantage of this and found some great (and a few not so great) wines at really reasonable prices. Even with the corkage fees, we came out ahead. Even better - we had the most fun and knowledgeable sommelier/wine steward. Each night he would look to see what we brought and then offer his comment/critique. At the end of the cruise when we checked our bill, he had only charged ONE corkage fee for the entire sailing. He was well taken care of for his "flexibility." A couple years later we did another HAL sailing. Even though the corkage fee had gone up by a little bit, our method still made sense. We quickly made friends with that sommelier/wine steward on the first night and implied (okay, stated) that he would be compensated if he, too, were "flexible." While neither of these two should have been that flexible, they knew the game.

 

I know - it was HAL, not Celebrity, and we weren't talking about wines by the glass. The point is that if you take the time to make the relationship, who knows what they may be willing to do or if they'll be able to find a nice selection that didn't show up on a wine list.

 

HAL changed their policy (several years ago) regarding bringing your own wine aboard. Now, you can brink only 1 bottle per person....for no extra charge. Beyond that first bottle you must now pay an $18 corkage fee (per bottle) even if you drink the bottle in your own cabin. As to wines by the glass, HAL has an even worse selection then Celebrity!

 

Hank

[Softball20]

HAL changed their policy (several years ago) regarding bringing your own wine aboard. Now, you can brink only 1 bottle per person....for no extra charge. Beyond that first bottle you must now pay an $18 corkage fee (per bottle) even if you drink the bottle in your own cabin. As to wines by the glass, HAL has an even worse selection then Celebrity!

 

Hank

 

Wow - I had no idea! I guess it's been a while and that the wine stewards were a little too flexible with the policy. I actually think it's not a bad idea to allow the wine, even with the corkage fee - if enough people routinely take advantage of it, that could mean that it's less wine that the ship has to store and order, and potentially less that never gets sold.

[tnfcruise]

That had always been our experience too, until just a couple weeks ago on the Eclipse. An extended friendly conversation with our sommelier and then the head sommelier resulted in an admission that they had been told by corporate no more "special favors" and, according to him, despite his desire to go search for something else it was now strictly forbidden. He said he would pass on our comments.

 

 

 

Our next trip is in September and I would love to hear if others are still seeing "favors" or if that is really gone.

 

 

Oh, phooey! ☹️ Sailing next month on Eclipse and this is bad news. I was getting my buttering-up the sommelier speeches all ready, hoping to get a few interesting, appropriate-to-the-meal, decent wines by the glass. I'm not in Aqua or a suite, so will be dining in MDR..."special favors" even more unlikely.

 

I guess it's wine-by-the-bottle (begrudgingly) for me, with the paltry 20% discount.

 

West Coast Flyer, your recent experience makes me wonder if this thread has been followed by Celebrity and has back-fired on my original intent of simply getting a few more, and better, by-the-glass choices.

 

 

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[kathynorth]

Totally agree we had the Celebrity premium package on our recent Far East cruise 9/12/16 to 21/12/16 and it was a total ripe off especially when when it came to wines by the glass and premium cocktails. First of all try finding a premium cocktail or wines by the glass menu. Watched bar staff make the few premium cocktails with the cheaper spirits finally after complaining got wine list in blu restaurant had numerous wines by glass upto $9 and only three over $9.

Very much felt waiters and sommelier pushing towards cheaper wines. After complaining I was directed to sommelier in the wine bar. Was given four premium wines to taste and then was told three of them I could get in any of the restaurants or other bars and the sommelier openly admitted they were trying to encourage passengers to buy bottles of wine. On at least three occasions wines recommended on the menu to drink with my meal were unavailable. What Celebrity class as premium wines cheap plunk

 

Circling back to some of the earlier posts, you highlighted one of my biggest frustration with the premium package. What they post on the menus and wine lists are rarely available. Then a waiter or sommelier offers a substitution that is either available within the classic package or well over the premium max, plus it's a wine I've never heard of. I feel they should provide diners with an accurate list of available wines for that evening, not a list of wines that were available at some other point in time. The wine lists should be edited daily to reflect the inventory.

[Mynki]

Circling back to some of the earlier posts, you highlighted one of my biggest frustration with the premium package. What they post on the menus and wine lists are rarely available. Then a waiter or sommelier offers a substitution that is either available within the classic package or well over the premium max, plus it's a wine I've never heard of. I feel they should provide diners with an accurate list of available wines for that evening, not a list of wines that were available at some other point in time. The wine lists should be edited daily to reflect the inventory.

 

Agree 100%. We've been a victim of this too this cruise. Management of their inventory leaves a lot to be desired.

[Cruise Raider]

I promised to report back after my cruise .... so here goes.

We sailed on the Equinox and did have a hard time finding a nice glass of wine on either of the packages. The sommelier was kind enough to open a few bottles so we could determine if it was beneficial to upgrade to the premium package ... alas, nothing seemed worth the $11.80 pp upcharge per day. I finally asked if there was any way we could get one of our favorites by the glass even though it is was only offered as a bottle, as it was in line as far as pricing goes. Now, that would definitely be worth our upgrade to premium. Even though we didn't eat in the MDR every night, our sommelier remembered what we liked and had our bottle ready every night. All in all, well worth the upcharge for us because we got a wine we really loved with dinner ... at least when that sommelier was available. BTW ... she did have to check with her boss the first night and after that, it was ok. She was tipped well ... we were happy, happy, happy!!

[Softball20]

Good to know. What was it that you found that you liked?

[Hlitner]

Good to know. What was it that you found that you liked?

 

Another frustration with the Premium Package is the lack of an accurate (meaning they actually have the wine) wine list to help make a selection. If you stop at the bar in the Lido for a glass of wine...all they can do is point to bottles. In the dining rooms one usually has to ask the wine steward (when you can even get a wine steward) what is available. Last December, in Blu, I simply ask the wine steward for a decent Malbec. I was told there was only 1 Malbec available and the wine steward did not recommend it because it was so light it did not even taste like a Malbec (I later tried it....and it was a lousy example of what a full bodied Malbec should taste like. There were no other Malbecs ....even if I wanted to pay above the Premium price. That is pretty lousy....as Malbec is a popular grape (especially with the type of meat dishes served in Blu. Even the Cabs were very limited as were the Chards. They had 2 Sauvignon Blancs which were both pretty decent.. Attempts to get the wine stewards to open other bottles (and sell by the glass) were met with a big NO....as they said their boss was concerned there would be too much waste if the bottles were not completely sold (by the glass). Of course, without a printed wine list it would be quite difficult for others to buy a wine (by the glass) of which they were not even aware. It is a lousy system that needs tweaks....

 

Hank

[Softball20]

We still like the premium package because of the scotch selection. However, I was on the Silhouette earlier this year and found the wine selections, which one would think should be better with a premium package, to be lacking. We never did get to see any sort of "wine list," other than in Cellar Masters. In the MDR, what we got was what the wine steward said was available, within "the package." We did have two in our group who hadn't upgraded to the premium package, and he only offered them one selection that worked with the classic option. Even more glaring, he didn't even attempt to refill or offer to refill their glasses as he did for the two of us with the premium options. It was quite noticeable to all of us. That's another issue altogether. We hadn't been on Celebrity for a few years, and the last time we were, we were in Blu. We never had any trouble finding a good wine within the premium package.

[OzKiwiJJ]

We've done two cruises on Solstice in the past 15 months and both times we have been more than happy with the selection of wines available, in the MDR especially, on the premium package. Are they the best wines in the world? Of course not, but they are very good for cruise ship wines - we've also cruised on Princess, Carnival and RCI. We usually left it up to our sommellier to pick wines to match the food we had chosen each evening and he did a great job. He always offered us a taste of the wine first and if we didn't like it he came up with an alternate selection. By leaving the wine selection up to our sommelier we got to try wines that we probably wouldn't have picked by ourselves so not only did we enjoy nice wine, we broadened our experience of wines from parts of the world other than Australia & NZ.

[bluwes]

On our last Celebrity sailing two years ago we had a classic drinks package which we were fine with as we managed to find a couple of wines which were acceptable, a reasonable Chardy and a Sav Blanc and a decent Merlot.

We are not cocktail drinkers, but gin and tonics will do us for pre dinner and in the bar afterwards. The beers available were soso, but again acceptable

The only splurge out we did was a nice Amerone in the Tuscan Grill which was $16 per glass.

This cruise we have some OBC which we were considering using to upgrade to the Premium package. However reading this thread it seems it may not be worth it and we may think about putting it to better use.

[I&J Cruisers]

I'm not a wine expert but I know what I like. I like white wines the drier the better. There are several Pinot Grigio and chardenays that are not expensive but none that are any good are available on the premium package.