Riedel wine tasting

[NCteacherlovescruising]

My husband and I enjoy wine (riedel glasses are my favorite!) and are planning on taking this class. Is there any chance it will sell out if we don’t book before boarding?  Do they ever discount it onboard or no because of the glasses?  I understand it’s a great value even at full price. I have prebooked and canceled this a couple of times already. 🙄 I am disappointed they only offer it in the AM. I would much prefer this in the afternoon. 

[Bo1953]

11 minutes ago, NCteacherlovescruising said:

My husband and I enjoy wine (riedel glasses are my favorite!) and are planning on taking this class. Is there any chance it will sell out if we don’t book before boarding?  Do they ever discount it onboard or no because of the glasses?  I understand it’s a great value even at full price. I have prebooked and canceled this a couple of times already. 🙄 I am disappointed they only offer it in the AM. I would much prefer this in the afternoon. 

1) No

2) No or unless you do the tasting only and do not want the glasses

 

Cheers and bon voyage

[NCteacherlovescruising]

14 minutes ago, Bo1953 said:

1) No

2) No or unless you do the tasting only and do not want the glasses

 

Cheers and bon voyage

 

I definitely want the glasses!  That’s a great price for them, assuming they are nicer than the riedel glasses we get at wine tastings with the vineyard name on them. I had read somewhere that those are bar quality riedel glasses and these are a step above. 

 

Any benefit in booking now or waiting?  Would someone onboard get credit if we wait?

[GeorgesGal]

I just checked my cruise planner (9-5-19) and they are offering up to 25% off certain amenities, including the Riedel Wine Tasting.  Check your particular cruise planner to see if it's being offered there.  Fine print indicates a 20% service charge added to the $82 price.

 

[NCteacherlovescruising]

I had already checked and the Riedel Tasting was not on sale. I believe $82 is the normal price. The items that are discounted have the percentage off in the upper left hand corner. 

[Dom G]

I am in the wine business and have participated in the Riedel seminar several times in the past (on land, not on a ship). They used our wines to do the tasting. It has been a few years since I have done one, but the seminar was of the Vinum line of glasses. You get one each glass: Red Bordeaux, Red Burgundy, Chardonnay (Chablis) and Sauvignon Blanc. The seminar also will use a cheap bar glass to start to show you how much better wine will show in the proper stemware. The premise of the tasting is to start with each wine in the cheap glass, swirl, sniff, taste and then pour it in the next glass. Repeat. Riedel stemware is designed to place the type of wine you are drinking on your tongue to hit the optimal taste buds for that wine- (sweet, salty, sour or bitter taste buds). So even though the Chardonnay will taste good in the other three Riedel glasses, it will taste best in the Chardonnay glass, etc. You leave with the set of 4, but not the cheap glass. The idea is that you then purchase more of each type to have a set of them.  After all, what good is one glass if you have guests? Price wise, the glasses are a relative deal, since they are about $25+ individually and you get education as to why they make a difference. And they do. I use Riedel at home and have a few different types on top of these four styles. 

 

FYI, if you want an all purpose Riedel Vinum glass, the Zinfandel/Chianti glass (model 6416/15) is the best all around for whites and reds. Not as good as having the proper glass for each, but VERY serviceable for all wines. We use those for large events when we will be serving different types of wines and having each type of glass isn’t feasible. 

 

I hate  the O series of stemless glasses from Riedel. But that’s another story. 

Edited July 26, 2019 by Dom G

[vtcruising]

I've been 3-4 times and have been when there were only a few people and other times when there were probably 40.  We have done it in Blu most of the time, so it is easy to add a few more glasses. We even had some walk-ins. We always learn something and enjoy taking friends for the first time and see them have those "aha" moments. 🙂

 

If you sign up for it with your wine steward in your main restaurant, they will receive a kick back. You will be remembered for the rest of the cruise by them and likely get a bit more personalized service (or so it seemed to us). 🙂

 

I dislike the "O" stemless as well!   I have small hands and find them awkward to hold and aren't the stems there so that you don't warm the wine with your hands on the bowl ???

[Dom G]

8 minutes ago, vtcruising said:

I dislike the "O" stemless as well!   I have small hands and find them awkward to hold and aren't the stems there so that you don't warm the wine with your hands on the bowl ???

EXACTLY.

Supposedly they were designed for people who live in apartments with little storage space.  

[rincewind]

We have done this a couple of times and always enjoy it.  The times we have done it we didn't leave with the glasses - it would have been a problem traveling with them anyway - but we got a certificate to claim the glasses on the web site when we got home.  The other thing that has changed over the years is that instead of getting a set of four glasses you get a certificate for two two-packs of glasses meaning that you can only select two styles.  This hasn't been an issue for use since DW and I both attend we get 4 certificates and just get a two-pack of each style.

 

The other advantage to signing up for this with your waiter/sommelier is that you can usually talk them into providing the Riedel glasses for you at dinner for the week.

[vtcruising]

1 minute ago, rincewind said:

The other advantage to signing up for this with your waiter/sommelier is that you can usually talk them into providing the Riedel glasses for you at dinner for the week.

Very true!  We have had them save the Riedels for us on some cruises. It was lovely on the Edge to have Riedel glasses in all the restaurants (at least the inside ones). The guests in upper suites have them in their suites as well.

[Bo1953]

Am I correct in understanding that Riedel is used in all Dining venues on The Edge or is that wishful day dreaming???

 

😉

 

Cheers and bon voyage

[Dom G]

1 hour ago, rincewind said:

We have done this a couple of times and always enjoy it.  The times we have done it we didn't leave with the glasses - it would have been a problem traveling with them anyway - but we got a certificate to claim the glasses on the web site when we got home.  The other thing that has changed over the years is that instead of getting a set of four glasses you get a certificate for two two-packs of glasses meaning that you can only select two styles.  This hasn't been an issue for use since DW and I both attend we get 4 certificates and just get a two-pack of each style.

 

The other advantage to signing up for this with your waiter/sommelier is that you can usually talk them into providing the Riedel glasses for you at dinner for the week.

This makes sense on a cruise.  I was wondering how people would get their glasses. There is enough to pack on a ship already and crystal would be bulky and fragile. At the land based seminars, there is a box with a cutout of each size glass. People take their seminar glasses home.

 

Someone did tell me that they believe Riedel is doing the seminar with the Veritas series of glasses now.  

Edited July 26, 2019 by Dom G

[WAVTAM]

Have over 1000 bottles in our private cellar. Big fan of Riedel. Have over 20 glasses with 4 in 5 different classes .

 

Be aware that you only get certificate for glazes and you have to pay shipping charges .

 

On Solstice for a month and have Riedel served everywhere.

[NCteacherlovescruising]

2 hours ago, Dom G said:

I am in the wine business and have participated in the Riedel seminar several times in the past (on land, not on a ship). They used our wines to do the tasting. It has been a few years since I have done one, but the seminar was of the Vinum line of glasses. You get one each glass: Red Bordeaux, Red Burgundy, Chardonnay (Chablis) and Sauvignon Blanc. The seminar also will use a cheap bar glass to start to show you how much better wine will show in the proper stemware. The premise of the tasting is to start with each wine in the cheap glass, swirl, sniff, taste and then pour it in the next glass. Repeat. Riedel stemware is designed to place the type of wine you are drinking on your tongue to hit the optimal taste buds for that wine- (sweet, salty, sour or bitter taste buds). So even though the Chardonnay will taste good in the other three Riedel glasses, it will taste best in the Chardonnay glass, etc. You leave with the set of 4, but not the cheap glass. The idea is that you then purchase more of each type to have a set of them.  After all, what good is one glass if you have guests? Price wise, the glasses are a relative deal, since they are about $25+ individually and you get education as to why they make a difference. And they do. I use Riedel at home and have a few different types on top of these four styles. 

 

FYI, if you want an all purpose Riedel Vinum glass, the Zinfandel/Chianti glass (model 6416/15) is the best all around for whites and reds. Not as good as having the proper glass for each, but VERY serviceable for all wines. We use those for large events when we will be serving different types of wines and having each type of glass isn’t feasible. 

 

I hate  the O series of stemless glasses from Riedel. But that’s another story. 

 

We primarily drink dry reds...Cab, Merlot,  Shiraz, Bordeaux.  I don’t have much use for white wine glasses. Which glass would be best for us?  We buy cab the most, followed by Merlot. I don’t like the stemless glasses either. Our son uses them for his Whisky. 

2 hours ago, vtcruising said:

I've been 3-4 times and have been when there were only a few people and other times when there were probably 40.  We have done it in Blu most of the time, so it is easy to add a few more glasses. We even had some walk-ins. We always learn something and enjoy taking friends for the first time and see them have those "aha" moments. 🙂

 

If you sign up for it with your wine steward in your main restaurant, they will receive a kick back. You will be remembered for the rest of the cruise by them and likely get a bit more personalized service (or so it seemed to us). 🙂

 

I dislike the "O" stemless as well!   I have small hands and find them awkward to hold and aren't the stems there so that you don't warm the wine with your hands on the bowl ???

 It would be nice to do this in Blu!  I was hoping to see it. 

 

Thanks for the tip about purchasing from our wine steward. I will do this. 

1 hour ago, rincewind said:

We have done this a couple of times and always enjoy it.  The times we have done it we didn't leave with the glasses - it would have been a problem traveling with them anyway - but we got a certificate to claim the glasses on the web site when we got home.  The other thing that has changed over the years is that instead of getting a set of four glasses you get a certificate for two two-packs of glasses meaning that you can only select two styles.  This hasn't been an issue for use since DW and I both attend we get 4 certificates and just get a two-pack of each style.

 

The other advantage to signing up for this with your waiter/sommelier is that you can usually talk them into providing the Riedel glasses for you at dinner for the week.

 

I’d much prefer this since we don’t need white wine glasses.  Another reason to sign up in the MDR. I would be very happy if they served my wine in riedel glasses at dinner!  I always use them at home, but they are just the ones that came with wine tastings with a logo on them. 

[NCteacherlovescruising]

1 hour ago, vtcruising said:

Very true!  We have had them save the Riedels for us on some cruises. It was lovely on the Edge to have Riedel glasses in all the restaurants (at least the inside ones). The guests in upper suites have them in their suites as well.

 As they should!  They certainly paid for them!!

[vtcruising]

1 hour ago, Bo1953 said:

Am I correct in understanding that Riedel is used in all Dining venues on The Edge or is that wishful day dreaming???

 

😉

 

Cheers and bon voyage

Yes and I think the inside bars as well, if I remember correctly.

[Dom G]

25 minutes ago, NCteacherlovescruising said:

 

We primarily drink dry reds...Cab, Merlot,  Shiraz, Bordeaux.  I don’t have much use for white wine glasses. Which glass would be best for us?  We buy cab the most, followed by Merlot. I don’t like the stemless glasses either. Our son uses them for his Whisky. 

 

The red Bordeaux glass covers everything in your description (Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot are Bordeaux varietals), except the Shiraz. There is a Syrah glass that is similar to the Red Bordeaux glass, so go with the Red Bordeaux for all. I don’t have the Syrah or Brunello glass, but use the Bordeaux for those wines, since it is a similar shape- I only have so much room for wine glasses. The Vinum Bordeaux glass item is  6416/0. About $30 a glass, but sold in packs at several retailers, so you may find a discount if you buy a 6 or 8 pack.  This is the big Riedel glass you probably see the most. 

[NCteacherlovescruising]

10 minutes ago, Dom G said:

The red Bordeaux glass covers everything in your description (Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot are Bordeaux varietals), except the Shiraz. There is a Syrah glass that is similar to the Red Bordeaux glass, so go with the Red Bordeaux for all. I don’t have the Syrah or Brunello glass, but use the Bordeaux for those wines, since it is a similar shape- I only have so much room for wine glasses. The Vinum Bordeaux glass item is  6416/0. About $30 a glass, but sold in packs at several retailers, so you may find a discount if you buy a 6 or 8 pack.  This is the big Riedel glass you probably see the most. 

 

Thanks for your help!  Hopefully we can use our certificates for the Bordeaux glasses. We don’t drink a lot of shiraz, but we do love Molly Dooker’s Two Left Feet and Carnival of Love. I’m looking forward to this class. I’ve always thought wine tasted better in our Riedel glasses, but my husband insists it’s all in my imagination. 🙄 Hopefully he will agree with me after this class.

 

I still don’t understand why they do it in the morning.  🤔 With so many having the beverage package included in their fare, you wouldn’t think they encourage starting so early!  

[NCteacherlovescruising]

24 minutes ago, vtcruising said:

Yes and I think the inside bars as well, if I remember correctly.

 

This is just on the Edge?

[vtcruising]

5 minutes ago, NCteacherlovescruising said:

 

This is just on the Edge?

I have been on most M Class (except Millie) and all S Class except Solstice and EQ and have had Riedel in Murano, Luminae and sporadically in other venues, but not consistently throughout the ship as on the Edge, including the MDRs.  WAVTAM above said above that Solstice had them everywhere so maybe they are rolling them out across the fleet. On the Infinity a few months ago it was not the case, so probably shouldn't be an expectation.

[awhfy]

5 hours ago, NCteacherlovescruising said:

 

I definitely want the glasses!  That’s a great price for them, assuming they are nicer than the riedel glasses we get at wine tastings with the vineyard name on them. I had read somewhere that those are bar quality riedel glasses and these are a step above. 

 

Any benefit in booking now or waiting?  Would someone onboard get credit if we wait?

Your sommelier gets credit if you book with them...it makes them so happy. I do it every cruise 

[DebInAntigua]

Does anyone know if the glass certificates have an expiration date? We fly back home to Guatemala the afternoon we disembark EDGE. So would need to get them sometime in 2020 when we visit the states again. 

[Bo1953]

8 hours ago, DebInAntigua said:

Does anyone know if the glass certificates have an expiration date? We fly back home to Guatemala the afternoon we disembark EDGE. So would need to get them sometime in 2020 when we visit the states again. 

I have never seen any expiration dates on the certificates, then again I have been so excited at getting them that I ordered our glasses within days of getting home.

 

I think you should be fine.

 

bon voyage

[lhsail]

We did this several years ago and we were shocked at the difference the glasses made. At that time they offered to ship the glasses to your home, for a fee. Was totally worth it for us.  

 

We we have had good luck getting Riedel in the MDR by simply asking. 

[cangelmd]

Does anyone know how to find out what day/time the different wine events are held on a particular cruise - before leaving of course, duh! We signed up early for the World Wine tasting, because we usually attend that event (yes, its mostly the low end stuff, but that gives me an idea of what I'm getting at the different bars, usually make a note of one or 2 that I like and ask for those).

BUT, now we have some friends sailing with us, and we are thinking we might cancel the World Wine and do the Riedel or Blendtique with them. I cannot figure out on the website if there is a way to find out what days the different events are offered. This is for the 10 day Reflection sailing in late Nov, so we have several sea days.