Current Lists of Wine on Board (2022/23)

[luv2travel90266]

As there seems to be a lot of interest I thought I would start a new topic. Wish I would’ve done this when I was on board. For those sailing shoot a photo of the  bottle label and  your comments.  The published wine lists are completely out of date but hopefully in the future will become accurate. I’ll be posting my comments in March on my next cruise. 

[Host Jazzbeau]

1 hour ago, luv2travel90266 said:

As there seems to be a lot of interest I thought I would start a new topic. Wish I would’ve done this when I was on board. For those sailing shoot a photo of the  bottle label and  your comments.  The published wine lists are completely out of date but hopefully in the future will become accurate. I’ll be posting my comments in March on my next cruise. 

Thanks.  Also, please indicate which ship the bottle was served on!

[Host Jazzbeau]

@uktog posted this from Journey on the 'Anybody Onboard' thread, and I was asked to re-post it here:

 

[excitedofharpenden]

This is the really nice rose I'm drinking on Journey in the included daily pour. 
 

Phil 

Edited September 26, 2022 by excitedofharpenden

[luv2travel90266]

19 minutes ago, excitedofharpenden said:

This is the really nice rose I'm drinking on Journey in the included daily pour. 
 

Phil 

 

[Mackdogmolly]

6 hours ago, luv2travel90266 said:

 

That doesn’t look like the same wine

[luv2travel90266]

1 hour ago, Mackdogmolly said:

That doesn’t look like the same wine

Unable to find the 2021 listed on any website but this appears to be the Rose made by this winery but an older label. It appears it might be a small production winery. I was unable to find info on number of cases produced by the winery. They do make box wines in a number of varieties too. https://www.wein-musketier.de/products/vignerons-de-cebazan-colombard-sauvignon-le-bel-olivier-2021 

[Grandma Cruising]

4 minutes ago, luv2travel90266 said:

Unable to find the 2021 listed on any website but this appears to be the Rose made by this winery but an older label. It appears it might be a small production winery. I was unable to find info on number of cases produced by the winery. They do make box wines in a number of varieties too. https://www.wein-musketier.de/products/vignerons-de-cebazan-colombard-sauvignon-le-bel-olivier-2021 

Doesn’t really matter to me as long as it tastes good!

[luv2travel90266]

2 minutes ago, Grandma Cruising said:

Doesn’t really matter to me as long as it tastes good!

Agree! If you like the wine and it is less expensive you might like it even more. I love finding great values.

 

 

9 minutes ago, Grandma Cruising said:

Doesn’t really matter to me as long as it tastes good!

 

[excitedofharpenden]

I took this photo of the daily pours on Journey today. I've had the other rose which was fine. I had the Santa Christina Chianti last night and liked it very much, but I'm no wine buff. Just know what I like. I rarely spend more than £7 on a bottle at home. 

 

Phil 

[Belfastman]

Looks like BA got the NF supplies as we got today on our flight to Italy.

[RW75]

Saw the Montaudon in Lidl £14.99 and decided I had better try.  Was definitely better once it went in the freezer for fifteen minutes.  Thinking I may be buying something else by the bottle onboard if this is onboard Onward next month.

Was not unpleasant at all, much better very very cold.  
would rather drink NF 

[Belfastman]

On 9/25/2022 at 8:10 PM, Host Jazzbeau said:

@uktog posted this from Journey on the 'Anybody Onboard' thread, and I was asked to re-post it here:

 

Currently the only wines in the ultimate package on Onward are these.

[federalexpress]

Mmmm. The reds in particular a fair step back from what I last saw on the website. Wolf Blass Yellow Label????

[GUSGB]

The Cattier champagne is nice. Better than Montradount and NF. I agree with the ? on Wolf Blass. Having done a little research on the others, my thoughts:

Bayten Constantia. 4.0/5. Very drinkable

Danzante Pinot Grigio 3.6/5 OK

Jean-Luc Colombo Viognier 3.7/5 V good

Tommasi Poggio Cab Sauv 3.8/5 V good

Callia Alta Malbec 3.4/5 OK

Matua Pinot Noir 3.5/5 V good

Castiglioni Chianti 3.6/5 Very drinkable 

 

The list will probably have changed by the time we board Onward on the 29th October!

[Baynanno1]

The heartland of Wolf Blass winemaking, Yellow Label has delivered exceptional quality for over 40 years through an outstanding range of South Australian wines.

Yellow Label Merlot offers dark fruit aromas of plum and cassis with a touch of oak spice and hints of leafiness. Rich flavours meld well with supple, varietal tannins in an approachable, medium-bodied style with a smooth, long-lasting finish.

 

Average rating on Vivino 3.3 of 5, although some sites rate it higher. Some vintages are better than others, as is the case with most wines. Average price +/- AU$12.00.

 

Ultimate package - not to my way of thinking.

 

 

[federalexpress]

7 hours ago, Baynanno1 said:

The heartland of Wolf Blass winemaking, Yellow Label has delivered exceptional quality for over 40 years through an outstanding range of South Australian wines.

Yellow Label Merlot offers dark fruit aromas of plum and cassis with a touch of oak spice and hints of leafiness. Rich flavours meld well with supple, varietal tannins in an approachable, medium-bodied style with a smooth, long-lasting finish.

 

Average rating on Vivino 3.3 of 5, although some sites rate it higher. Some vintages are better than others, as is the case with most wines. Average price +/- AU$12.00.

 

Ultimate package - not to my way of thinking.

 

 

 

Indeed, especially as it appears to have replaced the Matanzas Creek Merlot which is a much more serious (and expensive) wine.  Yellow Label is the standard of wine I'd expect to see on the included drinks package.

[Grandma Cruising]

Maybe the answer is not to buy the Ultimate package for the wine. If it’s better wine you’re interested in, rather than ‘fancy’ cocktails, may be better to wait until you get onboard, then see what wines are in the wine packages.

[federalexpress]

3 hours ago, Grandma Cruising said:

Maybe the answer is not to buy the Ultimate package for the wine. If it’s better wine you’re interested in, rather than ‘fancy’ cocktails, may be better to wait until you get onboard, then see what wines are in the wine packages.

 

As I've posted elsewhere, I'm going to have to do that anyway. I was going to get the Ultimate package as part of the Indulgence package but although my TA said I could buy this (or part buy) in advance with my OBC, that turns out to not be the case. So I'll just have to wait to buy the Indulgence package onboard- on my 17 night trip, that is a no brainer on value for money versus buying the Ultimate package for 17 days.

 

I guess I'm a bit of a trainspotter when it comes to (good) wine, it's a bit of a passion and before choosing Azamara over others, I researched wine offerings carefully. Hence being a little concerned if I see the quality on offer seemingly being downgraded somewhat. It actually raises an interesting moral question: once you have committed to your cruise, how reasonable is it for cruise lines to alter the prices and/or quality of what they provide onboard? You might argue that in these hard times, cutting the quality of wine in a package is fair game (I don't!). But what if they seriously hiked the price of the add ons, for example sticking another $500 on the Indulgence package. It's a grey area I think...

[Host Jazzbeau]

I ultimately decided [see what I did there?] to skip the Ultimate Package and take the Wine Connoisseur Package 5-bottle plan.  Working with head sommelier Silas I have been able to choose a wine that pairs very well with that night's dinner, and after drinking my usual 1/2 bottle Silas recorks it with a device that removes all the air so the wine will keep until I finish it another night.  This has given me a much wider selection than the Ultimate Package or even the wine list, as Silas will offer me wines from the cellar that are not on any list (I got the only bottle of Auslese on board to go with dessert!).  Serious wine lovers should only go this route (unless you are in a position to bring you own wine on board and pay the corkage). 

[takemewithyou]

5 hours ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

I ultimately decided [see what I did there?] to skip the Ultimate Package and take the Wine Connoisseur Package 5-bottle plan.  Working with head sommelier Silas I have been able to choose a wine that pairs very well with that night's dinner, and after drinking my usual 1/2 bottle Silas recorks it with a device that removes all the air so the wine will keep until I finish it another night.  This has given me a much wider selection than the Ultimate Package or even the wine list, as Silas will offer me wines from the cellar that are not on any list (I got the only bottle of Auslese on board to go with dessert!).  Serious wine lovers should only go this route (unless you are in a position to bring you own wine on board and pay the corkage). 

Thank you so much for reporting back on this!  It’s what I was thinking might be the best course of action and I appreciate so much your thoughts.

[luv2travel90266]

I agree with Jazzbeau. As I mentioned earlier the wines in the Ultimate package retail for $10-$15. At home my average bottle cost is $35-$50. The only reason I did this on my last cruise is I was drinking VSOP Cognac after dinner so figured it was a break even. Buying bottles off the list or paying the corkage is the best way to get the level you wish. 

 

The corkage was a very reasonable $10 previously. Have heard that changed and just found this online showing now $25. Logo appears to be an old logo. 

http://media.azamaracruises.com/azamara/content/pdf/faq/Azamara_Guest_Alcohol_Policy.pdf

 

Searched on the Azamara site and it still show $10 https://www.azamara.com/booked-guests/before-you-board/guest-conduct-policy

 

I recall seeing others post $15 so might be how nice you are to the sommelier 

[federalexpress]

Further to my last post above. this is what exceeds moving the goalposts. When I booked, corkage was $10 not $25. I saw no mention of confiscating wines bought in port. What use are they to me at the end of the cruise? At a minimum, I had assume they could be consumed in your room, free of charge and without interference. Now I also see they app ear to have markedly reduce quality of the package I had assumed I would buy. I'm sure I'll still find pleasure in my forthcoming cruise but I'm now beginning to feel nickel and dimed and I booked Azamara to avoid that.

[luv2travel90266]

I accept that Azamara is a for profit business. While I have also left a number of posts on board regarding wine which is a passion I did my first Azamara trip in August in Iceland on the Pursuit. I don't see myself going back on the larger ships you see in my signature. Their product is a reasonable price for a good value. Food was generally good, the chefs table was exceptional, love the easy on and off due to the smaller ship, staff bends over backwards to please and is very personable,. The result of the cruise was I booked a back to back in March from Lisbon to Venice (or wherever they will land????).  For the Ultimate package of $23.95/day (discounted based upon your membership level) I could have a single malt scotch before dinner, a few glasses of ordinary but acceptable wine, a cognac to finish the evening. I wouldn't expect them to go into the red on the beverage package. As a note the chefs table wines are included with the meal so I did not get much benefit on those days. If you enjoy good wines I didn't find the Azamara labeled wines acceptable upon first taste but did give them a try. Others have remarked they were perfectly fine. Depends upon your palate and what you enjoy at home. Bottom line is I don't think they re taking advantage of me but are charging a price equivalent to the value provided. Noting the above I believe you will have a great experience. 

[takemewithyou]

So are the Wine packages given a discount for Loyalty, as the Premium and Ultimate Drink Package Upgrades are?