Tell me about the wine tasting

[CentralMom263]

I'm not a wine drinker mainly because I dont know anything about them. Would a wine tasting be a good place to learn? Could I be able to impress my friends with my newfound knowledge? HaHa...or are the tastings snobby?

[wrp96]

The tastings aren't snobby at all. They generally give you 6 wines to taste (3 whites, 3 reds) and they generally are some of the more popular types. They will also give you crackers and cheese and usually some fruit to eat. Make sure to at the very least eat some crackers between each wine so you get the taste of the previous ones out of your mouth.

 

If you don't know anything about wines, it's a good way to find out if you prefer reds to whites or if you like a certain type of wine. One suggestion: don't worry about what other people think about the wine. If you like it, you like it, if you don't you don't. You don't have to drink all that you are given if you don't like it; there will be a glass on the table to dump out any wines you don't like.

[sk8man]

I'm not a wine drinker mainly because I dont know anything about them. Would a wine tasting be a good place to learn? Could I be able to impress my friends with my newfound knowledge? HaHa...or are the tastings snobby?

 

Well, I don't know about how much you will learn, but it's definately not snobby. In fact, on Navigator last year, one guy at our table was getting upset because they weren't bringing the bottles around fast enough. Guess he was drinking too fast for them.

[39august]

You sound like just the person to attend a wine-tasting! No, these are not snobby at all. Usually the wines offered are medium priced wines, so you are not going to suddenly find that you have acquired a taste for $100 a bottle wine! I think it will be fun for you. And if you are a repeat RCI cruiser, you will have a free coupon for the wine tasting. If you are going on either Navigator or Mariner, this coupon is for the wine-tasting in the dining room only. Doesn't cover the much more upscale wine-tastings offered in Vintages.

[Schplinky]

How much are the Vintages tastings?

[CentralMom263]

Thanks....you all have made me feel better and I'm definitely going to go. I am a repeat RCCL cruiser (only my 2nd) and sailing on the Adventure. Does that make a difference?

[alli]

I haven't done a wine tasting on RCCL, but I've attended on plenty of other lines. It's a great way to get started in learning about wines. They usually give you a little talk ( wine 101) and then explain the differences in the wines your sampling. We usually find a wine or two we like and can order it later with confidence that we'll both enjoy it.

Beware, it doesn't seem like your drinking a lot....but usually an afternoon nap is in order once the tasting is done.

[zantedeschia]

Heh. The wine tastings themselves are not snobby. They do teach you how to be a wine snob with the swirling of the liquid in the glass, putting it up to the light to see the colour, sticking your nose into the glass to get the bouquet, holding it on your tongue. Telling you how to interpret the bouquet notes and the taste notes. Stuff like finish and body (a wine with a long finish is *good*). It's very informative, I learned about the wines themselves, the various notes, corks they use, the areas the wines were from.

 

They brought 6 glasses of wine, 3 white, 3 red about 2 oz each? I'm not a wine snob so I sucked the wine right down (there was only one I didn't care for) garnering a strange look from the dude that was giving the presentation. But hey, I like to drink wine. :)

 

I think the most amazing wine I ever had was this Argentinian rose with the most incredibly long cherry finish, delish.

 

Man, now I want to talk about notes. I'm not that good at detecting them, but I can detect the easy ones. Oak, that one slaps you in the face. Citrus and floral in white wines. Spice, pepper, coffee and berry in red wines. It's fun for me, but hey, just enjoy your glass of wine. :)

[wrp96]

Thanks....you all have made me feel better and I'm definitely going to go. I am a repeat RCCL cruiser (only my 2nd) and sailing on the Adventure. Does that make a difference?

 

Have you signed up for the Crown and Anchor Society yet? If yes, then make sure it is on your reservation and there will be a Gold Crown and Anchor Coupon Book waiting in your room with a coupon for one free admission to the wine tasting. If you haven't, then you need to immediately enroll by going to www.rccl.com and clicking on the "Crown and Anchor Loyalty Program" link and clicking "Enroll". Everybody in your party that has sailed Royal Caribbean previously should make sure they are enrolled to get benefits.

[CentralMom263]

I have signed up so hopefully I will have my coupon waiting. But my travelling partner won't. So how much is it without a coupon? And once again, thanks for all your replies.

[canucks4]

I believe it was $9.95 on the Brilliance - I assume it would be the same on all the ships.

[cowprintrabbit]

do all ships have wine tastings? We are going to be on the Splendour.

[prairie_fox]

I ofund out at our wine thing that I dont like most of the wines they have. Im most of a friut wine liker. One out of 9 wasnt bad, but this gave me a way to see what others were like and if I did like them. Plus the cheese helps between wines to clear the flavor

[wrp96]

do all ships have wine tastings? We are going to be on the Splendour.

 

They are supposedly only supposed to be on the longer sailings but we had one on my 5 night Rhapsody cruise and my 3-night Monarch cruise.

[castroville cruiser]

I think it is a fun way to try wines that you may not have tasted. It is also a good way to compare wines. It is informative and certainly not snobby. I am an accomplished (that means I like to drink it , not that I know a lot ) wine drinker ,and it is always different and fun. I have not sailed Rhapsody but went to the tasting on Enchantment several years ago.

 

Enjoy !!!!!

:D

 

Cruise #9 Rhapsody on 6/18/2006

[kenandlaura06]

We will definitely be partaking in this...I have been looking for a wine tasting to go to!

[Sassy Chassis]

I wasn't much of a wine drinker prior to attending the tasting, but I found some wines that I actually liked. We used our C&A coupons so it was free and we got to sit with a nice couple who had been married 50 years or something...they were a hoot. We ended up ordering a few bottles of wine for the rest of the week's dinners and I felt all "grown up" having wine with dinner ;)

[gratefulguy]

Any "wine tasting" is a great way to learn something about wine, but you will probably find you will fully enjoy drier, more tannic wines only with a meal. The lighter bodied, fruitier wines are fine with just cheese and crackers, but many red wines may seem "bitter" unless you have them over the course of lunch or dinner.

Learning to enjoy wine is usually a process that takes time, so don't "give up" if you find wine is too dry or "harsh" the first few times!

You might also enjoy reading some books about wine before you go to the tasting, so you have an idea about the history, types of grapes, and places where wine comes from. There are even books on how to taste wine, so you can decide how many of the rituals involved are worth learning, and how many seem too "snobby". There are also many web-sites devoted to wine.

There are wine "snobs" just as there are any other kind, because it is a complex, fascinating, and ever-changing subject--fine wine almost never tastes the same way twice. Since you enjoy travel, you'll find that the wine from the place you're visiting can bring back wonderful (usually) memories when you have it at home years later.

In Vino Veritas!

[toadsister]

Hi...is the wine tasting something that you need to sign up for in advance or is it on a first come first served basis? My husband and I are trying to learn more about wines and this seems like something we would enjoy. Thanks for any information!

 

Wendy

[wrp96]

Hi...is the wine tasting something that you need to sign up for in advance or is it on a first come first served basis? My husband and I are trying to learn more about wines and this seems like something we would enjoy. Thanks for any information!

 

Wendy

 

Just show up about 5 minutes before its supposed to start. They hold it in the dining room so there is plenty of room for everybody.

[toadsister]

Hello and thank you so much for the information! I believe we will give the wine tasting a try later this year on the Jewel. Sounds like fun!

 

Wendy

 

 

 

Just show up about 5 minutes before its supposed to start. They hold it in the dining room so there is plenty of room for everybody.

[Cajun Gal]

This is one of the many things I've been looking forward to on our RCCL cruise. We've only cruised Carnival before and, to my knowledge, they don't offer wine tastings. We're sailing Rhapsody and I've been told they do have wine tastings. I can't wait. I'm also excited about the cocktail class. They teach you how to make several different cocktails. Wow, looks like I'll be napping a lot on this cruise. :p

[Schplinky]

I'm surprised CCL doesn't have tastings. They seem to make a big deal of their cellar master program. Oh well, welcome to RCL. We liked the wines onboard and plan to go to the tastings on Freedom. It's nice to go to a tasting knowing it's someone else's job to drive.

[mrsbunder]

I'll be on the Jewel on 12/2, and the TA told me I'd be getting the coupon book, which includes the wine tasting, but I've never heard of the "Vintages" wine tasting. I'd be interested in that one as well, can anyone tell me the price of that tasting, and the types of wines they feature?

[NORTHPOLE810]

WOW thanks for the info on the wine tasting. We have already decided to do the martini madness and now the wine tasting. And we aren't even big drinkers but this sounds like fun. We will be on the Mariner in September and can't wait.