Box-O-Wine

[Tulsa Tom]

My wine merchant has convinced me that drinkable wine now comes in boxes..i.e. Back Box etc. A box contains about four bottles of wine. You can probably see where I'm going with this. Has anyone brought box wine to the dining room and had a "corkage" fee for a box? Is it the same as the fee for a bottle? Also if you do not finish your bottle you can leave it the dining room for the next night any clue if you leave your box wine will you get one corkage fee per box or per night ? thanks

[NSWP]

G'day TulsaTom, good question re boxed wine or wine casks we call them in OZ, jocularly knowns as 'Chateau Cardboard'. It has been around in OZ for 20 years, in 5 litres, 4 litres and 2 litres. 4 litres most popular holds around 5.5 bottles. We pay for those between $8 and $20 dependent on quality.

Anyway to answer part of your question, last cruise on Pacific Princess we took 2x4 litres casks of vino on board at Sydney enroute to Japan, no problems, put them in cabin fridge, only just fitted. I did take it into the dining room one night to share with fellow pax and no objections from waiter or maitre'd but the latter did look a little perplexed, yes I paid the $10 corkage fee that night for one bottle, but we 'knocked off half the cask - almost 3 bottles between 8 of us, so good value. Took it back to cabin and never brought it back to dining room, so don't know if they would hit you a fee again if you left it there. When we got to Cairns on the ship I believe several Americans paid the local bottleshop a visit and secured a few 'casks of wine and brought on board. My advice is and as I do, ask the security people at gangway is it OK to bring on.

Bon appetite from OZ.:p

[LARGIN]

Kinda tacky don't you think? Corkage is just for not opening the wine, it is for serving it and the use of their glassware.. Keep the box in your room and buy wine from the wine list. Good question though... As for corkage. I will say 4 nights worth as the box holds the equivalent of 4 bottles.

[sultan_sfo]

Recently we noticed on the menu of a high end restaurant in Sonoma (part of Calif wine country): Corkage $35 (750ml) $60 (Magnum). I dont think they expect any patron to bring a box wine! Many restaurants now don't charge corkage if at dinner one buys one bottle from the restaurant list and brings another bottle. This latter approach may be a good one for cruise lines to adopt. /Sultan

[andrea63]

We have brought boxed wine with us many times on cruises. We however have never brought it into the dining room. Usually a lot of wine is left over and we just give it to a crew member. They are always thrilled to have it! I always ask them first if they want it, and the answer is always "YES!" :D

[Cruisin' Chick]

Hubby's brought a box o'wine the last two cruises but it stayed in the cabin.

[NSWP]

I would have to agree it was a bit tacky taking 'boxed wine, never again, keep it in the cabin, not for the restaurant. Hey..I did buy 20 bottles of wine from the restaurant wine list the other nights, give me a break.:)

[dforeigner]

My wine merchant has convinced me that drinkable wine now comes in boxes..i.e. Back Box etc. A box contains about four bottles of wine. You can probably see where I'm going with this. Has anyone brought box wine to the dining room and had a "corkage" fee for a box? Is it the same as the fee for a bottle? Also if you do not finish your bottle you can leave it the dining room for the next night any clue if you leave your box wine will you get one corkage fee per box or per night ? thanks

 

T-Town Mom: Box wines have been on the market for years (over 20) but people still frown upon seen wine in a box. One of the advantages of box in a wine is that it is easier to transport, does not spoil as easily as wine in a bottle (less contact with oxygen) and if you drop it, chances are it will not break. I have read that people have taken boxed wine into the dinning room and the wait staff will be like "what gives" upon seeing a patron come in with the box. The patron will offer the waiter a taste of the wine and change their opinions. The bottom line (in my opinion) is that you bring a wine that you enjoy, boxed or bottle does not matter, what matters is that you will enjoy your meal with a tasty wine.

Oh yes, before I forget, even some of the French wineries are starting to sell their wines in a box. Good luck!

[NSWP]

dforeigner, good reply that. Restaurants here in OZ mostly would frown on you bringing a wine cask/box in, but some are OK. What you say is commonsense and realistic, nice to know you are not a 'wine snob.'

 

On the ships, I do think it is a bit tacky taking it into dining room, even though our boxed wine here in some cases is as good as our cheaper/middle costing wines. So cheap here, you can get decent boxed wine for $12 for 4 litres, just got some today from the grog (liquor supermarket) shop.!!!! Nothing wrong with a glass of boxed wine in your cabin or carry your glass with boxed wine in it on deck for sailaway etc. Who knows, who cares?:rolleyes:

I still spend heaps at the bar anyway even with a bit of BYO.

[dforeigner]

My wine merchant has convinced me that drinkable wine now comes in boxes..i.e. Back Box etc. A box contains about four bottles of wine. You can probably see where I'm going with this. Has anyone brought box wine to the dining room and had a "corkage" fee for a box? Is it the same as the fee for a bottle? Also if you do not finish your bottle you can leave it the dining room for the next night any clue if you leave your box wine will you get one corkage fee per box or per night ? thanks

 

Mr. T-Town Tom:

I want to apologize for my poor reading skills earlier this morning. I now realize that it is Tulsa Tom and not Mom.

[dforeigner]

dforeigner, good reply that. Restaurants here in OZ mostly would frown on you bringing a wine cask/box in, but some are OK. What you say is commonsense and realistic, nice to know you are not a 'wine snob.'

 

I still spend heaps at the bar anyway even with a bit of BYO.

 

Thanks for the compliment. My favorite poison is Scotch. When I eat at home or visiting family/friends, we usually enjoy wine with dinner. I am the type that if my palate enjoys it, I enjoy it as well. I do not make it a habit of only drinking a certain type of wine or from a certain region. Although one of my favorite wines are from Robert Mondavi, I do enjoy wines from Chile, Italy, South Africa and yes, Australia.

[bjkTX]

Greetings from a fellow Texan and Mondavi lover - in fact, DW and I just got back from a weekend (anniversary) trip to Napa Valley and I had arranged a special one on one wine and cheese tasting/tour at Mondavi. When I was single (35 years ago) and stationed near Sacramento we used to go to Napa for the free wine :-) Not free anymore - but the minute I saw the entrance to the Mondavi winery I recognized it - 35 years later.

 

Funny (?) story about boxed wine. We took a Caribbean cruise earlier this year and our CC gang decided to meet in one cabin (one of the minis with the extended balcony) before going to dinner on formal night. Several of us brought wine down. One younger (to us that's everyone) couple came down the hall, all dressed up, carrying their box of wine. We all cracked up - then helped them drink it. Not sure I would have taken it to the dinning room though - well, maybe after the first box I might....

 

We went on another cruise last month and did a lot of research on boxed wine - because of the new rules (?) and ease of packing. We had heard about the Black Box wines and decided that might be the answer, but after trying some before we left for the cruise we just didn't like the variety available locally so we packed bottles in an extra suitcase instead.

 

Our next cruise is our first 15 day trip (full transit Panama Canal) - that might call for 3 boxes!!!!

[dforeigner]

Greetings from a fellow Texan and Mondavi lover - in fact, DW and I just got back from a weekend (anniversary) trip to Napa Valley and I had arranged a special one on one wine and cheese tasting/tour at Mondavi. When I was single (35 years ago) and stationed near Sacramento we used to go to Napa for the free wine :-) Not free anymore - but the minute I saw the entrance to the Mondavi winery I recognized it - 35 years later.

 

Bummer!

I first tried Mondavi at an Italian Restaurant in Vegas and fell in love with it. One of my dreams is to travel through Napa Valley and see the wineries. I know that Mondavi is involved with Opus One (the wine). I bet the scenery is beautiful.

[KKB]

I have never taken liquor on a cruise, for fear of breaking the bottle. And now carry on isn't an option!

 

Boxed wine is a PERFECT foil for cruising! Our bar tab was HUGE on our first cruise....

 

NOW I wouldn't take it to dinner...I would feel strange walking into a restaurant w/a boxx! Just me though...

 

Anyone who snubs wine boxes doesn't know much about wine. Yes, there are very inexpensive boxed wine. No, you cannot get high priced wine in a box. But anyone who truly knows about wine knows that price has little to do with a good wine. (to a point...) Kendall Jackson is quite a good wine at a very affordable price. There are good solid boxed wines, and the method of packaging it ideal for someone like me who likes a glass a night, but am the only one who will drink it, so a box keeps the last glass as fresh as the first.

 

I'll be bringing one for the next cruise (the other couple we are cruising with are wine drinkers also!) I could save some serious $. WOO HOO!

THANKS for the idea!

[geoherb]

We've taken a box of wine to enjoy in our cabin on our last two cruises. I plan to take another on our upcoming Sun Princess cruise.

 

The changes to airline carry-on regulations, however, has made me decide not to bring as many bottles of wine with us. We liked to bring along a few special bottles to enjoy in the dining room.

[bjkTX]

On our cruise last month I wrapped 4 bottles of wine in bubblewrap, and put them in a small suitcase surrounded only by things we could wash out quickly if anything happend. Nothing did.

[Fatfish]

Thanks for this thread.......my DW has been drinking box wine for over 20 years....We discovered it in Australia about 26 years ago in 2 liter boxes and finally "Summit" started it in the USA about 5 years later.....While I personally think it's a little tacky to take to Dining Room, we are taking 2 (5) liter boxes next Monday for cabin consumption....Some of the smaller boxes are going for over $20 here in MD and MD is about as cheap for wines as any place in the states...We pay $8.49 for 5 liters so that gives you an idea how cheap wine is here..

NSWP...I do beleive if we had a large party of wine drinkers I might after a few drinks, take a box to the dining room....:eek:

[patrickmoran]

One idea would be to bring a carafe or an empty wine bottle and transfer wine to it to bring some of the boxed wine into the dining room. You probably would not finish a box in single sitting unless you are at a large table with lots of wine drinkers.

[Fatfish]

Ooops...I made a mistake in my years....1st trip to OZ was around 87 so 19 years or so.

[cynbar]

This was discussed at length awhile back, I think it might have been on the Celebrity boards. I'm not sure if they were joking, but posters said it's called a "screwage"fee when you bring a box in the DR, and the sommelier dispenses it with much pomp and circumstance. Reading this back, it sounds as if they must have been joking...... or were they?? If any of you have seen the quite formal Celebrity sommeliers, the mental picture is good for quite a few laughs....

[Fatfish]

I'm doing a search and here is a thread from Norwegian.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=406956&highlight=BOX+WINE

 

 

Here's one from Carnival

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=375057&highlight=BOX+WINE

[NSWP]

Crikey, we have started something with all this winebox, winecask talk, I can see the cruiseships of the world leaving a trail of empty wine boxes in their wake.:p The ship's bars should stock boxed wine, then it would be cheaper by the glass, in clubs and pubs over here you can get a decent glass of boxed wine for around $2, now that would be a nice price to pay on the ship, not $7 a glass of ordinary vino as per ship's prices.

Wineboxes rule, BUT not in the dining room for me any more, in the cabin fridge for a little tipple and to take on deck.:cool:

You all just make sure when you buy your wineboxes you buy AUSTRALIAN wine, following brands are available in wineboxes here: Hardys, Berri, De Bortoli, Orlando Coolabah, Lindemans, Morris, Yalumba, and a few more, have a look for them in USA, Canada, UK etc.

Best wishes from the land downunder:cool: and remember folks, drink boxed wine from now, THE MORE YOU DRINK THE MORE YOU SAVE !!:p

[Fatfish]

I believe Yalumba was the brand we saw in Australia in the late 80's......I have been to Hunter Valley twice and must say that Australia has some fine Shiraz and some nice bubbly....:D

[Don M]

I think we all agree that boxed wine has been around for quite a while, but what about trying wine in the new (easily disposable) tetra packs? You know, like the juice boxes our kids love. I'm sitting here looking at a "small" version (500 ml) of "Vendange 2004 California Chardonnay". There are many varieties and of course come in larger sizes and might be easier to pack too. There is even a little screw cap on top and it will sit on the table like a bottle should you decide to take it to dinner. www.vendange.com and go to "News" for more info.

[JKJoannie]

Just came back from a cruise with two other couples who brought Trove chardonnay in a box. They drank it in their room and then they also brought several small, one serving wine bottles that were empty. They filled them with Trove and brought them to the restaurant every night for dinner. The waiters didn't say anything. I thought it looked cheap. We sat at a different table.

 

The Mondavi Chardonnay that they serve in the dining rooms is excellent. It's only $6.50 a glass and it is much more classy than bringing your own to the dining room. If you bring the box, leave it in your room. I think I would laugh if I saw someone with a box of wine in the dining room. It would be more out of place than casual dress on formal night.