Wines in the Dining Room

[mamaofami]

Where can I find the web site that would list the types of wines and the cost served in the Noordam dining room?

[caviargal]

Where can I find the web site that would list the types of wines and the cost served in the Noordam dining room?

 

Perhaps starting another thread with that specific request will yield a result.

[garydm]

We usually bring some and buy some. The wine list on HAL is not as great as that on Crystal, and when you find comparable wines, HAL's prices are 20-30% more than Crystal. One cab you might try is the Spellbound, which HAL has in the $35-40 range. A "sleeper" chardonnay that HAL used to have very inexpensively (low $20s) was the Walnut Crest from Chile. It is more than adequate. It was not available on our last cruise however. We had a very disappointing ($90?) Banfi Brunello (2000) on the last trip.

 

Gary

[Cruising Boomer]

On our South America cruise last March we were in Chile for several days before our departure in the Vina del Mar area. We toured several wineries and took on board the Rotterdam several excellent wines. I do not know where to find Chilean wines in Rio but I would look for them.

 

Also, we often have a glass of wine in our cabin before going to dinner and then carry in another glass with us. Of course, two glasses of wine is about all we usually drink so this works for us - and no corkage fee. We look for wines/ soft drinks in ports at the last minute before re-boarding. In Barbados last year, we bought some excellent South African wines. You never know what you might find!

 

Crusing Boomer

[christy744]

Hi. My sister and I (and DH who doesn't drink) noticed that the prices of the "featured wines" on the top of the dinner menus have been creeping up over the last few years. On our last cruise we asked for the full wine list on the first day and chose a chardonnay from there. I think the bottle price was $18 - 20. If the wine packages or the featured wines seem overpriced, just ask for the full list.

 

Christy

[Skye23]

Where can I find the web site that would list the types of wines and the cost served in the Noordam dining room?

 

I'm not sure about the dining room but here's a link to their printable order form for shipboard gifts which includes various wines. I would assume if you can order it as a gift - its in the dining room also. Hope it helps.

 

https://www.hollandamerica.com/pdfs/onboard/Gift_Order_Polar.pdf

[Crusing Bob]

There are offerings under or just over $30 for the wine categories you mention. IMO, HAL has a good wine list and it is not marked up as excessively as some other lines.

 

I found your post very interesting. My wife and I enjoy wine with dinner and there have been posts indicating that the wines offered a very over-priced. Your comment is to the contrary and since you are a very experienced cruiser I was wondering if you could tell me some of the reds and whites that you found to be very good. Thanks, Bob

[caviargal]

I found your post very interesting. My wife and I enjoy wine with dinner and there have been posts indicating that the wines offered a very over-priced. Your comment is to the contrary and since you are a very experienced cruiser I was wondering if you could tell me some of the reds and whites that you found to be very good. Thanks, Bob

 

Bob, it has been a year since my HAL cruise and we generally drink better wines so bring some and buy some. I do think that the mark ups are high just not as bad as on other lines, IMO and IME. There are inexpensive wines in each category but I have a picky palate.

 

We drank a nice Chateauneuf in the 70 range ( I cannot remember the producer but it could have been Perrin), a Jordan cab (cannot recall the vintage) and a lovely Amarone (Masi I believe). We carried a case on board with us and drank our own the rest of the time and paid the corkage; we shared with the sommelier who was very gracious.

 

I tend to prefer Petite Sirah and meritage wine, which they are light on so that is what we pack and ship to take with us.

[xpcdoojk]

IMHO HAL has no wines that are a good value. Explain to me which a Beringer Napa Chard that costs $10/bottle retail in Fort Lauderdale costs $39/bottle from the HAL wine list? Couple that with the fact that if you order the wine from HAL the bottle has not been properly stored and the wine is heavily oxidized. I speak from experience. HAL has a decent variety and selection on their wine list, but the pricing is designed to extract from your wallet. The are not pricing the wine to allow you to enjoy the wine with your meal. Couple this with poor handling of the wine = poor value. My advice buy the wine at the port; carry it on; pay the excessive corkage fee; and enjoy.

 

BTW, carrying wines on and bring them to the dinning room (either one at a time, or the entire case) is no problem. I encourage everyone to do this. Maybe HAL will get the message and improve their wine pricing and handling.

 

Or HAL could follow up with the RCI solution which is to not allow anyone to bring any alcohol including beer and wine on their ships.

 

On RCI Beringer White Zin was $28 a bottle in February last year. So the $10 bottle for $40 is a lot better relative value than a $5 bottle for $28.

 

I love the fact that HAL gives us the option to bring wine on board.

 

When you do things to screw the cruise line out of money be aware that the opposite should be accepted too. :rolleyes: Which, of course, will mean more people will complain of nickel and dimeing. :rolleyes: Which, of course, is hypocritical.

 

Many restaurants will not allow you to bring wine into their premises, and those that do charge corkage fees. I was reading the Wine Enthusiast this week and they were discussing the great wine restaurants. Most of the best wine restaurants had corkage fees of $50 and many did not allow you to bring your own wine. Almost all restaurants that allow you to bring your own do not allow you to bring anything that is on their wine list. Further the markups on wines on that list are usually at least double. I can buy Dom Perignon at Sam's Club for a $115 a bottle locally. I was in a restaurant recently and it was listed for $320 a bottle.

 

In other words, your post is another example of looking at a complex world as if it was a unique screwing being done by HAL. :rolleyes:

 

jc

[Crusing Bob]

Caviargal, thanks for the add'l info.

Bob

[dakrewser]

IMHO HAL has no wines that are a good value. Explain to me which a Beringer Napa Chard that costs $10/bottle retail in Fort Lauderdale costs $39/bottle from the HAL wine list? Couple that with the fact that if you order the wine from HAL the bottle has not been properly stored and the wine is heavily oxidized. I speak from experience. HAL has a decent variety and selection on their wine list, but the pricing is designed to extract from your wallet. The are not pricing the wine to allow you to enjoy the wine with your meal. Couple this with poor handling of the wine = poor value. My advice buy the wine at the port; carry it on; pay the excessive corkage fee; and enjoy.

 

Interesting.

 

So, how many servants do you have at home to cook & serve your meal as well as chill and serve your wine? And how much are you paying them?

[jocelysue]

I find this post to be most interesting. DH & I enjoy French wines so we usually bring our own as it is rarely available on HAL. However, since we are going on a SA cruise this February and will be in Santiago for a few days before boarding and visiting vineyards, most likely we will also be bringing Chilean wines aboard.

 

It's not snobbish at all to tmention that wine shoud be kept properly; if one enjoys wine, one knows that it must be lovingly cared for. For example, if one likes chocolate, one knows not to freeze it nor leave it out in the sun. O.K. so I'm exaggerating. Also, some people enjoy wines that have matured in oak caskets, others not. The waiters aboard aren't always able to describe the wines on the wine list. If one enjoys a wine like a Bordeaux that has been properly aged and whose young tannins have mellowed, then one is better to bring one's own. That way, you are more sure of being satisfied.

 

There really is a difference between a wine that has been well stored, that is served at the correct temperature, that is "chambré" when that is called for. It doesn't take a maid or a sommelier at home to take proper care. That's why Costco sells so many wine refrigerators, etc. I'm not taliking about expensive wines. Even unexpensive and easily affordable wines are much better if they have been properly bottled, cared for, stored and poured.

 

Moral of this story: if you are rather fussy about your wine, bring your own. If you are not, explain what you like to your wine steward and follow his advice. However, one caveat: mention the price range you're willing to pay.

There should be a decent wine in every price range. However, this decent wine may not be one which appeals to you.

[xpcdoojk]

I am rather fussy about my wine. I have a 700 bottle cellar that is about 3/4 full of some of Napa and Sonoma's finest. I am my own sommolier. However, if I were to take a cruise and visit a wine store in Miami for instance. How do I know how they maintained that $250 bottle of Opus 95. I don't regularly visit Miami and I don't have a relationship with the wine stores there. I enter the store, it is 72 degrees F in the store. I see my bottle that will be perfect for us to celebrate our anniversary on Wednesday on the cruise. I grab it and head to the check out. Questions swirl in my brain... how long has it been sitting there on the shelf at 72 degrees? Since it was released in 2000? How much will I disturb the sediment hauling it in my backpack getting on the ship. How would this be different for the same bottle on the ship? I wonder how often the ship changes it inventory and do they control the enviroment where they procure their wine? My guess is that it is rotated on a regular basis and that the ship is not storing a bottle of Opus One from 2000s release for 7 years. So, why would I think that the bottle I bought at a store in Miami has been stored better than the ship. Both bottles are going to be mishandled while on the ship for 4 days until my anniversary, does the ship have a place where they store wines at the correct temperature and humidity? Is a shelf in the desk in my stateroom going to provide the proper place for it to rest waiting for our special evening? My point with all of this is that a lot of assumptions are made that may or may not be true. I have a basic formula that works for me. If I like Cabernet Sauvingnon and I find a nice reasonably priced one that I like then I will try to find some of them in the port city and I will carry them on. If I run out I will try to find some while I am in port or something similar. If I can't find anything I will order the best value on the list whether it is on a ship or in a land based restaurant. I rarely sample the high end of a wine list on a cruise or in a restaurant. My boss who is beyond wealthy, is just the opposite on our company trip last February on RCI, he would order the 95 Bordeaux that was for sale on the list at a price not dissimilar from a wine store. He wasn't at my table but he would bring me each of his finds on the wine list for me to sample. My experience was that the wine at the extreme price range were not corked, were not oxidized and tasted very good. They didn't look, smell or taste like they had been in the ships hold living in rat feces for 7 years.

 

JMHO and YMMV

 

jc