Included wine choices

I'm going on a Quest in January 2017 and on my last Azamara voyage in 2013 NZ Sauvignon Blanc, Kim Crawford I think, was the included wine. My DH and I prefer this wine above all other whites and were able to request it at any time. Can anyone tell me if NZ wine is still included and can you ask for it or do you have to stick with what is served each day? Thank you.

Here's a recent thread with helpful pictures of the included wines on Azamara Journey this August. BTW we had pretty much the same selection on Quest:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2387144

Thank you for the photos of the wine bottles. Looks interesting! Time to try something different!

I'm going on a Quest in January 2017 and on my last Azamara voyage in 2013 NZ Sauvignon Blanc, Kim Crawford I think, was the included wine. My DH and I prefer this wine above all other whites and were able to request it at any time. Can anyone tell me if NZ wine is still included and can you ask for it or do you have to stick with what is served each day? Thank you.

Just back off the Quest and found that there are no longer any wines from either Australia or New Zealand on offer. In my view [strictly personal] the current selection of wines is inferior to that previously served - I know some will disagree. We also found that it was next to impossible to get a wine from a previous day - in fact it never happened, the only exception was on one day when a Californian Sauvignon Blanc [not one on the daily rotation] was found.

Hi Berkshireboy

Thanks for replying re the wines. Must say that it is disappointing to hear no NZ or Australian wines. Having looked up details of the wines in the previous photos the wines provided do seem to be what I'd call 'cheap'. Husband not a happy bunny!!!

Cheap???

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Well the Sauvignon Blanc David Frost is $7 a bottle online and yes I'd call that cheap!!

Don't think that included wines are ever going to be "expensive" but having said that we have never had a problem in finding a wine that's OK for us.

On Journey in August/September there was never a problem getting a previous days wine once it had been on rotation, in fact once a bar/restaurant knew your preferred wines there always seemed to be that wine to hand and offered as an option.

However the good news is that we were told the ships have had the budget to purchase guest local wines reintroduced, although this will only happen for cruises in areas where the quality of local wines can be assured. So for cruises in Australia & New Zealand they should be purchasing local wines, hopefully they will stock up and still have some wines left when we get on Journey in Mumbai.

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We are recently back from 15 nights on Quest. We enjoyed the daily wines on offer and 9 times out of 10 were completely satisfied with our choice from the 2 red, 2 white, 1 rose and 1 sparkling.

There were a few occasions when we requested a previous wine, both a red and a white, and it was no issue at all.

We are not wine connoisseurs, but we know what we like. We drink a lot of wine :) and enjoyed the offerings on board.

Our experience in August was with a choice across five bottles during a meal (plus bubbles) we only had one problem- choosing which one to have.

I know some may disagree but I do not think it is appropriate to ask for a wine that was served on a different day, after all, I accept the ice creams on offer that day, the soups on offer that day etc etc etc so why not accept the wines on offer that day.

As of April of this year, there was a NZSB onboard, however, if they are no longer stocked... Azamara allows you to bring your own alcohol on board (packed in your suitcases), no charge served in your room, a very modest corkage fee if you bring it into a restaurant. My suggestion is that if you have a few favorites, bring a few bottles on board, along with a decent stopper. I happen to really enjoy the Kim Crawford SB (wish I could say the same about their Pinot Noir; well someday...) Wine bottles don't fit in the mini fridge they have in the rooms, but ice and buckets are always available for the asking. On our April cruise, I stocked a dynamite Chardonnay from Fogerty Winery in California, which most definitely impressed David the sommelier in Prime C. (As he said, he was the only crew member allowed to drink while working.) All and all, this wine snob/maven has enjoyed most of the house wines. They do stock some plunk, mostly South African, but all in all, they are lovely wines. No, you aren't going to get Dom Perignon unless you buy a bottle. But you aren't going to gag on the selections either.

Thank you. Your opinion on the wines is very helpful. I don't mean to sound like a wine snob. I'm definitely not but I do like NZ wine. However I will look forward to trying other varieties when onboard.

You can also bring wine onboard from any port you visit. No need to lug it from home

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