Wine with dinner

Just gearing up for our first Transatlantic voyage, and wondering about the policy of charging corkage in the restaurant if you bring your own wine. Do people actually DO this? It seems to make sense to bring our own bottles on a couple of nights, especially as the pound is tanking so badly against the dollar. But would we be marked down as cheapskates and boycotted by our fellow passengers?

Just gearing up for our first Transatlantic voyage, and wondering about the policy of charging corkage in the restaurant if you bring your own wine. Do people actually DO this? It seems to make sense to bring our own bottles on a couple of nights, especially as the pound is tanking so badly against the dollar. But would we be marked down as cheapskates and boycotted by our fellow passengers?

No, you will not be thought "cheapskates" by your tablemates for bringing your own wine to dinner (unless that is, the "wine" you bring is Blue Nun :D ).

You should cease to worry about this completely, relax and enjoy yourself.

I hope you have a wonderful crossing on QM2 (I'm on board again next month and can't wait), via the link below there are many photos taken during crossings on QM2 over the last ten years.

A huge Bon Voyage :) (and enjoy your wine!)

We have taken both gifted bottles of champagne and bottles of my favourite Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc to the MDR. We deliver it to the maitre d' in Britannia ahead of time (usually breakfast or lunch} so that it appears suitably chilled at dinner. We always pay 20 dollars corkage. I prefer to think we are discerning rather than cheapskate :) In any case fellow diners are oblivious to the fact. Other evenings of course we choose from the wine menu.

Hi Selkie,

 

No, you will not be thought "cheapskates" by your tablemates for bringing your own wine to dinner (unless that is, the "wine" you bring is Blue Nun :D ).

You should cease to worry about this completely, relax and enjoy yourself.

 

I hope you have a wonderful crossing on QM2 (I'm on board again next month and can't wait), via the link below there are many photos taken during crossings on QM2 over the last ten years.

 

A huge Bon Voyage :) (and enjoy your wine!)

Of course one wouldn't be judged a 'cheapskate' if one turned up with a decent bottle of Casale Vecchio or Chablis 1er cru but is it really fashionable to carry umpteen bottles onboard when there is a perfectly good wine list available.

Which brings the question back to the fact that is it all about trying to save a few bob?

And while I too enjoy the odd bottle of Oyster Bay Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc the last thing I'm definitely not going to worry over is how to bring a half dozen case on a Trans-Atlantic...

I'm 'value conscious' (you can call me a cheapskate if you want!). I've bought a wine package this time, but after realising the x3.5 fold mark-up (i.e. an £8 bottle of wine selling at £28!) I think that next time I'd rather bring a few (probably about 4) bottles of better quality of wine with me and pay the corkage. I will spend the same or possibly more, but be able to drink a much better wine. I'll only bring a few bottles and the rest I'll buy onboard.

I don't mind paying a fair price for something and I will be generous, but I hate it when I don't get fair value. If I saw someone bringing their own wine I would think they were a savvy person :). Besides, most people won't even notice. Those that might notice and judge you aren't the people you want to spend time with anyway.

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Of course one wouldn't be judged a 'cheapskate' if one turned up with a decent bottle of Casale Vecchio or Chablis 1er cru but is it really fashionable to carry umpteen bottles onboard when there is a perfectly good wine list available.

 

Which brings the question back to the fact that is it all about trying to save a few bob?

 

And while I too enjoy the odd bottle of Oyster Bay Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc the last thing I'm definitely not going to worry over is how to bring a half dozen case on a Trans-Atlantic...

 

Given that a bottle of Oyster Bay retails for $16 AUD I can't imagine why anyone would want to bring it on board and pay corkage. It's more than the bottle is worth!

I'm 'value conscious' (you can call me a cheapskate if you want!). I've bought a wine package this time, but after realising the x3.5 fold mark-up (i.e. an £8 bottle of wine selling at £28!) I think that next time I'd rather bring a few (probably about 4) bottles of better quality of wine with me and pay the corkage. I will spend the same or possibly more, but be able to drink a much better wine. I'll only bring a few bottles and the rest I'll buy onboard.

 

I don't mind paying a fair price for something and I will be generous, but I hate it when I don't get fair value. If I saw someone bringing their own wine I would think they were a savvy person :). Besides, most people won't even notice. Those that might notice and judge you aren't the people you want to spend time with anyway.

 

 

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I do agree that some wines/champagnes on board are highly priced. I'm always astounded at the $90 USD charged for Veuve when I can buy it at home for the equivalent of $40 USD.

The wine markups on QM2 really aren't really that much higher than that in the land-based restaurant business. In some ways it's not really fair to compare the onboard prices to wine shop prices., but better to compare to restaurant prices.

The scene is all too familiar: glancing through a restaurant’s wine list you spot a Napa Cab you saw in a wine shop for $30; it’s listed at $80.

 

Industry-wide markups average two and a half to three times wholesale cost, says Randy Caparoso, a restaurant wine consultant at Wine List Consulting Unlimited. A bottle priced at $10 wholesale might sell for $15 retail, but $25 to $30 in a restaurant. “Everyone knows you pay more in restaurants than at retail, but what really aggravates a lot of consumers is how wacky prices can be. A bottle may be $25 at one restaurant, $15 at another, and $40 at a third.”

http://www.winemag.com/2010/05/07/the-lowdown-on-restaurant-markups/

Each to their own I guess, my favourite is Cloudy Bay not Oyster Bay.......The SB on the wine list is not to my taste. We regularly select reds from the wine list, cost does not come into the equation. A few bottles of Cloudy and Veuve packed and loaded with the rest of our luggage is not a hardship.One of the great things about Cunard policy is the adult approach to guests wishing to bring wine onboard. They certainly make a nice profit on our bar bill. :)

I do agree that some wines/champagnes on board are highly priced. I'm always astounded at the $90 USD charged for Veuve when I can buy it at home for the equivalent of $40 USD.

A good example - you could bring your own bottle, pay the $20 corkage and have only paid $60 in total for the same thing. The question is whether the $30 saving is something you want to bother carting the bottle on board with you :) I think that's why next time I'll bring 4 bottles on board and the rest I'll buy on board. My 'value conscious' mindset will be appeased ;)

Now the fabulous cocktails are another matter. They are GREAT value!! Can't wait to get started on the cocktail menu in a couple of weeks!!

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Last trip on the QV we carried our own wine aboard. We found an excellent shop in Southampton and loaded up. I found that we could splurge on wines that were more expensive than our daily choices even after adding in the corkage fee.

On a previous crossing, we discovered that the wine list tended to be heavily French and felt a little limited to us.

We were in QG. I told the sommelier to expect a bottle from us sometime during the day. We would appreciate him having it ready for us at dinner. Sometimes I would bring it up myself. Once I asked our butler to deliver it. While I am most careful about how and why I would ask for a service from my butler, this did seem to be in the scope of his duties. It seemed to be within the scope of Carson's duties on Downton Abbey, so it was with my butler, Chris. He didn't hesitate a moment when I asked him. It was waiting for us at our table when we arrived in the evening.

We insisted that the sommelier taste one or any of the wines that were unfamiliar to him. He would do it privately and report his thoughts to us later. We are very moderate drinkers. A glass for each of us each night. So, we tended to cork them for a second night, too.

In the future, we will make a point of acquiring a bottle or two before boarding.

I don't think anyone would think it strange if you brought a bottle to the dining room. It just shows that you thought about it ahead of time. They wouldn't have such a reasonable corkage fee it they didn't plan on you taking advantage.

A good example - you could bring your own bottle, pay the $20 corkage and have only paid $60 in total for the same thing. The question is whether the $30 saving is something you want to bother carting the bottle on board with you :) I think that's why next time I'll bring 4 bottles on board and the rest I'll buy on board. My 'value conscious' mindset will be appeased ;)

 

Now the fabulous cocktails are another matter. They are GREAT value!! Can't wait to get started on the cocktail menu in a couple of weeks!!

 

 

 

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Considering I fly halfway across the world to pick up a Cunard ship and need every kilo of my 100kg allowance for clothes, shoes etc. I am happy to pay the extra for the odd bottle. I don't drink gallons - quality over quantity :)

One of the advantages of embarking in Southampton..no worries about the weight of my luggage . I agree,Austcruiser 84 if I had limited luggage allowance , extra shoes would win every time ! :)

We found an excellent shop in Southampton and loaded up.

Would you mind sharing the shop and location? This will be very helpful to me for my crossing next month.

Thanks

Would you mind sharing the shop and location? This will be very helpful to me for my crossing next month.

 

Thanks

Certainly:

Majestic Wine

Mountbatten Retail Park

Western Esplanade

Southampton

SO15 1QJ

United Kingdom

T: 023 8022 1478

F: 023 8022 1478

E: sot@majestic.co.uk

Opening Hours

Monday 10am - 7pm

Tuesday 10am - 7pm

Wednesday 10am - 7pm

Thursday 10am - 8pm

Friday 10am - 8pm

Saturday 9am - 7pm

Sunday 10am - 5pm

Bank Hol 10am - 5pm

It was within walking distance of the Grand Harbour Hotel near the train station. We did it in the rain in January. It's kind of tucked in behind some other buildings and a large retail center. Nice people.

Thanks for all the helpful replies. We will raid our wine cellar (cupboard under the stairs!) for some special bottles. I also second the recommendation of Majestic - really good service, and interesting wines.

If you decide to pay for corkage on your own bottles do you also pay the 15% service charge?

If you decide to pay for corkage on your own bottles do you also pay the 15% service charge?

No. The bill I signed for $20 was broken down as $15 for corkage and a $5 gratuity.

I think breaking down the corkage to $15 plus $5 helps affset any impression that the wine waiter pockets the entire $20.

We've brought wine on board and paid the corkage about 6 or 7 times. No one notices except the wine steward, and he always asked good questions to learn about the wines we had chosen. We did this only for special wines, usually bought in the port, reflecting something of the local wine culture.

Thanks for the info on majestic. I was aware of it but I wasn't sure how accessible it would be on foot.

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Curious about the comments on Cloudy Bay, which is our very favorite of all NZ sauv blancs. My travelling companion discovered it on Cunard as a guest at the doctor's table, and I am sure that we have had it in Britannia in 2014 or 2015. Is it really no longer available on Cunard? Are any Marlborough sauv blancs on the list? Kim Crawford or Villa Maria will do in a pinch.

I was drinking Cloudy Bay on the QE last week as part of the Commodore's wine package.

Given that a bottle of Oyster Bay retails for $16 AUD I can't imagine why anyone would want to bring it on board and pay corkage. It's more than the bottle is worth!

This is what I am thinking. We are not wine drinkers but I think I'd enjoy a glass of red with dinner. I don't have a favorite or really know much about wine other than I tend to like pinot noir. The wine I generally buy is about $10 a bottle. Would it be better to buy a bottle at dinner and have them recork it for me? Ideally, I'd have 1 glass a night.

We will probably bring 1 bottle of white with us. I'm not particularly found of white but my mother saved a bottle from our rehearsal dinner and we'll be celebrating our 10th wedding anniversary on board. Seems like a good time to drink it. Hope it hasn't turned!

I'd gripe about paying corkage on something inexpensive. Or to be more precise, I'd berate myself for taking something where the corkage comprised half the cost of the total experience.

Having said that, even if I'd got the means to be drinking the real high end stuff, it would vex me no end to be paying a massively marked up price off the wine list and then a further 15% of service charge on top. I'm sorry, but there's not a sommelier on board any ship that's worth 15% of a $600 bottle. I'd be taking a few bottles of the fancy stuff with years of dust and spider webs on them and happily coughing up £20 (plus a tip) for someone to take the top off and decant it.