For the wine connoisseurs

[pinotlover]

Liberty School cab is no secret! We sell a lot of it here in KY at $14.99. Probably much cheaper for you in CA. Very soft, no tannins, ready to pop and pour. Even still not the type of wine I’d pay $25 corkage on.

 

FP has its governmental relationship with France. French products come in cheaply with no duties or tariffs. We found some wonderful deals there on French wines. I’d advise the OP to take advantage of the situation and explore some French wines they may not be familiar with. For some of us part of the thrill of travel is getting outside the boxes we often limit ourselves to. You can buy cheap Costco and TJ wines back in Omaha! Bust the box and reach out for some new experiences! You’ll probably be excited with what you find. Let the old unimaginative foggies stay in their small boxes!

[Clutj]

7 hours ago, pinotlover said:

 

FP has its governmental relationship with France. French products come in cheaply with no duties or tariffs. We found some wonderful deals there on French wines. 

 

Thanks for that info!  Do you recommend the Carrefour grocery store in Papeete?  I see a couple wine stores on Google Maps...  (We aren't getting over to Moorea.)

[Paulchili]

10 hours ago, pinotlover said:

We found some wonderful deals there on French wines.

FP is a wonderful place but it’s hard to find “wonderful deals” on anything in FP 😀

Edited January 2, 2020 by Paulchili

[pinotlover]

9 hours ago, Paulchili said:

FP is a wonderful place but it’s hard to find “wonderful deals” on anything in FP 😀

Paul;

 

Overall, I completely agree with you, but French products, particularly wines, were very well priced. Besides the store in Moorea we also shopped the grocery store just outside what was the Meridian outside of Papeete. German, US, Italian, Spanish wines, all available but with horrible prices! French wines were priced competitive or lower than in the US! Our last day there, because of our late night flight, we did the late 8:30 pm check out from the hotel. That store had incredible deals on champagne, far below what we see retail in the States. Some were at or near our wholesale prices! Needless to say we, and the couple with us, drank large that day! Aquaneck shouldn’t have left a day earlier!! 😛

[Hawaiidan]

A cautionary note on buying wine in the warmer climates  like flordia and South Pacific

Friends in the Wine business    once told me  than many vintners, foreign and domestic pasteurizer  their wines to be shipped to these hot climates  where it would spoil in shipping and display. on the shelves.    They dont  let this out much...    But many wine are processed to be  able to endure for long un refrigerated  celler life.     On the other hand  they wont go bad either !   They are good  but  dead. always look at the wine storage at the place you buy....  Trade joe and Costco/ sams  etc is not the place to buy quality stuff.    Many times these bulk buyers  buy special lots made for them to sell at their stores...  a cheaper version of the product.     They do this with many products  to get better pricing.

[Mura]

Are all you South Pacific cruisers aware that the Port Guides website came out today with an update for Moorea and French Polynesia?  I can't send the link but if you search "Tom's Port Guides" and then search for French Polynesia, you should find it.

 

Or email me and I'll send you a link.  I just have found out from experience that my link if posted here won't work!

 

Mura

[Petoonya]

Me again.

I don't have Olife, so no beverage package.

We don't drink wine at lunch and not more than 2 glasses at dinner, so we can make 2 bottles last for 3 nights.

We've almost always been happy with what we purchase from the O wine list and we usually order in the $50/bottle range.

Is there much choice of wines on the Select package? Or stick with ordering full bottles off the wine list and continue to forget Olife?

One last thing. If we do change to Olife and upgrade our package to Prestige, thought I read that unless you're drinking 5 drinks a day it's not worth it. What does it do to wine selections though? 18 day cruise. $800 Olife.

Thanks very much.

Edited January 9, 2020 by Petoonya

[pinotlover]

Petoonya;

 

The by the glass selections are the same regardless of drinks package selected.

[Petoonya]

23 minutes ago, pinotlover said:

Petoonya;

 

The by the glass selections are the same regardless of drinks package selected.

Thanks!

I'm going to get better wines ordering from the list at $50 bottle than I'm going to get ordering by the glass? Or not necessarily?

[StanandJim]

28 minutes ago, Petoonya said:

Thanks!

I'm going to get better wines ordering from the list at $50 bottle than I'm going to get ordering by the glass? Or not necessarily?

Not necessarily.

Some of the wines by the glass are quite good, with the added bonus that with the Package you might choose a white with your appetizer and a red with your main course (or vice versa).  

I've even gone quite mad and ordered a dessert wine (with the cheese plate) as my dessert, on occasion-

[pinotlover]

Petoonya;

 

First, wine list prices are typically 3-4x retail prices. So a $50 price tag aboard equates to a $12-$18 bottle retail. Sometimes you might get lucky and it’s lowish 20s. Decent wines can be found at those prices, but they may not be on the list.

 

As StanandJim replied, the by the glass list normally has a few wine I find totally acceptable. This is especially so for the whites and as mentioned the dessert wines. The part of the list that suffers, for us, is often the red wine selections.

 

For those wines, my strategy has been to bring some aboard and pay the corkage; and/or as Flatbush Flyer and I always suggest, once aboard peruse the Bin End list and make an appropriate selection. I won’t promise you that $50 will necessarily make the deal, even on Bin Ends, but $75-80 often gets you a very nice wine. Perhaps better than which you are accustomed.

 

Hope that helps!

[Petoonya]

2 hours ago, StanandJim said:

Not necessarily.

Some of the wines by the glass are quite good, with the added bonus that with the Package you might choose a white with your appetizer and a red with your main course (or vice versa).  

I've even gone quite mad and ordered a dessert wine (with the cheese plate) as my dessert, on occasion-

Thanks very much.

Decisions, decisions. Thanks!

1 hour ago, pinotlover said:

Petoonya;

 

First, wine list prices are typically 3-4x retail prices. So a $50 price tag aboard equates to a $12-$18 bottle retail. Sometimes you might get lucky and it’s lowish 20s. Decent wines can be found at those prices, but they may not be on the list.

 

As StanandJim replied, the by the glass list normally has a few wine I find totally acceptable. This is especially so for the whites and as mentioned the dessert wines. The part of the list that suffers, for us, is often the red wine selections.

 

For those wines, my strategy has been to bring some aboard and pay the corkage; and/or as Flatbush Flyer and I always suggest, once aboard peruse the Bin End list and make an appropriate selection. I won’t promise you that $50 will necessarily make the deal, even on Bin Ends, but $75-80 often gets you a very nice wine. Perhaps better than which you are accustomed.

 

Hope that helps!

Helps a lot. I think for the little we drink (and about 90% whites) we might forego Olife and do as FF and you have suggested. Try for the bin ends, work off the wine list, maybe and perhaps bring some aboard. We may be *forced* into drinking more than we're accustomed to. Thanks very much!

[Hawaiidan]

1 hour ago, Petoonya said:

Thanks very much.

Decisions, decisions. Thanks!

Helps a lot. I think for the little we drink (and about 90% whites) we might forego Olife and do as FF and you have suggested. Try for the bin ends, work off the wine list, maybe and perhaps bring some aboard. We may be *forced* into drinking more than we're accustomed to. Thanks very much!

From experience, even lite drinkers who purchase the full liquor package/option are very apt  to increase their consumption far more than they ever thought........ A cross between getting your moneys worth and the free  unlimited ability to order anything in any quantity, with little or no thought...    For me, I avoid the situation...  Sort of like why I avoid  all you can eat places too.

[StanandJim]

21 minutes ago, Hawaiidan said:

 A cross between getting your moneys worth and the free  unlimited ability to order anything in any quantity, with little or no thought...    For me, I avoid the situation...  Sort of like why I avoid  all you can eat places too.

Best to stay out of,  err...... Gentlemen's Clubs as well, particularly near payday 🤣

 

[Clutj]

12 hours ago, Petoonya said:

Me again.

I don't have Olife, so no beverage package.

We don't drink wine at lunch and not more than 2 glasses at dinner, so we can make 2 bottles last for 3 nights.

We've almost always been happy with what we purchase from the O wine list and we usually order in the $50/bottle range.

Is there much choice of wines on the Select package? Or stick with ordering full bottles off the wine list and continue to forget Olife?

One last thing. If we do change to Olife and upgrade our package to Prestige, thought I read that unless you're drinking 5 drinks a day it's not worth it. What does it do to wine selections though? 18 day cruise. $800 Olife.

Thanks very much.

I recall a 15% discount on ordering bottles from the wine list, certainly when we had the Prestige package maybe with Select.  Can anyone confirm that memory?

[Clutj]

Also, when you say 5 drinks to make the package worth it, those are assuming regular pours.  Some people could handle two doubles over a long stay around the pool 1-4pm, and that could get you to 4 drinks before you even do a pre-dinner drink, wine at dinner, a nightcap in Horizons...  All those at-sea days are easier to hit 5 drinks than in-port, excursion days... 

[Petoonya]

13 minutes ago, Clutj said:

Also, when you say 5 drinks to make the package worth it, those are assuming regular pours. 

We're lightweights. Maybe a couple of glasses of wine with dinner, and a pre-dinner drink would be our max. The package doesn't make sense.

10 hours ago, pinotlover said:

For those wines, my strategy has been to bring some aboard and pay the corkage; and/or as Flatbush Flyer and I always suggest, once aboard peruse the Bin End list and make an appropriate selection. I won’t promise you that $50 will necessarily make the deal, even on Bin Ends, but $75-80 often gets you a very nice wine.

You and Flatbush Flyer must've been talking to my husband on the sly. He said tonight that he thinks we need to up our game and spend a little more on wine this cruise. So I'll hit Carrefour in Papeete and wine shop. And have real fun with bin end choosings and the GDR wine list- no more $50/bottle budget! This cruise keeps getting better all the time. Thanks for all your help.

And thanks to everyone else here who helped with my education.

[Silver Sweethearts]

11 hours ago, pinotlover said:

First, wine list prices are typically 3-4x retail prices. 

 

Just curious here, but when you are in a suite on Regent (believe it is Penthouse and above), you get 10% off their wine list.  On our most recent Regent Explorer cruise last year, that meant a bottle of Veuve Clicquot champagne was $62.20.  It retails at $49.-$53. in our local stores.  Can you explain why so little mark up?

Edited January 10, 2020 by Silver Sweethearts

[Shawnino]

6 hours ago, Silver Sweethearts said:

 

Just curious here, but when you are in a suite on Regent (believe it is Penthouse and above), you get 10% off their wine list.  On our most recent Regent Explorer cruise last year, that meant a bottle of Veuve Clicquot champagne was $62.20.  It retails at $49.-$53. in our local stores.  Can you explain why so little mark up?

 

An educated guess, but only a guess:

 

Last time we cruised NCL (2017) they were running a promotion in conjunction with Veuve Cliquot. 

I'm told the promotion continues.

Regent and NCL are both part of NCLH (as is O).

If Veuve Cliquot's deal is with NCLH and not NCL specifically, part of the deal may be to put VC's product on Regent at reasonable rates.

[pinotlover]

That would be my guess also. They worked a special pricing deal with VC so to provide the bubbly at decent prices.

 

Wineries sometimes do that with restaurants and upscale chains. Long story about industry pricing.

[Hawaiidan]

18 hours ago, StanandJim said:

Best to stay out of,  err...... Gentlemen's Clubs as well, particularly near payday 🤣

 

Add  " Korea Bars"  too

[Hawaiidan]

11 hours ago, Petoonya said:

We're lightweights. Maybe a couple of glasses of wine with dinner, and a pre-dinner drink would be our max. The package doesn't make sense.

You and Flatbush Flyer must've been talking to my husband on the sly. He said tonight that he thinks we need to up our game and spend a little more on wine this cruise. So I'll hit Carrefour in Papeete and wine shop. And have real fun with bin end choosings and the GDR wine list- no more $50/bottle budget! This cruise keeps getting better all the time. Thanks for all your help.

And thanks to everyone else here who helped with my education.

if anticipation of a cruise does not get better with time... then you picked the wrong cruise.    In my somewhat limited experience, real good wine ( read Bordeaux, Pomerol, Burgundy and Top California)  expect to pay well north of $100.  Remember it is enjoying the moment in time..You  only go to Tahiti, for the first time, once !!!     You can always replace money, you can not replace time