Recommended Red Wine

[terrydtx]

3 hours ago, 81Zoomie said:

We just noticed on the App, the Lumanae and Murano menus on the Reflection no longer list Caymus (bottle or glass), and Opulence is only available by the glass at lunch. We were on the Millennium in Feb and you could order a glass of Opulence with dinner.  Can anyone who has sailed the Reflection recently comment?   

I wouldn't trust the app that much, if a wine is available at lunch it will be available for dinner. As I said earlier the Sommelier on the Equinox Luminae brough out many wines by the glass that were not on the Luminae menu, and not one of them was what I would consider poor quality. Once she knew what my wife and I liked, she would bring a bottle for us to try almost every night. So we got to try many different wines for 9 nights and we never were charged for any of them. I can't remember all of them but one Pino Noir we had was listed by the bottle for over $60 and we drank the whole bottle. We will be on the Reflection from Rome in August and I am confident we will find plenty of good wines by the glass in the PDP and Luminae.

[DaKahuna]

2 hours ago, terrydtx said:

I wouldn't trust the app that much, if a wine is available at lunch it will be available for dinner. As I said earlier the Sommelier on the Equinox Luminae brough out many wines by the glass that were not on the Luminae menu, and not one of them was what I would consider poor quality. Once she knew what my wife and I liked, she would bring a bottle for us to try almost every night. So we got to try many different wines for 9 nights and we never were charged for any of them. I can't remember all of them but one Pino Noir we had was listed by the bottle for over $60 and we drank the whole bottle. We will be on the Reflection from Rome in August and I am confident we will find plenty of good wines by the glass in the PDP and Luminae.

 

 I am so jealous.  I wish our Sommelier on Silhouette even stopped by our table to ask us about our wine order.  We did order from him at lunch on embarkation day but since then our waiter has asked us if we would like wine and if so what we would like.  Siraz on Reflection was an outstanding sommelier.  I wish all of them were as good and attentive as he was. 

 

 

[zitsky]

7 hours ago, DaKahuna said:

 

 I am so jealous.  I wish our Sommelier on Silhouette even stopped by our table to ask us about our wine order.  We did order from him at lunch on embarkation day but since then our waiter has asked us if we would like wine and if so what we would like.  Siraz on Reflection was an outstanding sommelier.  I wish all of them were as good and attentive as he was. 

 

 

I have only one Celebrity cruise and don’t remember using the sommelier.  I can just imagine the new threads I’ll see here about wine pairing at lunch or dinner.  “Can’t find the sommelier.  Does a white wine go with hamburger?  Please reply in the next 30 minutes.”

[81Zoomie]

10 hours ago, terrydtx said:

I wouldn't trust the app that much, if a wine is available at lunch it will be available for dinner. As I said earlier the Sommelier on the Equinox Luminae brough out many wines by the glass that were not on the Luminae menu, and not one of them was what I would consider poor quality. Once she knew what my wife and I liked, she would bring a bottle for us to try almost every night. So we got to try many different wines for 9 nights and we never were charged for any of them. I can't remember all of them but one Pino Noir we had was listed by the bottle for over $60 and we drank the whole bottle. We will be on the Reflection from Rome in August and I am confident we will find plenty of good wines by the glass in the PDP and Luminae.

Yes, the Somm on the Equinox was great!  So was the Somm. on the Millennium.  Hoping for the best on the Reflection.  However, given the larger numbers of suites (sold out) on the Reflection, not sure how busy or accommodative they will be.

 

@terrydtx, we will be asking our standard Edge 2024 question to see if anyone will provide some insight.

[phoenix_dream]

On 3/28/2022 at 11:13 PM, DaKahuna said:

And they remain out of Decoy and Conundrum, as I tried to order both today. 

 

I am going to make it a point to see what they have for choices.  I had the Kendall-Jackson Elegance Pinot Noir with my seared Branzino and a Vive Malbec with my filet at dinner tonight.  Passable but I would like something a little more upscale. 

We (politely) made quite an issue out of it as it was just not right to not have any premium package red wines available to us other than Elegance.  The wine steward after that did make a concerted effort to give us some good choices, which were normally only available by the bottle.  I believe there are supply issues, but I also wonder if they are trying to clear out old stock, as well as overall trying to get people to buy bottles of wine rather than getting the per glass wine they are allowed on the packages.

[terrydtx]

8 minutes ago, 81Zoomie said:

Yes, the Somm on the Equinox was great!  So was the Somm. on the Millennium.  Hoping for the best on the Reflection.  However, given the larger numbers of suites (sold out) on the Reflection, not sure how busy or accommodative they will be.

 

@terrydtx, we will be asking our standard Edge 2024 question to see if anyone will provide some insight.

Oue Equinox cruise last year was 100% sold out in the suites and while the rest of the ship was sailing with 40% capacity the Luminae was never too busy and the service was exceptional the whole cruise.  Not once did we have to wait for a table. 

 

By the time we sail with you on the Edge in 2024 I am sure staff and wines will all be changed from what is available today. Still nothing from Celebrity about the Edge relocation from Australis after our April 9 cruise in 2024.

[happy cruzer]

13 minutes ago, phoenix_dream said:

We (politely) made quite an issue out of it as it was just not right to not have any premium package red wines available to us other than Elegance.  The wine steward after that did make a concerted effort to give us some good choices, which were normally only available by the bottle.  I believe there are supply issues, but I also wonder if they are trying to clear out old stock, as well as overall trying to get people to buy bottles of wine rather than getting the per glass wine they are allowed on the packages.

In the past, we did make an issue of it and it did get better.  Last cruise, we did no more than ask if there were others wines available besides the one or two the various sommeliers recommended, and the answer was no.  Too much hassle to deal with the by the glass choices for us.

 

Glad that others have had a good experience.  Did not work well for us three times.

[George C]

1 hour ago, happy cruzer said:

In the past, we did make an issue of it and it did get better.  Last cruise, we did no more than ask if there were others wines available besides the one or two the various sommeliers recommended, and the answer was no.  Too much hassle to deal with the by the glass choices for us.

 

Glad that others have had a good experience.  Did not work well for us three times.

Never know when bottle was opened when ordering by the glass , prefer freshly opened bottle. Had a glass on rccl once that went bad. 

[ladylemondrop]

Very impressed with all the wine knowledge here! Am making notes. Along with all the cocktails to try my list is getting longer and longer! 😂

Any whites that you recommend we try? We have the premium package. 
thanks! 

[MamaFej]

7 minutes ago, louise1809 said:

Very impressed with all the wine knowledge here! Am making notes. Along with all the cocktails to try my list is getting longer and longer! 😂

Any whites that you recommend we try? We have the premium package. 
thanks! 

Try the Mer Soleil Chardonnay. I'm normally not a Chardonnay fan, but I tried this one, at the suggestion of a sommelier, and I enjoy it. 

[terrydtx]

3 hours ago, George C said:

Never know when bottle was opened when ordering by the glass , prefer freshly opened bottle. Had a glass on rccl once that went bad. 

Just send the glass back and ask for a glass from a new bottle, have done that more than once, not a big issue. I have had more bad newly opened bottles than bad glasses here on land. Had a bad bottle last week that I bought from my local wine merchant and he replaced it without questions,

[drakes2]

18 hours ago, happy cruzer said:

Also on the Apex a few weeks ago.  Wines by the glass were exactly as listed in the app.  Only once did a sommelier provide anything different.  So they were just the typical wine by the glass types.  Decided in the future to always carry on wine or buy by the bottle; those offered in drink packages are very ordinary.  If you are happy with the ones listed, then you will be happy onboard but to expect any different did not happen for us.  In Eden, only two different reds available....

I was on the Edge in February and Decoy was available all week.

[drakes2]

1 hour ago, MamaFej said:

Try the Mer Soleil Chardonnay. I'm normally not a Chardonnay fan, but I tried this one, at the suggestion of a sommelier, and I enjoy it. 

St. Francis Chardonnay was available pre covid. It is excellent. Also Villa Maria sauvignon blanc 

[George C]

2 hours ago, MamaFej said:

Try the Mer Soleil Chardonnay. I'm normally not a Chardonnay fan, but I tried this one, at the suggestion of a sommelier, and I enjoy it. 

My wife likes that

2 hours ago, terrydtx said:

Just send the glass back and ask for a glass from a new bottle, have done that more than once, not a big issue. I have had more bad newly opened bottles than bad glasses here on land. Had a bad bottle last week that I bought from my local wine merchant and he replaced it without questions,

thats what we did and this was in vintage the wine bar in rccl, you would think they know how to store wine.

[awhfy]

I like Conundrum Red, but my new favorite is Saldo (a zin bottled by Prisoner), also like Prisoner & Sergehsio zins. Sounds like I’ll be bringing on my two bottles!  Decoy is ok, like Opus & enjoyed a lovely bottle of Cube Rioja recently. 

[ORV]

It seems that experiences of those in the Retreat or Luminae seem to be different than someone just ordering a by the glass from the Premium list. Probably not an apples to apples comparison. 

[zitsky]

3 hours ago, awhfy said:

I like Conundrum Red, but my new favorite is Saldo (a zin bottled by Prisoner), also like Prisoner & Sergehsio zins. Sounds like I’ll be bringing on my two bottles!  Decoy is ok, like Opus & enjoyed a lovely bottle of Cube Rioja recently. 

You are talking about ordering bottles, yes?

[markeb]

Had to remind myself what the actual question was! The answers may be more fun than the question, though!

 

I guess I just don't know what to do with Celebrity's wine choices. Outside of really premium restaurants you normally have to go by the bottle to get a really good wine. Some of those really premium restaurants have the benefit of curating their wines by the glass to the chef's menu (which probably isn't different every night) and they're not trying to sell (much) wine to people not eating in the restaurant. On the ship, they've got to offer wines they can get (see comments in this thread) and they're selling them in multiple venues!

 

The reds that interest me on the wine lists by the glass I've seen, which are probably outdated, are all on the "Elevated" list. But we have a lot of OBC on our next cruise, and I'll gladly pay $7.20 for the Penner-Ash Pinot Noir over my premium package, and would consider $9.60 for the Freemark Abbey Cab, as long as it's a few years old. I like Caymus Reserve (bottle only and I don't know about $198!), but am not a big fan of Caymus; a lot of people are and that's fine. We're all different in our tastes (I'd rather have Eight Years in the Desert than the Prisoner; David Phinney is still making the first one!). But I admit to being jaded; I'm almost "over" most Napa cabernet sauvignon, even though I have a basement full of it! Much prefer Washington State these days, and Bordeaux has become affordable again! And red blends from the Douro of Portugal!

 

A good sommelier should steer you to a wine that pairs with your dish rather than a wine you're "sure" you'll love, and on a package, if you hate it, get another one! But wine should be fun and not a chore. Sean Connery blind tasting a sherry and commenting on the original vintage of the wine is really over the top...

[DaKahuna]

9 hours ago, louise1809 said:

Any whites that you recommend we try? We have the premium package. 
thanks! 

The Elk Grove Pinot Gris is excellent in my humble opinion. 

I have also tried the Conumdrum White Blend and thought it was good. 

 

[chemmo]

On 3/30/2022 at 5:11 AM, DaKahuna said:

 

 I am so jealous.  I wish our Sommelier on Silhouette even stopped by our table to ask us about our wine order.  We did order from him at lunch on embarkation day but since then our waiter has asked us if we would like wine and if so what we would like.  Siraz on Reflection was an outstanding sommelier.  I wish all of them were as good and attentive as he was. 

 

 

This really is not acceptable service….Whilst many people order the same wine every evening and consequently the waiter can easily see to their needs if you want wine advice it should be forthcoming.

 

Strongly suggest you ask to speak to the M’D and express service is not up to the standards you have previously experienced and that you are disappointed. Not only should your experience improve you will be doing the future cruisers a favour too. If you are reluctant to speak to the M’D ask the concierge to arrange a meeting with the Suite Manager. In our experience when we have had the odd issue on a cruise management appreciate you raising an issue and giving them the chance to put things right rather than give a poor review at the end.

[Londoncruising1971]

On our first sailing a few years ago (Med Reflection), every bar had "Cloudy Bay" as the Sauvignon. No such luck on subsequent cruises, and it's been "Villa Maria" ever since.

Having said that, we usually prefer red and will usually opt for whatever Primitivo is on offer. It's usually a very safe bet. When on an S class ship, we will always have a meal in Murano and spoil ourselves with a bottle of Amarone.

We are on the inaugural "Beyond" sailing in 3.5 weeks (who's counting?!), and hope they pull out all the stops with the wines on offer

[zitsky]

8 hours ago, markeb said:

Had to remind myself what the actual question was! The answers may be more fun than the question, though!

 

I guess I just don't know what to do with Celebrity's wine choices. Outside of really premium restaurants you normally have to go by the bottle to get a really good wine. Some of those really premium restaurants have the benefit of curating their wines by the glass to the chef's menu (which probably isn't different every night) and they're not trying to sell (much) wine to people not eating in the restaurant. On the ship, they've got to offer wines they can get (see comments in this thread) and they're selling them in multiple venues!

 

The reds that interest me on the wine lists by the glass I've seen, which are probably outdated, are all on the "Elevated" list. But we have a lot of OBC on our next cruise, and I'll gladly pay $7.20 for the Penner-Ash Pinot Noir over my premium package, and would consider $9.60 for the Freemark Abbey Cab, as long as it's a few years old. I like Caymus Reserve (bottle only and I don't know about $198!), but am not a big fan of Caymus; a lot of people are and that's fine. We're all different in our tastes (I'd rather have Eight Years in the Desert than the Prisoner; David Phinney is still making the first one!). But I admit to being jaded; I'm almost "over" most Napa cabernet sauvignon, even though I have a basement full of it! Much prefer Washington State these days, and Bordeaux has become affordable again! And red blends from the Douro of Portugal!

 

A good sommelier should steer you to a wine that pairs with your dish rather than a wine you're "sure" you'll love, and on a package, if you hate it, get another one! But wine should be fun and not a chore. Sean Connery blind tasting a sherry and commenting on the original vintage of the wine is really over the top...

I like wines from Walla Walla but they are hard to find in NC.  I’m in a wine club from a Central Coast CA winery but I find I do get tired of it when I’m drinking it every day.  Some of that wine is still very good.

 

I hope I can get on the ship, point to the premium wine list and say “I would like that.”

[awhfy]

11 hours ago, zitsky said:

You are talking about ordering bottles, yes?

No, all have been by the glass in the past

[cangelmd]

13 hours ago, ORV said:

It seems that experiences of those in the Retreat or Luminae seem to be different than someone just ordering a by the glass from the Premium list. Probably not an apples to apples comparison. 

Definitely, although on Edge last week, Luminae was pushed to the limit and service was not what we have seen before.

We like the Decoy well enough, and for everyday light red drinking the Cherry Pie. If you have Premium pkg, but not in a suite or Aqua, you might have to ask the sommelier about it, they might be able to get you a bottle over from Blu or Luminae.

 

Totally agree about Mer Soleil - I’m not all a California style Chardonnay fan, but I like Mer Soleil a lot. There are 2-3 different “levels” of Mer Soleil and I’ve been pleased with all

[ORV]

On 3/28/2022 at 6:34 AM, Cebse said:

Hello we have read on quite a few posts of people ordering nice red wines on the premium drinks package.

We generally like a Rioja or Merlot red wine.

What would you recommend we ask for please as we would be so grateful of your advice as we do not know the different brands available to get from the premium package.

Thanks in advance.

 

1 hour ago, cangelmd said:

Definitely, although on Edge last week, Luminae was pushed to the limit and service was not what we have seen before.

We like the Decoy well enough, and for everyday light red drinking the Cherry Pie. If you have Premium pkg, but not in a suite or Aqua, you might have to ask the sommelier about it, they might be able to get you a bottle over from Blu or Luminae.

 

 

My point is that the OP asked about recommendations for good Red wines on the Premium Package, then the conversation pretty much turned into what people have drank in Luminae. If people think they are going to get some of that on the Premium Package they might wind up being disappointed. Some others think they should be getting $40-$80 a bottle retail wines in the by the glass selection on the Premium. They once again will be disappointed. Think in the range of $10-$25 a bottle retail for the premium package. Less for the Classic. 

 

I know you understand that, I was pointing that out for others that might be new to Celebrity.