Free wine tasting on Discovery

[vacationcruiser1]

Is there still free wine tasting event if you are elite?

[reedprincess]

15 minutes ago, vacationcruiser1 said:

Is there still free wine tasting event if you are elite?

Yes, Grapevines wine tasting is a perk. Nothing has changed there. 

[MissP22]

The only thing is, there might be a wine tasting event due to Covid. 

[4x4bob]

Here is something else to consider about the "Free Wine Tasting" as a perk.

 

Did the ship just come back into service after being at dock for 1-2 years during the Covid upraising?

 

Was the Wine Bin kept under temperature control or was the temp allowed to raise up above 70 degrees for a extended period of time, causing the wine to cook?

 

Then something else that I think about wine on a ship that moves about while out on the ocean.  You know, up and down, side to side and back and forth causing the wine in the bottle to slosh around.  Something I would not even consider for my wine cellar at home. 

 

Then for the scheduled wine tasting event I am sure that the staff will reach down and grab the oldest bottles that have been on the ship awhile to give away at the event. 

 

Bob

[Colorado Coasty]

21 minutes ago, MissP22 said:

The only thing is, there might be a wine tasting event due to Covid. 

??????

[Colorado Coasty]

4 minutes ago, 4x4bob said:

Here is something else to consider about the "Free Wine Tasting" as a perk.

 

Did the ship just come back into service after being at dock for 1-2 years during the Covid upraising?

 

Was the Wine Bin kept under temperature control or was the temp allowed to raise up above 70 degrees for a extended period of time, causing the wine to cook?

 

Then something else that I think about wine on a ship that moves about while out on the ocean.  You know, up and down, side to side and back and forth causing the wine in the bottle to slosh around.  Something I would not even consider for my wine cellar at home. 

 

Then for the scheduled wine tasting event I am sure that the staff will reach down and grab the oldest bottles that have been on the ship awhile to give away at the event. 

 

Bob

I'll drink yours.

[cr8tiv1]

Unless things have changed (for the better), I've stopped going to the Grapevine WIne Tasting events.  Even if it is "free".  I am not a drinker.  Most of my reds got passed to my neighbors.  They took away (a long time ago) the free take away glasses.

 

All that being said, it was the "shared" cheese and cracker plates that did me in.  What were they thinking?  One plate to be shared by two.  AND I am a solo at the table.  

[Thrak]

We had the wine tasting on Royal Princess in May. However... Whoever made the little plate of cheese, grapes, etc. totally blew it. They apparently just told some kitchen worker to prepare small plates with various cheeses, etc. but the person who made up the plates had zero idea what they were doing. One of the pieces of cheese - a fairly large cube - was a cheese that was incredibly hot. I like hot pepper cheese and even I found this one to be crazy hot. Of course one tiny nibble of that cheese totally ruined the palate for wine tasting. It was an incredibly poor choice to include on the plate. Many who took a bite of it immediately spit it back out as it was way too hot for most and, like I said, totally ruined the palate for wine tasting.

Edited September 4, 2022 by Thrak

[MissP22]

41 minutes ago, Colorado Coasty said:

??????

Ha Ha. 😁

It should have read- The only thing is, there might not be a wine tasting event due to Covid. 

Sorry about that. I just went back to my Enchanted cruise in March and it was missing. 

[voljeep]

24 minutes ago, Thrak said:

We had the wine tasting on Royal Princess in May. However... Whoever made the little plate of cheese, grapes, etc. totally blew it. They apparently just told some kitchen worker to prepare small plates with various cheeses, etc. but the person who made up the plates had zero idea what they were doing. One of the pieces of cheese - a fairly large cube - was a cheese that was incredibly hot. I like hot pepper cheese and even I found this one to be crazy hot. Of course one tiny nibble of that cheese totally ruined the palate for wine tasting. It was an incredibly poor choice to include on the plate. Many who took a bite of it immediately spit it back out as it was way too hot for most and, like I said, totally ruined the palate for wine tasting.

as I sit at my home office desk...waiting on the NASCAR race tonight...waiting on the FSU at LSU football game tonight... sipping out of my Princess -Coca-Cola tumbler - sailing is so refreshing - a screw-top  2018 Jacobs Creek Cab - Double Barrel - "selectively finished for 2 months in Aged Irish Whiskey Barrels"  - while finishing off some "hot" breaded shrimp from Hooters from a couple of nights ago (not really sure how that happened)...

 

pretty sure some "hot cheese" is not a deal breaker ...😉

 

EDITED: - this wine was a recent BOGO at our local ... Publix ... I stocked up

Edited September 4, 2022 by voljeep

[Colorado Coasty]

28 minutes ago, MissP22 said:

Ha Ha. 😁

It should have read- The only thing is, there might not be a wine tasting event due to Covid. 

Sorry about that. I just went back to my Enchanted cruise in March and it was missing. 

Funny how one little word can change the meaning, kind of like then/than.

[geoherb]

I went to the free wine tasting on my Caribbean Princess cruise last month. They had one plate of the cheese, crackers, and fruits per person. The wines tasted fine--nothing tasted like it had been improperly stored. 

[JF - retired RRT]

1 hour ago, Colorado Coasty said:

Funny how one little word can change the meaning, kind of like then/than.

Don't get me started 🤣

[Sprocket]

They had it on the Crown last week.

 

[DallasGuy75219]

13 hours ago, 4x4bob said:

Did the ship just come back into service after being at dock for 1-2 years during the Covid upraising?

Was the Wine Bin kept under temperature control or was the temp allowed to raise up above 70 degrees for a extended period of time, causing the wine to cook?

 

12 hours ago, geoherb said:

The wines tasted fine--nothing tasted like it had been improperly stored. 

Some of those pre-COVID wines are still onboard, just maybe not being sold.

 

I was pleasantly surprised when my steward asked me last month if I'd like a bottle of red or white wine for my birthday on Crown. 

 

Then I got the bottle.... a 2018 Chardonnay that looked way too dark.  Two sips and poured it down the drain.

 

Princess may not be selling the cooked pre-COVID wine but they're certainly giving it away as disingenuous "gifts".

[Katjoy]

Yes there is a FREE WINE TASTING EVENT for Elites on the Discovery Princess. I returned last week from the Discovery & was invited to it. Elites get a paper at the beginning of the cruise outling dates & times of various events & perks.

[Steelers36]

12 hours ago, DallasGuy75219 said:

 

Some of those pre-COVID wines are still onboard, just maybe not being sold.

 

I was pleasantly surprised when my steward asked me last month if I'd like a bottle of red or white wine for my birthday on Crown. 

 

Then I got the bottle.... a 2018 Chardonnay that looked way too dark.  Two sips and poured it down the drain.

 

Princess may not be selling the cooked pre-COVID wine but they're certainly giving it away as disingenuous "gifts".

You mean to say you did not get a replacement bottle?

[DallasGuy75219]

1 hour ago, Steelers36 said:

You mean to say you did not get a replacement bottle?

I didn't ask. I figured the cooked wine was their dedicated "gift" stock, and I didn't really need it because I had Princess Plus plus free drinks in the casino (redundant with Princess Plus).  It would've just caused more work for the steward, and it wasn't his fault Princess was trying to pawn off cooked wine.

 

I would have sent it back though if I had paid for the bottle.  Sent a bottle back for the first ever in my life in February on Carnival when they tried to get rid of pre-COVID cooked wine by including it a wine package.

[1965]

2 hours ago, DallasGuy75219 said:

 

 

I would have sent it back though if I had paid for the bottle.  Sent a bottle back for the first ever in my life in February on Carnival when they tried to get rid of pre-COVID cooked wine by including it a wine package.

I am not a wine drinker. The only time I have some is at the free tasting. It's an enjoyable diversion. My wine knowledge is zero. Can someone tell me what is meant by cooked wine. Thanks.

[DallasGuy75219]

59 minutes ago, 1965 said:

I am not a wine drinker. The only time I have some is at the free tasting. It's an enjoyable diversion. My wine knowledge is zero. Can someone tell me what is meant by cooked wine. Thanks.

Wine that's been allowed to get too hot, technically anywhere in the process of going from grapes to the bottle on your table, but probably most likely due to improper storage once shipped from the winery.

 

Although none of us were on the ships while they were sailing without pax and with minimal crew during the first 1.5 to 2ish years of the COVID epidemic, I suspect making sure the wine onboard was stored properly was not high on the list of priorities. 

 

Then they get ready to put the ships back in service and realize "Oh $#!%, this wine went to crap!"  They were already so far in the red from COVID that they didn't want to write it off, so what do they do? Carnival tried to offload it in wine packages, and Princess tried to give it away as birthday and anniversary "gifts".  This year I've been served 2018 wines from both with the same problem.

Edited September 6, 2022 by DallasGuy75219