Current Lists of Wine on Board (2022/23)

[desertgrl74]

11 hours ago, luv2travel90266 said:

Don't forget many of the cruises go through great wine regions. Any reasonable size town will have a wine shop where they would be happy to help you choose a few wines to fit your palate that you may not get to experience at home. I use google, an excellent source for finding those shops. 

Absolutely!  We bought some very good wines in Greece (even though we weren't very familiar with them).  Those countries have wonderful "food friendly" wines.  Google is a godsend.

[sofietucker]

So I'm appealing to the collected expertise here for some questions re: wine etiquette at dinner on board ship. This is especially in regard to the wine we may bring aboard, and the complimentary wine in our stateroom:

We have already been informed that it's "not done" to bring a glass of wine with us to dinner--unless we purchased it (as part of our package or not) at a bar. But not from our room.

 

1. What about taking our bottle away with us, whether from the dining room (where we either bought the bottle on the spot or paid the corkage fee, albeit a screw top Molly Dooker,  or whatever)? Maybe we want to savor a glass later "at home" without having them chase down the bottle in storage. (Oceania was forever losing our bottles.) We have taken away partially-full glasses from time to time, which they transfer to regular bar ware to save their Riedel, lol. Fine. But no bottles so far.

 

2. Much is made in the world of wine about letting it breathe after opening. There's an endless array of decanters, pour tops, etc. We use some of those methods at home--including those titanium "breathable" glasses--depending on the wine, and find they can make a considerable difference. But at virtually any restaurant, and at the Chef's Tables/wine tastings we've attended over the years on a variety of cruise lines, the pattern is: present the wine at the table, open it, pour a sip, pour glasses. The expectation is to drink it pretty much immediately: vigorous swirling is the only option for aerating the wine. (Examining the cork is no longer done--and at least on Az Quest, it's placed right back in the bottle. So no breathing by letting it sit either.) In our stateroom, we may use one of our aerating pourers, and then when we're finished, we'll use one of our vacuum stoppers to stop it from oxidizing until next time. Has anyone every brought, along with the bottle you bring or order, one of these tools? We've not seen such--but on O last winter, we sat next to a guy who regaled his table with a lengthy description of his home aeration system...

Thoughts?

[mchell810]

2 hours ago, sofietucker said:

So I'm appealing to the collected expertise here for some questions re: wine etiquette at dinner on board ship. This is especially in regard to the wine we may bring aboard, and the complimentary wine in our stateroom:

We have already been informed that it's "not done" to bring a glass of wine with us to dinner--unless we purchased it (as part of our package or not) at a bar. But not from our room.

 

1. What about taking our bottle away with us, whether from the dining room (where we either bought the bottle on the spot or paid the corkage fee, albeit a screw top Molly Dooker,  or whatever)? Maybe we want to savor a glass later "at home" without having them chase down the bottle in storage. (Oceania was forever losing our bottles.) We have taken away partially-full glasses from time to time, which they transfer to regular bar ware to save their Riedel, lol. Fine. But no bottles so far.

 

2. Much is made in the world of wine about letting it breathe after opening. There's an endless array of decanters, pour tops, etc. We use some of those methods at home--including those titanium "breathable" glasses--depending on the wine, and find they can make a considerable difference. But at virtually any restaurant, and at the Chef's Tables/wine tastings we've attended over the years on a variety of cruise lines, the pattern is: present the wine at the table, open it, pour a sip, pour glasses. The expectation is to drink it pretty much immediately: vigorous swirling is the only option for aerating the wine. (Examining the cork is no longer done--and at least on Az Quest, it's placed right back in the bottle. So no breathing by letting it sit either.) In our stateroom, we may use one of our aerating pourers, and then when we're finished, we'll use one of our vacuum stoppers to stop it from oxidizing until next time. Has anyone every brought, along with the bottle you bring or order, one of these tools? We've not seen such--but on O last winter, we sat next to a guy who regaled his table with a lengthy description of his home aeration system...

Thoughts?

 

1. I have seen wine decanted at the next table, not sure if it was a bottle purchased onboard or brought on. Although I have not done so my self I am pretty sure you can ask for your bottle to be decanted if it is not offered. 

 

2. As for taking the remaining bottle to your room, I have done so in 2019.  I brought a bottle to dining room; I didn't ask about decanting as we intended to have it kept for our next dinner. (It didn't occur to me until just now that the waiter did not offer to decant, he was struggling in so many ways I missed that omission).  Without being asked (or asking our preference) the waiter brought the bottle and left it on the table as we we finishing dessert.  On the way out I did ask the Maitre'd if they normally offer the option of storage, at which point he offered to hold the bottle for us.  By this time, I had little confidence in the  procedure so I took the bottle back to our cabin and finished it on the balcony the next night.  I had a couple more bottle with me on that trip but didn't bother to take to the dining room as it seemed like it was going to be a hassle.  On my more recent cruise we just drank the included wines to avoid the hassle. 

 

I am sure others will chime in with their experiences.

Edited October 3, 2023 by mchell810

[takemewithyou]

3 hours ago, sofietucker said:

So I'm appealing to the collected expertise here for some questions re: wine etiquette at dinner on board ship. This is especially in regard to the wine we may bring aboard, and the complimentary wine in our stateroom:

We have already been informed that it's "not done" to bring a glass of wine with us to dinner--unless we purchased it (as part of our package or not) at a bar. But not from our room.

 

1. What about taking our bottle away with us, whether from the dining room (where we either bought the bottle on the spot or paid the corkage fee, albeit a screw top Molly Dooker,  or whatever)? Maybe we want to savor a glass later "at home" without having them chase down the bottle in storage. (Oceania was forever losing our bottles.) We have taken away partially-full glasses from time to time, which they transfer to regular bar ware to save their Riedel, lol. Fine. But no bottles so far.

 

2. Much is made in the world of wine about letting it breathe after opening. There's an endless array of decanters, pour tops, etc. We use some of those methods at home--including those titanium "breathable" glasses--depending on the wine, and find they can make a considerable difference. But at virtually any restaurant, and at the Chef's Tables/wine tastings we've attended over the years on a variety of cruise lines, the pattern is: present the wine at the table, open it, pour a sip, pour glasses. The expectation is to drink it pretty much immediately: vigorous swirling is the only option for aerating the wine. (Examining the cork is no longer done--and at least on Az Quest, it's placed right back in the bottle. So no breathing by letting it sit either.) In our stateroom, we may use one of our aerating pourers, and then when we're finished, we'll use one of our vacuum stoppers to stop it from oxidizing until next time. Has anyone every brought, along with the bottle you bring or order, one of these tools? We've not seen such--but on O last winter, we sat next to a guy who regaled his table with a lengthy description of his home aeration system...

Thoughts?

You can certainly take your bottle that you didn’t finish along with you …to a venue or back to your room.  I do that all the time because my spouse doesn’t drink wine, so I never finish a bottle at a meal.  II also have them store my wines sometimes for another night.  I do use a vacuum device to preserve the wine.  I have that I’m my room.  I take the bottle away with the cork and then switch to the cork in my cabin used with the vacuum device.  I also have a travel aerator that I bring along to use in my room.  I have never taken it to the restaurant, but you certainly could.  

I would say you need to make friends with the sommeliers onboard.  You can certainly request that they decant your wine before your meal, especially in a specialty restaurant so it can breathe.  They could have the wine ready at your table for you because you have a reservation there.  Otherwise just bring your aerator and ask them to use that to pour, if you dine in Discoveries, Patio or Windows where you do not have or need a a reservation.

Edited October 3, 2023 by takemewithyou

[takemewithyou]

@sofietucker I wanted to add that my experiences have been recent….last sailed 6/23 and before that 12/22.  
 

Azamara has never lost one of my bottles that I had left with them for storage.  It’s always been retrieved pretty quickly when I requested it.  It is stored by your cabin number.

[Host Jazzbeau]

9 hours ago, takemewithyou said:

Azamara has never lost one of my bottles that I had left with them for storage.  It’s always been retrieved pretty quickly when I requested it.  It is stored by your cabin number.

Same for me.  And since the ships are so small, they are able to retrieve the bottle quickly wherever you are.

[federalexpress]

22 hours ago, sofietucker said:

So I'm appealing to the collected expertise here for some questions re: wine etiquette at dinner on board ship. This is especially in regard to the wine we may bring aboard, and the complimentary wine in our stateroom:

We have already been informed that it's "not done" to bring a glass of wine with us to dinner--unless we purchased it (as part of our package or not) at a bar. But not from our room.

 

1. What about taking our bottle away with us, whether from the dining room (where we either bought the bottle on the spot or paid the corkage fee, albeit a screw top Molly Dooker,  or whatever)? Maybe we want to savor a glass later "at home" without having them chase down the bottle in storage. (Oceania was forever losing our bottles.) We have taken away partially-full glasses from time to time, which they transfer to regular bar ware to save their Riedel, lol. Fine. But no bottles so far.

 

2. Much is made in the world of wine about letting it breathe after opening. There's an endless array of decanters, pour tops, etc. We use some of those methods at home--including those titanium "breathable" glasses--depending on the wine, and find they can make a considerable difference. But at virtually any restaurant, and at the Chef's Tables/wine tastings we've attended over the years on a variety of cruise lines, the pattern is: present the wine at the table, open it, pour a sip, pour glasses. The expectation is to drink it pretty much immediately: vigorous swirling is the only option for aerating the wine. (Examining the cork is no longer done--and at least on Az Quest, it's placed right back in the bottle. So no breathing by letting it sit either.) In our stateroom, we may use one of our aerating pourers, and then when we're finished, we'll use one of our vacuum stoppers to stop it from oxidizing until next time. Has anyone every brought, along with the bottle you bring or order, one of these tools? We've not seen such--but on O last winter, we sat next to a guy who regaled his table with a lengthy description of his home aeration system...

Thoughts?

I don't think I'd take a glass of wine with me from the cabin, even from a bottle I'd paid corkage on, and certainly not on a sea day, given spillage risks. I'd have no problem taking the bottle though, full or part empty, assuming corkage had been paid. I tended to be 'by the glass' in restaurants because I was on the Ultimate package so never needed to take a glass back. Just ask the butler to bring me another one.

 

Now I think about it, I did take a bottle that I hadn't paid corkage to the speciality restaurant. But that was for chef's table for which all wine (and fairly decent stuff) is included. The sommelier was fine with this and was happy to have my fellow diners have a taste of what was an unusual dessert wine, versus the one he selected.

[Host Jazzbeau]

17 hours ago, federalexpress said:

Now I think about it, I did take a bottle that I hadn't paid corkage to the speciality restaurant. But that was for chef's table for which all wine (and fairly decent stuff) is included. The sommelier was fine with this and was happy to have my fellow diners have a taste of what was an unusual dessert wine, versus the one he selected.

What a nice gesture!  Something I would never have thought of doing. 

[federalexpress]

3 hours ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

What a nice gesture!  Something I would never have thought of doing. 

 

Ah well, that is because I am a bit of a wine bore!

 

Actually it was a lovely evening, superb company- and my wife and I are not generally all that sociable so were were a bit wary- and all were into the wines. The unusual bit about my wine is that I had picked up on a visit earlier in the cruise to Deicas winery in Uruguay, not a country renowned for this style, but it was superb. I seem to recall it was the last night at sea and I wasn't going to get through it all without some help....

[Dynacruiser]

On 10/3/2023 at 11:46 AM, sofietucker said:

So I'm appealing to the collected expertise here for some questions re: wine etiquette at dinner on board ship. This is especially in regard to the wine we may bring aboard, and the complimentary wine in our stateroom:

We have already been informed that it's "not done" to bring a glass of wine with us to dinner--unless we purchased it (as part of our package or not) at a bar. But not from our room.

 

1. What about taking our bottle away with us, whether from the dining room (where we either bought the bottle on the spot or paid the corkage fee, albeit a screw top Molly Dooker,  or whatever)? Maybe we want to savor a glass later "at home" without having them chase down the bottle in storage. (Oceania was forever losing our bottles.) We have taken away partially-full glasses from time to time, which they transfer to regular bar ware to save their Riedel, lol. Fine. But no bottles so far.

 

2. Much is made in the world of wine about letting it breathe after opening. There's an endless array of decanters, pour tops, etc. We use some of those methods at home--including those titanium "breathable" glasses--depending on the wine, and find they can make a considerable difference. But at virtually any restaurant, and at the Chef's Tables/wine tastings we've attended over the years on a variety of cruise lines, the pattern is: present the wine at the table, open it, pour a sip, pour glasses. The expectation is to drink it pretty much immediately: vigorous swirling is the only option for aerating the wine. (Examining the cork is no longer done--and at least on Az Quest, it's placed right back in the bottle. So no breathing by letting it sit either.) In our stateroom, we may use one of our aerating pourers, and then when we're finished, we'll use one of our vacuum stoppers to stop it from oxidizing until next time. Has anyone every brought, along with the bottle you bring or order, one of these tools? We've not seen such--but on O last winter, we sat next to a guy who regaled his table with a lengthy description of his home aeration system...

Thoughts?

 

My thoughts:

1) I have taken glasses of wine with me from my room to the specialty restaurants, no problem.  I probably would not take a glass to the Discoveries restaurant simply because it is more crowded and don't want an accident.

2) I would take an open bottle of wine to the restaurant, or away from the restaurant.  I have never done it, but I would at least try.

3)  Decanting is an interesting topic of conversation and I believe that usually it is a PERSONAL PREFERENCE.   If decanting or aerating makes the wine taste better for you, then do it!   Some folks actually do scientific research on that topic!   What I understand is that aeration helps volatilization and oxidation.  I haven't studied the science behind it, but it appears to me that when you first open the bottle, volatiles that have accumulated in the air space leave the bottle.  There may be an air exchange but the opening of the bottle is so small that the change will be slow and volume would be low (unless you lower a tiny fan into the bottle and place it just above the wine line?).  So I speculate that putting the cork back wont make much difference once you open it.   Pouring and swirling will indeed help much more than breathing in a bottle.  Those are my unscientifically proven thoughts, at least.

We all have our preferences, some are probably just acquired ones.  For example, I dislike "the taste" of a nice wine served in thick heavy cheap glasses!  

 

4) Going back to Azamara:  a suggestion for all wine enthusiasts here (not a specific response to the OP):  Be sensible and considerate of the staff's time. 🙂  This is not a land-based, high-end restaurant where the sommelier can afford to spend 10 min with you.  There are probably 2 or 3 sommeliers on board, who have to cover all the restaurants, and some folks expect a lot of interaction with the wine expert.    More often than not, sommeliers, and perhaps waiters, are a bit rushed.  Any additional requests you have or demands for their time may cause them delays and other guests may not be happy.   Some waiters appear to be busier at times, perhaps covering for a sick colleague, so they may put the cork back in the bottle just so they don't lose them.  

 

Keep enjoying your wines!

 

 

[Happy Canadian]

General question. If you have the basic included package and want a cocktail or glass of wine "off the list". Do you pay full price or the difference?

On most cruise lines, the basic included package has a ceiling of $11 to $15. If you purchase anything over that price you are charged the difference. How does Azamara deal with this? We sail next month on Pursuit, B2B Barcelona to Capetown.

 

[Grandma Cruising]

13 minutes ago, Happy Canadian said:

General question. If you have the basic included package and want a cocktail or glass of wine "off the list". Do you pay full price or the difference?

On most cruise lines, the basic included package has a ceiling of $11 to $15. If you purchase anything over that price you are charged the difference. How does Azamara deal with this? We sail next month on Pursuit, B2B Barcelona to Capetown.

 

You pay the full price because their included drinks are not based on value, they are a list. That said if a cocktail can be made with an included spirit, you can ask for them to make it with those spirits & it’ll be free.

[Happy Canadian]

3 minutes ago, Grandma Cruising said:

You pay the full price because their included drinks are not based on value, they are a list. That said if a cocktail can be made with an included spirit, you can ask for them to make it with those spirits & it’ll be free.

Thanks for your prompt response! I suspected as much since I didn't see a value. BTW We are multi-line and multi-time cruisers but this will be our first  Azamara. I appreciated your newbies posting. We took advantage of the B2B OBC which we didn't know about previously.

[Grandma Cruising]

I hope you enjoy Azamara as much as we do.

[GUSGB]

The current upgrade wine options on Pursuit now. I think they are all good and especially like the William Hill sauv blanc. The Piper-Heidsieck is also very drinkable😊

[desertgrl74]

3 hours ago, GUSGB said:

The current upgrade wine options on Pursuit now. I think they are all good and especially like the William Hill sauv blanc. The Piper-Heidsieck is also very drinkable😊

THe problem we had was not the list (which was acceptable and often more than just acceptable) but the fact that they were out of 75% of the items printed on the menu they continued to circulate.  They always apologized, but kept presenting us with the out of date wine list!

[luv2travel90266]

This has been a problem for the last few years since Royal Carib sold the line. Bring your wine aboard, pay corkage, a better deal and you will be drinking better wine too. 

[Grandma Cruising]

We're on Journey now and the list is different - no more Whispering Angel! Instead there's a Provence Rose. The sommelier told us he had some bottles of Whispering Angel left and would continue to serve it at dinner, but that it wouldn't be available anywhere else on the ship. I'll get a photo of the new list & post it.

[sofietucker]

More and more, this tells me we will just bring bottles on board....

[beatnix]

6 hours ago, Grandma Cruising said:

We're on Journey now and the list is different - no more Whispering Angel! Instead there's a Provence Rose. The sommelier told us he had some bottles of Whispering Angel left and would continue to serve it at dinner, but that it wouldn't be available anywhere else on the ship. I'll get a photo of the new list & post it.

On Pursuit since one week and also for the next cruise. Whispering Angel is available in all bars and restaurants. 

[Mackdogmolly]

10 hours ago, Grandma Cruising said:

We're on Journey now and the list is different - no more Whispering Angel! Instead there's a Provence Rose

I hope that’s not a sign of things to come! That has always been my only reason to upgrade! But have you tried the alternative?

[fowlisbabe]

6 hours ago, beatnix said:

On Pursuit since one week and also for the next cruise. Whispering Angel is available in all bars and restaurants. 

Whispering Angel available on Onward just now too! 

[Werangels]

7 hours ago, Mackdogmolly said:

I hope that’s not a sign of things to come! That has always been my only reason to upgrade! But have you tried the alternative?

Mine too.  

[Grandma Cruising]

14 hours ago, Mackdogmolly said:

I hope that’s not a sign of things to come! That has always been my only reason to upgrade! But have you tried the alternative?

Yes, I liked it, but DH was not too keen. It's a bit drier.

[Grandma Cruising]

We're now quite confused as the wine by the glass list seems to be different in every venue, with Whispering Angel on the Patio list and the poolside list (tho' in other respects they're different) but not on the list in Discoveries