Wines around the World

[Sunseeker810]

I just noticed that this is something that I can do being Sapphire.  Can anyone tell me about it?

[Portia!]

Hi,

I've participated in this event on the Escape, Bliss, Joy and Prima. It varies a little bit on each ship and also depending on what is going on that day (like available venues). Typically there are four tasting stations set up, each from a different wine growing region, with a sommelier pouring samples of wines available on board. Usually they each have a white and a red to sample. You are given a glass and allowed to roam between stations. They pretty much just pour a swallow or two of each wine. There are breadsticks available as palate cleaners, water for rinsing glasses, a small pad and pencil for note taking.

On the Escape it is sometimes in the Brew House, sometimes in the space between Moderna and Cagney's. Usually you are allowed to roam between stations, chatting a bit with other passengers and the sommeliers. Very pleasant. Once when I did it we were assigned to four groups and had to stick together. Which meant slower groups help up faster groups etc. Not the best experience since there was a bit of friction between groups.

On the Prima, it was held in Onda and we sat at tables. Two tasting stations were in the back of the restaurant and two in the front. We formed lines to get wine then returned to our tables to sip. As with many Prima experiences, the venue was too small for the activity. It was OK, but more time in line than tasting wine.

On the Joy, it was held in the Mondavi wine cellar. Sounds like a great idea, but on that very crowded ship they held two events and both were super crowded. So we stood in a large group and the sommeliers went around pouring samples. It was a bit difficult to know what you were drinking and impossible to talk.

On the Bliss, it was held in the Cavern Club and the least busy event I've attended. Four stations, friendly sommeliers and fewer than 20 participants. Met some nice people comparing thoughts on the sips of wine.

Overall, I enjoy it. Sometimes more than others. Overall, a nice chance to try wines you might not otherwise, which can improve your total experience as you order new wines with dinner etc. Nice chance to talk to the experts and meet other wine loving guests. For those on the drinks package it might not seem worth it, of course.

 

[Sunseeker810]

Thanks for the info!

[anyman]

1 hour ago, Portia! said:

Hi,

I've participated in this event on the Escape, Bliss, Joy and Prima. It varies a little bit on each ship and also depending on what is going on that day (like available venues). Typically there are four tasting stations set up, each from a different wine growing region, with a sommelier pouring samples of wines available on board. Usually they each have a white and a red to sample. You are given a glass and allowed to roam between stations. They pretty much just pour a swallow or two of each wine. There are breadsticks available as palate cleaners, water for rinsing glasses, a small pad and pencil for note taking.

On the Escape it is sometimes in the Brew House, sometimes in the space between Moderna and Cagney's. Usually you are allowed to roam between stations, chatting a bit with other passengers and the sommeliers. Very pleasant. Once when I did it we were assigned to four groups and had to stick together. Which meant slower groups help up faster groups etc. Not the best experience since there was a bit of friction between groups.

On the Prima, it was held in Onda and we sat at tables. Two tasting stations were in the back of the restaurant and two in the front. We formed lines to get wine then returned to our tables to sip. As with many Prima experiences, the venue was too small for the activity. It was OK, but more time in line than tasting wine.

On the Joy, it was held in the Mondavi wine cellar. Sounds like a great idea, but on that very crowded ship they held two events and both were super crowded. So we stood in a large group and the sommeliers went around pouring samples. It was a bit difficult to know what you were drinking and impossible to talk.

On the Bliss, it was held in the Cavern Club and the least busy event I've attended. Four stations, friendly sommeliers and fewer than 20 participants. Met some nice people comparing thoughts on the sips of wine.

Overall, I enjoy it. Sometimes more than others. Overall, a nice chance to try wines you might not otherwise, which can improve your total experience as you order new wines with dinner etc. Nice chance to talk to the experts and meet other wine loving guests. For those on the drinks package it might not seem worth it, of course.

 

 

Done three of them, but really can't add to your concise description of how they work. Thanks.

 

[Portia!]

One more thing, you need to register for the event at the CruiseNext desk the first day of your cruise. It sometimes sells out - at the event people check in with an NCL representative who has a list provided by CruiseNext. Cheers!

[BirdTravels]

23 hours ago, Sunseeker810 said:

I just noticed that this is something that I can do being Sapphire.  Can anyone tell me about it?

Make sure to sign up for the Wines Around the World, behind the scenes tour, and dinner with the officers early on embarkation day at the Cruise Next desk. All sell out. 
 

Wines around the World, will take you to 4 stations with wines of various countries. The experience you get at each station will depend on the wine stewards. Some are good about talking about the wines. Some don’t talk much and will just serve you. You sample each of the wines. 
 

People like to complain that it isn’t intimate tasting event. Yup. Lots of platinum and above passengers. But if you want to taste (or drink) 8ish wines, then it is a fun experience. We do it in every cruise. 
 

The Encore was one recent exception where the Cellar Master had the steward focus on the cost of the wines by the bottle and by the glass. 
 

 

Edited June 27, 2023 by BirdTravels

[seemoreroyals]

We have done it once on the Bliss and were underwhelmed.  Going to try it again on our upcoming cruise Prima.  We may need it if we get one of those noisy cabins.  Hoping for better results on Prima than on Bliss.  

 

On the Bliss it was disorganized and felt haphazard and thrown together.  We were expecting something more informative.  I only liked one of the wines we tasted and went back to ask for a second taste as we were thinking about purchasing a couple of bottles to drink on our balcony while on board.  

 

My request for a second tasting was denied.  Thought that was strange as the event we went to was lightly attended and they had plenty of supply on hand.  I could see if organized properly the Wines Around the World could be a fun event .

[cruiseny4life]

4 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

The Encore was one recent exception where the Cellar Master had the steward focus on the cost of the wines by the bottle and by the glass. 

Do you mean the steward (sommelier, I'd hope) only focused on how much the wine cost rather than tasting notes? Origin of the winery? Anything actually of interest? 

[relmondcrsise]

I was wondering about this too and found this great review:

Wines Around the World Review

[The Traveling Man]

9 hours ago, Portia! said:

One more thing, you need to register for the event at the CruiseNext desk the first day of your cruise. It sometimes sells out - at the event people check in with an NCL representative who has a list provided by CruiseNext. Cheers!

Definitely need to register.  Space is limited and the date/time usually is not published in the Freestyle Daily.  You'll need to check with CN to find out when and where.

[The Traveling Man]

4 hours ago, cruiseny4life said:

Do you mean the steward (sommelier, I'd hope) only focused on how much the wine cost rather than tasting notes? Origin of the winery? Anything actually of interest? 

It has varied widely on the three cruises we have taken since it was instituted.  None of those three measured up to the experience you might expect when visiting the tasting room of an actual winery.  Very little info was given by the crew, because usually those assigned to the tasting are not registered sommeliers, but simply waiters or bar staff.  Mostly it's just "here's some wine" and "what can I get you?"  I have never heard any of the crew make recommendations for food pairings or provide any other details about the wine.  OTOH, we also have experienced pay-to-play wine tastings on board several ships which were conducted by actual sommeliers who were very informative.  BTW, during our first Wines Around the World they only assigned one wine steward and one bus boy for a group of almost 40 Sapphire / Diamond / Ambassadors.  We ended up pouring our own wine, so there were no limits on how many times we could go back to the same bottle.

[cruiseny4life]

14 hours ago, The Traveling Man said:

It has varied widely on the three cruises we have taken since it was instituted.  None of those three measured up to the experience you might expect when visiting the tasting room of an actual winery.  Very little info was given by the crew, because usually those assigned to the tasting are not registered sommeliers, but simply waiters or bar staff.  Mostly it's just "here's some wine" and "what can I get you?"  I have never heard any of the crew make recommendations for food pairings or provide any other details about the wine.  OTOH, we also have experienced pay-to-play wine tastings on board several ships which were conducted by actual sommeliers who were very informative.  BTW, during our first Wines Around the World they only assigned one wine steward and one bus boy for a group of almost 40 Sapphire / Diamond / Ambassadors.  We ended up pouring our own wine, so there were no limits on how many times we could go back to the same bottle.

Thanks! The pay-to-play Wines Around the World is what I would have expected, even for the perk-included wine trip. I'm not exactly a drinker, but when (if?) I get to that Latitude level I'd like to participate. I don't think it's smart to do the pay one. Perhaps NCL will up the game a wee little bit. Or, I'll grab some wine and find the most intelligible guest. If this is like anything else, I'm sure each event has one guest who knows more than everyone (though this doesn't sound hard to do).

 

I do appreciate that context! BTW, I'm still not so sure I agree with the spit bucket. I suppose if a pour of wine is really nasty then sure, but why is NCL pouring that wine? Alas, so much to wine culture I don't understand.

[Portia!]

Generally it is considered a 'rinse bucket' not a 'spit bucket'. Rinsing the glass before, say, switching from a red to a white or a sweet to a dry, improves the tasting experience. None of the wine is nasty. They are all wines served on the ship and served to people who are willing to pay for them. Some people don't want to finish the sample they were poured. People have their own preferences - a wine might be sweeter or drier than their preferences etc. Perhaps someone doesn't normally drink red, but tried it because it was free, then realized that they really don't like red. They shouldn't be forced to finish it if they don't care for it. The wines are generally more expensive than the basic FAS wines, so an encouragement to try things outside of the FAS range. Good for NCL, good for the customer.

[UKstages]

40 minutes ago, cruiseny4life said:

I'm sure each event has one guest who knows more than everyone…

you have just described every. single. cruise critic. thread.

 

42 minutes ago, cruiseny4life said:

I'm still not so sure I agree with the spit bucket. I suppose if a pour of wine is really nasty then sure, but why is NCL pouring that wine?

it’s a wine tasting… not a wine drinking event. it’s intended to allow you to sample different wines with a clear head, so you can note the subtleties in the mouth feel and the bouquet and determine if there are any that you’d like to drink on a regular basis. after a sip or two, or three, you move on to sample another. some folks don’t even find it necessary to - you’ll pardon the expression - swallow.
 

at a “real” tasting, you can often end with a full pour of your favorite from that session, but it sounds like that may not always be possible with NCL.

[schmoopie17]

Mrs. Schmoopie claims that her husband "whines around the world".

[The Traveling Man]

2 hours ago, cruiseny4life said:

BTW, I'm still not so sure I agree with the spit bucket. I suppose if a pour of wine is really nasty then sure, but why is NCL pouring that wine? Alas, so much to wine culture I don't understand.

It's a wine tasting event, not a wine drinking party.  We taste first with our eyes, then with our nose, and finally with our mouth.  We do not taste with our stomach.  But yes, I also like to actually drink at wine tastings.

[The Traveling Man]

2 hours ago, UKstages said:

you have just described every. single. cruise critic. thread.

 

it’s a wine tasting… not a wine drinking event. it’s intended to allow you to sample different wines with a clear head, so you can note the subtleties in the mouth feel and the bouquet and determine if there are any that you’d like to drink on a regular basis. after a sip or two, or three, you move on to sample another. some folks don’t even find it necessary to - you’ll pardon the expression - swallow.
 

at a “real” tasting, you can often end with a full pour of your favorite from that session, but it sounds like that may not always be possible with NCL.

This discussion reminds me of a scene from the movie "There's a Girl in My Soup" starring Peter Sellers and Goldie Hawn.  He plays a sophisticated wine connoisseur while her character is a hippie-dippy teenager.  She accompanies him to a wine tasting event where he tastes (samples) several dozen different wines, making frequent use of the available "spit bucket."  She also samples many glasses of wine, but as she is unaware of the proper etiquette of tasting, not swallowing, she quickly becomes falling-down drunk.  High jinks ensue.

Edited June 28, 2023 by The Traveling Man

[The Traveling Man]

3 hours ago, Portia! said:

Generally it is considered a 'rinse bucket' not a 'spit bucket'.

For several years NCL featured a show on some cruises called "Wine Lovers - The Musical."  It was a pay-to-play wine tasting event wrapped around a musical revue.  One of the catchy tunes in the show was titled "See, Swirl, Sniff.  Sip, Swish, Spit."  The message, obviously, was that we attend wine tastings to taste and evaluate the wines, not necessarily to consume them.

[cruiseny4life]

Uh-oh! I'm afraid I'm the hippie-dippy teenager in this discussion. I appreciate you both ( @UKstages and @The Traveling Man) educating me. I certainly wouldn't know. I have one wine that I drink. It's from Montana, Ten Spoon winery (vineyard?). They make, what my uncultured tongue believes, is a lovely Flathead Cherry wine. I have a couple bottles left from when my husband was in Montana (summer, 2021). I save it for only special occasions, with other wine drinkers, as I know I'll just drink the entire bottle myself, in one sitting. Don't worry. I do use a wine glass; I don't drink straight from the bottle! 

 

When I do tea or coffee tastings, I do drink the entire cup in front of me, then move on to the next. I suppose tastings are lost on me, but I'd still enjoy a Wines Around the World event. Perhaps if I try it out I'd understand why you all use a rinse bucket.

 

And so, thank you for educating a backwoods hippie-dippy (wish I still was a) teenager. 🙂

[The Traveling Man]

6 minutes ago, cruiseny4life said:

And so, thank you for educating a backwoods hippie-dippy (wish I still was a) teenager. 🙂

Looking forward to seeing you sometime on a cruise.  Perhaps at a wine tasting.  Maybe high jinks will ensue!

[RB9643]

 

I have never in my life been to a wine tasting with someone who doesn't drink the wine. I suppose it happens, but not in my social circle.

 

In our group, if you like it, drink it. If you don't, drink it anyway, the next one will be better. Spitting it out, or just taking a sip, pretty much defeats the purpose of the trip.

 

 

[JustAllie]

I've definitely seen some people at wine tastings pour out the tasting of a wine they really didn't like. I've also seen the person presenting the wines carefully swirl, sniff, and taste the wine and then pour it out. That person is there to host and present the wines, not to get tipsy. 

 

I rarely find a wine so unpalatable that I will pour it out, but it has probably happened a couple of times over the years. Usually it's the really sweet wines that I reject. 

[BirdTravels]

On 6/28/2023 at 8:07 AM, cruiseny4life said:

Thanks! The pay-to-play Wines Around the World is what I would have expected, even for the perk-included wine trip. I'm not exactly a drinker, but when (if?) I get to that Latitude level I'd like to participate. I don't think it's smart to do the pay one. Perhaps NCL will up the game a wee little bit. Or, I'll grab some wine and find the most intelligible guest. If this is like anything else, I'm sure each event has one guest who knows more than everyone (though this doesn't sound hard to do).

 

I do appreciate that context! BTW, I'm still not so sure I agree with the spit bucket. I suppose if a pour of wine is really nasty then sure, but why is NCL pouring that wine? Alas, so much to wine culture I don't understand.

Not a spit bucket.
 

You rinse your cup between tasting. 

 

And it does not have to be a testing. You can drink as much as you want. And go back for more. And it is a drinking party. 

Edited June 30, 2023 by BirdTravels