List of wines and beer under Simply More?

[zteamtwo]

Vineyard--You are now the official Sommelier of CC.  I know tastes do vary, but, what are some of the wines by the glass that you really like? 

[Vineyard View]

That a giant stretch. There are however some very experienced wine connoisseurs on this board who could provide more expertise than I. Hopefully they will chime in. As well as those who have tried the wines on this list.
We just know what we like, and our collection is very heavy in reds. TBH the only wine from California I would drink would be the Raymond Chardonnay. The rest I would not, white or red. I would experiment with the international wines, which is very fun to do. Depending on the meal, maybe the Chianti, Malbec, Tempranillo to start - but there are international varietals on the list I am not familiar with. The whites, would try Sauvignon Blanc, probably the France and S, Africa offerings. It’s enjoyable to try new wines. We usually ask for a taste first, because we don’t want to send back a full glass if we do not like it. If we don’t care for what we taste, we try something else.
Everyone has different preferences,  so mine will likely be different from yours, or the next person on this thread. Just enjoy. And bring back up on board!  Ha! 
 

 

[LHT28]

2 hours ago, Vineyard View said:

Thank you for this suggestion. We generally travel alone, but that is a great idea for groups! 
I was just thinking that it was nice to see local wines being loaded on the ship this year as a standard practice. 
I did not realize that the chefs on board will prepare meals for specific wine varietals, unless I am misunderstanding. 

 

 If you tell the "wine steward" what wine you brought onboard   they probably could suggest something from the menu  to pair with your wine

On the GDR menu they have suggestions of the  wine from the list  to have with certain dishes

Sample menu  see page 2

https://www.oceaniacruises.com/sites/default/files/2021-01/Grand-Dining-Room-Dinner-Menu.pdf

 

[babysteps]

4 hours ago, Vineyard View said:

An area I haven’t explored wines much in is upper NY, but I have heard that there are some very good wines

There are indeed some lovely wines from the Finger Lakes! And a few truly awful ones lol - the standard deviation is still high. Even the best wines are quite affordable compared to many other regions. The soil and climate encourage food-friendly balanced wines. Think Alsace or Loire more than Willamette or Sonoma et al. 

 

The landscape is amazing with our lakes that are really land locked fjords. The dirt is so amazing we still have Amish and Mennonites farming in the area. If you (or anyone on CC) ever visit, let me know - happy to offer guidance 🍷 

 

[ORV]

11 hours ago, Vineyard View said:

Does Oceania ever bring wines on board from the ports they are visiting, so that there are local and different wines to enjoy?  Reading this tells me that does not happen? . 

The best advice I could give on this would be that if you want a wine from a specific region that you are visiting buy it yourself and pay the corkage fee, or have it in your room with room service, or possibly if you are in PH or above with a nice dinner from a Specialty restaurant. 

[Vineyard View]

1 hour ago, ORV said:

The best advice I could give on this would be that if you want a wine from a specific region that you are visiting buy it yourself and pay the corkage fee, or have it in your room with room service, or possibly if you are in PH or above with a nice dinner from a Specialty restaurant. 

Absolutely I agree. As I mentioned, we always  bring wine on board. We just really enjoyed the cruise line bringing on local wines for all to try….granted, not necessarily high end wines, but the experience and concept was really nice. 

[Vineyard View]

3 hours ago, LHT28 said:

 

 If you tell the "wine steward" what wine you brought onboard   they probably could suggest something from the menu  to pair with your wine

On the GDR menu they have suggestions of the  wine from the list  to have with certain dishes

Sample menu  see page 2

https://www.oceaniacruises.com/sites/default/files/2021-01/Grand-Dining-Room-Dinner-Menu.pdf

 

Thank you for clarifying. I didn’t think that Oceania prepared requested meals. We are generally pretty adept at matching with most food options, but certainly not all. Sommeliers can be extremely helpful. 

[Vineyard View]

1 hour ago, babysteps said:

There are indeed some lovely wines from the Finger Lakes! And a few truly awful ones lol - the standard deviation is still high. Even the best wines are quite affordable compared to many other regions. The soil and climate encourage food-friendly balanced wines. Think Alsace or Loire more than Willamette or Sonoma et al. 

 

The landscape is amazing with our lakes that are really land locked fjords. The dirt is so amazing we still have Amish and Mennonites farming in the area. If you (or anyone on CC) ever visit, let me know - happy to offer guidance 🍷 

 

Love your honesty. The same can be found here in Sonoma….over the top, and “open and dump”. Thankfully it’s mostly very good - to over the top. Now I know who to reach out to if we head your way. I would love to see ‘your country’. I’ve been Upstate, but not Fingers Lake. 

 

[tipsygirl]

On 10/16/2023 at 3:10 PM, zteamtwo said:

Good point shepherd. Question:

1. Can you think of any lunch or dinner restaurant where the free wine is not offered? Waves grill?? Room service?

2. Can you ask to sample a couple of wines at lunch or dinner to see what you like?

 

On 10/17/2023 at 2:54 PM, Vineyard View said:

We are fairly fortunate where we live to easily explore a myriad of different wines, so we have a good idea of the attributes in a wine that work for us….more so from our area, but also from our travels. 
I can say after looking at this list that there are a couple that would be fine. There are more than that which would not work for us, and there are some we are not familiar with. I am always open to trying new wines!  But we always bring wine on board as added insurance, as long as we are in a part of the world that is conducive to! I am not sure I would have counted on Asia but what a nice surprise!

 

An area I haven’t explored wines much in is upper NY, but I have heard that there are some very good wines produced there. 

 

Not sure I would have planned 

 

On 10/16/2023 at 1:36 PM, LHT28 said:

most of the wines were the same as on the menus that were posted in Jan

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2904150-riviera-new-bar-drinks-menus-and-prices/

 

Since we have never purchased a drink package (we bring our wine suitcase and/or purchase wines onshore) and now have one as part of SB, pardon my questions. I assume that one can order a glass of any wine on the SB list, and the price listed is what someone would pay who does not have a drink package? Is that only with meals, or in bars also?

[Mkdvmz]

The Albariño from Spain is quite good as the the Soave Classico. All of the wines on the “wines by the glass “ menu are available in every bar and dining room. If you are on Simply more these wines are available without charge at meal times only. If you have the prestige beverage package, the wines are available any time of the day and evening in any dining room, bar or room service

[Mkdvmz]

We were going to buy wine in Sicily at our stop in Messina but because it was Sunday, the wines shops were closed

[Hambagahle]

12 minutes ago, Mkdvmz said:

We were going to buy wine in Sicily at our stop in Messina but because it was Sunday, the wines shops were closed

Too bad you didn't try a supermarket.  They are usually open in Italy on Sundays and sell wine.

[tipsygirl]

Thanks for the clarification. So the SB drink package is like wine on a river cruise.

 

[LHT28]

1 hour ago, tipsygirl said:

Thanks for the clarification. So the SB drink package is like wine on a river cruise.

 

What is SB list?

 

The only river cruise we were on it was a choice of red or white  ..whatever the waiter were  carrying around

Oceania  you can choose  from the "wine by the glass" list   for  the Simply More  package  at meals

[Mkdvmz]

Simply More, SM, not SB. The Chianti and friuli (a Pinot Grigio) were also very good. Alcoholic drinks are also included in the prestige package

[basor]

7 hours ago, tipsygirl said:

Thanks for the clarification. So the SB drink package is like wine on a river cruise.

 

No - on river cruise you have a choice of one red or one white that they carry around - on O there is an extensive list of red, white, rose, champagne, beer and port by the glass....all are included in any dining venue during meal times.

[pinotlover]

26 minutes ago, basor said:

No - on river cruise you have a choice of one red or one white that they carry around - on O there is an extensive list of red, white, rose, champagne, beer and port by the glass....all are included in any dining venue during meal times.

Sounds more like Viking or AMA. Uniworld typically provides a very nice selection of differing local wines to accompany meals. Unlike the other two ( Viking and AMA) ghastly offerings, on Uniworld we had delightful Romanian wines in Romania, followed by great Bulgarian wines while in Bulgaria, etc . The same can be said if on Rhone or Bordeaux cruises on Uniworld. Think of the delight of having delectable oysters on the half shelf and a beautiful Bdx Blanc sailing upon the Gironde on a beautiful evening. Totally out of the wheelhouse of the guys sitting in Miami. I doubt if Miami buyers even realize the incredible pairing. Besides, the F&B Mgr can’t buy fresh oysters and the on board wine stewards can’t buy local wines.

 

That’s why we escape the ship and have delicious lunches or dinner ashore.

[basor]

Just now, pinotlover said:

Sounds more like Viking or AMA. Uniworld typically provides a very nice selection of differing local wines to accompany meals. Unlike the other two ( Viking and AMA) ghastly offerings, on Uniworld we had delightful Romanian wines in Romania, followed by great Bulgarian wines while in Bulgaria, etc . The same can be said if on Rhone or Bordeaux cruises on Uniworld. Think of the delight of having delectable oysters on the half shelf and a beautiful Bdx Blanc sailing upon the Gironde on a beautiful evening. Totally out of the wheelhouse of the guys sitting in Miami. I doubt if Miami buyers even realize the incredible pairing. Besides, the F&B Mgr can’t buy fresh oysters and the on board wine stewards can’t buy local wines.

 

That’s why we escape the ship and have delicious lunches or dinner ashore.

I was simply answering the OP's question if it was like Viking - which it is not, since Viking does not give any choice of wine poured other than red or white....I was not commenting on the quality of the choice just that you have one.  Not everyone has your well refined palate and do enjoy some of the offerings onboard O.  Obviously, enjoying a lovely meal ashore with local wines and food is the ideal but not always an option when not in port,

[pinotlover]

40 minutes ago, basor said:

I was simply answering the OP's question if it was like Viking - which it is not, since Viking does not give any choice of wine poured other than red or white....I was not commenting on the quality of the choice just that you have one.  Not everyone has your well refined palate and do enjoy some of the offerings onboard O.  Obviously, enjoying a lovely meal ashore with local wines and food is the ideal but not always an option when not in port,

I find some of the Oceania by the glass offerings very acceptable. I wrote a post highlighting some of the better ones, imo, from our June Vista cruise in early July. Some were very nice indeed. Some were Plonk. I attempt to be even handed here. Some report that every meal is exceptional ( even Michelin Class) and every wine tasty. My experience is some meals are excellent, some mediocre, and a few poor. I likewise find some wines “ by the glass “ to be good and others a far lesser quality. You have your opinion, I have mine! 🥂

[Vineyard View]

We found on both Viking Oceans and Rivers that if we did not enjoy the two wines the stewards were offering, we would ask for an alternative and they would gladly bring other options. 
 

Thanks Pinot for the feedback on Uniworld. Our TA speaks highly of them. We  are actually considering another river in 2025 and they, AMA and lastly Viking are on the list.