What size are the wine pours?

[Hobar]

Recently returned from another cruise line that is all-inclusive.  Knowing I will be going on HAL early next year and have limited drinks in the package, I counted what I drank of the unlimited drinks.  I barely reached 15, but then again there are some healthy pours (and glasses refilled before glass is drained). I wonder if there are just larger pours and glasses refilled w/o counting.  What size are the wine pours on HAL?  

[crystalspin]

1 hour ago, Hobar said:

I wonder if there are just larger pours and glasses refilled w/o counting.  What size are the wine pours on HAL?  (I anticipate I may exceed, but just wondering.)

Assume that all beverages will be counted (the computer does this). If you and a partner are getting drinks together and your steward/bartender is willing to take one keycard for two persons' drinks, be sure to alternate cards. Assume the wine-pours are 5oz (my sommelier SIL says that is industry standard), but they may push 6. 

[oakridger]

I agree with @crystalspin.  Yes, I experienced 5-6 oz standard pours on HAL but like in just about every bar I have been in anywhere, once you become a "regular" at a bar the pours have tended to become a little more generous.  Even with the standard pours they are a fair size serving!  (I was a bartender many years ago)  🙂

 

P.S.- I get great service and good sized servings and I never tip extra for drinks until the end of the cruise if my bartenders are really good/friendly!  

 

~Nancy

Edited November 30, 2023 by oakridger

[Catlover54]

4-5 ounzes, as I recall (120-150 cc)

[POA1]

Based on some fairly extensive "research," figure on 5 ounces. There are 5 glasses in a standard 750 ml bottle. 750 ml = 25.361 fluid ounces.

[Mary229]

2 hours ago, POA1 said:

Based on some fairly extensive "research," figure on 5 ounces. There are 5 glasses in a standard 750 ml bottle. 750 ml = 25.361 fluid ounces.

We always assume 5 pours to a bottle on HAL

 

[POA1]

5 minutes ago, Mary229 said:

We always assume 5 pours to a bottle on HAL

 

Yes, indeed. That's pretty much standard. If a couple is splitting a bottle, you'll go ~4 oz to get 3 glasses each.

 

Dessert wine pours are usually 2 oz and fortified wine pours are around 3 oz. If you are doing a tasting, you pour 2 to 3 oz.

[Bruinboy]

Having had a wine store for a few years featuring regular tastings, one gets accustomed to eyeing a five ounce pour. Of course, some establishments have a subtle, almost undetectable mark on each glass that marks a five ounce pour. I've only cruised with HAL three times and never thought to look if their wine glasses have a little mark on them. My wife is a wine glass snob. She keeps Riedel in business. I'm not as particular. We have a 35 day cruise coming up in February so I'll have plenty of days to do some sleuthing. 

 

 

 

[oldbluff]

16 minutes ago, Bruinboy said:

Having had a wine store for a few years featuring regular tastings, one gets accustomed to eyeing a five ounce pour. Of course, some establishments have a subtle, almost undetectable mark on each glass that marks a five ounce pour. I've only cruised with HAL three times and never thought to look if their wine glasses have a little mark on them. My wife is a wine glass snob. She keeps Riedel in business. I'm not as particular. We have a 35 day cruise coming up in February so I'll have plenty of days to do some sleuthing. 

 

 

 

Research is important for insight, as is evidenced by POA1. Happy sleuthing!

[FlaMariner]

10 hours ago, Hobar said:

What size are the wine pours on HAL?  

 

With my Sommelier Wine package, I tell the waiter "when". Customized wine pour to fit every situation. 

[Seasick Sailor]

The question as to wine pours: our dear bartender J*** says the pour is "officially" 4 Oz but most pour 5 sometimes 6 oz depending on wine quality.  That doesn't really make sense does it? The cheaper wines get another ounce? WTH?? LOL

[Real NHDOC]

3 hours ago, Bruinboy said:

Having had a wine store for a few years featuring regular tastings, one gets accustomed to eyeing a five ounce pour. Of course, some establishments have a subtle, almost undetectable mark on each glass that marks a five ounce pour. I've only cruised with HAL three times and never thought to look if their wine glasses have a little mark on them. My wife is a wine glass snob. She keeps Riedel in business. I'm not as particular. We have a 35 day cruise coming up in February so I'll have plenty of days to do some sleuthing. 

 

 

 

Celebrity uses Riedel glasses and on our most recent cruise on Summit we did notice those glasses have a faint line on them which the bartender confirmed is their "fill line".  I can't say I have ever noticed it before and only the inexperienced servers seemed to look for it but sure enough it was there.

[Hobar]

12 hours ago, FlaMariner said:

 

With my Sommelier Wine package, I tell the waiter "when". Customized wine pour to fit every situation. 

Well, of course. But my question was about the wine pour for the drink package. Heck, for your revenue wine, the sommelier can pour a 750 ml bottle all at once into a 750 ml glass. That said, a waiter who knows wine knows when to stop to ensure there is enough room for it to properly aerate and to swirl, which is often before a patron says “when.” 

[Hobar]

15 hours ago, Bruinboy said:

My wife is a wine glass snob. She keeps Riedel in business. 

Which brings me to my next question.  Does HAL have Riedel glasses on board, and if so, are they only for the premium wines, AND which Riedel collection?  What glassware is used for non-premium wine?  (I actually think Zwiesel is perfectly fine for daily wine on a cruise so I would be happy with that.)

Edited December 1, 2023 by Hobar

[Hlitner]

Lets have fun with some math.  Assuming 5 oz wine pours (which we think is close to reality) if one were to have 15 glasses of wine in a day that would be 75 ounces or more than 2 QTs!  If somebody is drink that much wine, most days, they have some problems.  But lets assume they simply have cocktails where the pour is about 1 1/2 ounce.  15 cocktails would be over 16 ounces of booze....and we that is not a good thing.  Even 15 cans of beer is not generally considered a good idea.

 

As to the glassware on HAL, it is not Reidel or anything close.  They are generic commercial wine glasses that are designed to survive the very hot glass washing machines.  We could start a fun debate about whether glassware really matters.  Yes, I know that most oenophiles (of which I am one) will swear that the right glass matters.  Like most Oenophiles, we have our selection of glasses at home, know the basic rules, etc.  Does it really matter?   The shape certainly has some impact, but we cannot logically agree that the quality of the glass makes much (if any) difference.  At home, my favorite red wine glasses are huge (about 23 ounce) balloon glasses.  These allow lots of room for the wines to breath, are easy to swirl,  and do a great job gathering the bouquet.  I cannot accept that a special Bourdeaux glass makes Bordeaux taste better, or a burgundy glass makes a pinot noir taste better than if I poured it into a large balloon glass.  But we wine lovers have so much fun with all the hype around wine that we would not want to change anything.  Imagine how boring it would be if we all agreed that one wine glass was perfect for all wines.

 

But the sad thing is that on HAL (and nearly all mass market lines) you are not going to get "fine" wine glasses in most venues.

 

Hank

[whirldcruzrs]

13 hours ago, FlaMariner said:

 

With my Sommelier Wine package, I tell the waiter "when". Customized wine pour to fit every situation. 

Sommelier Wine package and “when” - sounds like an oxymoron. I wouldn’t even let my kids say “when” to a waiter in a restaurant.  

[whirldcruzrs]

6 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

Lets have fun with some math.  Assuming 5 oz wine pours (which we think is close to reality) if one were to have 15 glasses of wine in a day that would be 75 ounces or more than 2 QTs!  If somebody is drink that much wine, most days, they have some problems.  But lets assume they simply have cocktails where the pour is about 1 1/2 ounce.  15 cocktails would be over 16 ounces of booze....and we that is not a good thing.  Even 15 cans of beer is not generally considered a good idea.

I can’t speak for the OP, but with the 15 drink daily limit includes non-alcoholic beverages, if someone drinks 8 to 10 bottled waters, along with some specialty coffee, that leaves 5 to 7 drinks, which is not a whole lot on a cruise if one also drinks at lunch, I would think. I myself have drank 2 glasses of wine at lunch, 2 cocktails at a bar before dinner, 2 wines at dinner, and then an after-dinner drink or two. Not something I do at home, but certainly on a cruise, on a sea day. 

[whirldcruzrs]

.

Edited December 1, 2023 by whirldcruzrs

[ShipWalker]

At home I use precise measurements when serving wine.

 

 

[Hlitner]

38 minutes ago, whirldcruzrs said:

I can’t speak for the OP, but with the 15 drink daily limit includes non-alcoholic beverages, if someone drinks 8 to 10 bottled waters, along with some specialty coffee, that leaves 5 to 7 drinks, which is not a whole lot on a cruise if one also drinks at lunch, I would think. I myself have drank 2 glasses of wine at lunch, 2 cocktails at a bar before dinner, 2 wines at dinner, and then an after-dinner drink or two. Not something I do at home, but certainly on a cruise, on a sea day. 

Good point,  We have always thought that HAL was being ridiculous when including non-alcholic beverages as part of the limit.  DW and I never had an issue as we are fine drinking ice tea and tap water for most non-alcohol drinks.  Interesting that Princess only includes alcohol in their daily 15 drink limit.  To be honest, after our last 6b week HAL cruise, DW and I decided not to book anymore HAL voyages until they get their act together on many issues (the drink package was the least of our problems).  But including things like canned water in their drink package limit is symbolic of the cut-back mentality that seems to guide HAL thinking.

 

Hank

[crystalspin]

51 minutes ago, ShipWalker said:

At home I use precise measurements when serving wine.

 

 

OMG I love you.

[oakridger]

4 hours ago, Hobar said:

 Does HAL have Riedel glasses on board,

 

Yeeeaaaah..........if you want that quality of wine glass then you will need to go back to Seabourn or Crystal or a similar line.  But you already know that I assume.

 

Have a great cruise!  HAL can be enjoyable too.  🙂

 

~Nancy

 

[POA1]

4 hours ago, Hobar said:

Which brings me to my next question.  Does HAL have Riedel glasses on board, and if so, are they only for the premium wines, AND which Riedel collection?  What glassware is used for non-premium wine?  (I actually think Zwiesel is perfectly fine for daily wine on a cruise so I would be happy with that.)

OK, serious question. What are you planning to drink?

[Haljo1935]

5 hours ago, Hlitner said:

Lets have fun with some math...

Not possible 🤭

Now, "Fun With Wine Glasses" could be the title of your next guaranteed best-selling book...

[cruisemom42]

5 hours ago, whirldcruzrs said:

I can’t speak for the OP, but with the 15 drink daily limit includes non-alcoholic beverages, if someone drinks 8 to 10 bottled waters, along with some specialty coffee, that leaves 5 to 7 drinks, which is not a whole lot on a cruise if one also drinks at lunch, I would think. I myself have drank 2 glasses of wine at lunch, 2 cocktails at a bar before dinner, 2 wines at dinner, and then an after-dinner drink or two. Not something I do at home, but certainly on a cruise, on a sea day. 

I know people have gone crazy with this water thing, but are there really those who drink 8-10 cans of water a day? Isn’t that about 3.5 liters????