Opulence or Elegance Chardonnay in Luminae

[IggleDoer]

When browsing the wine lists, I saw that Luminae only offers Elegance or Opulence Chardonnay, but not both.   Can both be ordered?

[markeb]

I haven’t ordered the Elegance in Luminae. Doing a couple of random checks it’s on the MDR menu. If it’s on the ship the Luminae sommelier can almost certainly get it. The “go to” Chardonnay in Luminae is a white Burgundy, not Elegance. The Grgich Hills Opulence is now an up charge…
 

I never look at the wine list. The sommeliers are pretty good at grabbing something good, and there are frequently unlisted wines available. 

[IggleDoer]

Thanks, that’ll work for us. 

[zitsky]

2 hours ago, markeb said:

I haven’t ordered the Elegance in Luminae. Doing a couple of random checks it’s on the MDR menu. If it’s on the ship the Luminae sommelier can almost certainly get it. The “go to” Chardonnay in Luminae is a white Burgundy, not Elegance. The Grgich Hills Opulence is now an up charge…
 

I never look at the wine list. The sommeliers are pretty good at grabbing something good, and there are frequently unlisted wines available. 

“Can I interest you in a white wine from Lodi, CA” is not what I hope to hear in January.  😳

[markeb]

2 minutes ago, zitsky said:

“Can I interest you in a white wine from Lodi, CA” is not what I hope to hear in January.  😳

Had an excellent Lodi Chardonnay at a tasting last Saturday. You need to try them!

[zitsky]

23 minutes ago, markeb said:

Had an excellent Lodi Chardonnay at a tasting last Saturday. You need to try them!

Tell me about this wonderful Chardonnay?  Because I had a terrible Lodi Chardonnay recently.  If that’s the best they can do in Luminae, I’ll just stay home.

 

I prefer Napa Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc.  And Grúner Veltliner, Müller Thurgau, Vouvray, Viognier, etc.

Edited August 17 by zitsky

[markeb]

2 hours ago, zitsky said:

Tell me about this wonderful Chardonnay?  Because I had a terrible Lodi Chardonnay recently.  If that’s the best they can do in Luminae, I’ll just stay home.

 

I prefer Napa Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc.  And Grúner Veltliner, Müller Thurgau, Vouvray, Viognier, etc.

 

Oak Farm Vineyards. Not heavily oaked, no real butter. Just a nice, straight forward Chardonnay. I tend to think Lodi is too hot for Chardonnay, but there must be some cooler areas. I'm sure they're too low production for a cruise ship. And I expected a cooler weather grape like Chardonnay to be meh from Lodi. It was 14.5% ABV, so it was pretty ripe fruit!

 

We can completely derail another wine thread here...

 

I've been leaning towards Carneros for American Chardonnay lately (probably generally prefer French), but I've had some nice ones from Oregon and Washington as well. A few good ones here in Virginia (overpriced). Austrian Grüner Veltliner (I've had a couple of nice ones from Washington as well), California or French Sauvignon Blanc, although I've had some pretty nice Chilean ones as well. Never Marlborough! Your others would only be on someone's recommendation; they're just not that common. I've had a couple of really nice South African Chenin Blancs lately as well. None of those are going to hit a high volume cruise ship wine list...

[ExArkie]

7 hours ago, markeb said:

 

Oak Farm Vineyards. Not heavily oaked, no real butter. Just a nice, straight forward Chardonnay. I tend to think Lodi is too hot for Chardonnay, but there must be some cooler areas. I'm sure they're too low production for a cruise ship. And I expected a cooler weather grape like Chardonnay to be meh from Lodi. It was 14.5% ABV, so it was pretty ripe fruit!

 

We can completely derail another wine thread here...

 

I've been leaning towards Carneros for American Chardonnay lately (probably generally prefer French), but I've had some nice ones from Oregon and Washington as well. A few good ones here in Virginia (overpriced). Austrian Grüner Veltliner (I've had a couple of nice ones from Washington as well), California or French Sauvignon Blanc, although I've had some pretty nice Chilean ones as well. Never Marlborough! Your others would only be on someone's recommendation; they're just not that common. I've had a couple of really nice South African Chenin Blancs lately as well. None of those are going to hit a high volume cruise ship wine list...

I strongly recommend viognier and petit manseng for Virginia white wines. Many from the Monticello AVA and Nelson County have proven to be quite nice. 

[zitsky]

1 minute ago, ExArkie said:

I strongly recommend viognier and petit manseng for Virginia white wines. Many from the Monticello AVA and Nelson County have proven to be quite nice. 

We are visiting two wineries near Charlottesville in a few weeks.  Not sure what AVA that is.

[retired dude]

simple folks that dont do suites or premium restaurants. We do balcony, mdr and that is sufficient..As far as chardonnay we prefer the seeker brand from california on celebrity. It is only a $15 bottle(retail) of chard but is pleasant to me..Once again, we are pretty simple folks .We do however,l manage to take a couple of bottles of .....sonoma cutrer chardonnay onboard for our consumption on the balcony while listening to some smooth jazz(at a low level so i dont bother my neighbors)..life is good.

[zitsky]

24 minutes ago, retired dude said:

simple folks that dont do suites or premium restaurants. We do balcony, mdr and that is sufficient..As far as chardonnay we prefer the seeker brand from california on celebrity. It is only a $15 bottle(retail) of chard but is pleasant to me..Once again, we are pretty simple folks .We do however,l manage to take a couple of bottles of .....sonoma cutrer chardonnay onboard for our consumption on the balcony while listening to some smooth jazz(at a low level so i dont bother my neighbors)..life is good.

I like Ferrari Carano Fumé Blanc at home.  It’s $12.

 

I listen to Miles Davis and Sonny Rollins.  I wouldn’t be caught dead listening to David Benoit or Lance Allen or Joey Alexander.  🙂

[Straughn]

If you are a fan of Carneros Chardonnay, check out any of the ones from Cuvaison. They make a number of different ones. The basic one is generally available in grocery stores and wine shops. Some of the best ones are only available thru the winery and/or their wine club. 

[Jim_Iain]

Iain's a Chardonnay drinker and his preference in Luminae is Louis Jadot Steele.   They don't always have it stocked but the Sommelier always acquires it. 

[retired dude]

6 hours ago, zitsky said:

I like Ferrari Carano Fumé Blanc at home.  It’s $12.

 

I listen to Miles Davis and Sonny Rollins.  I wouldn’t be caught dead listening to David Benoit or Lance Allen or Joey Alexander.  🙂

wc

[thebutlerdidit]

On 8/17/2024 at 8:44 AM, retired dude said:

simple folks that dont do suites or premium restaurants. We do balcony, mdr and that is sufficient..As far as chardonnay we prefer the seeker brand from california on celebrity. It is only a $15 bottle(retail) of chard but is pleasant to me..Once again, we are pretty simple folks .We do however,l manage to take a couple of bottles of .....sonoma cutrer chardonnay onboard for our consumption on the balcony while listening to some smooth jazz(at a low level so i dont bother my neighbors)..life is good.

I came home with a bottle of The Seeker Chardonnay and really enjoyed it. I see it’s available on the Classic Beverage Package at $10 a glass. 

[zitsky]

16 minutes ago, thebutlerdidit said:

I came home with a bottle of The Seeker Chardonnay and really enjoyed it. I see it’s available on the Classic Beverage Package at $10 a glass. 

Only negative is region is “California”.  But it may be worth a try.  Not too oaky with only minor malolactic fermentation?

Edited August 18 by zitsky