Cruise Ship Wine Info

[rrawhide]

Went on a Mexican Riveria Cruise last week and thought I would share some wine stuff with you.

back safely - the ship missed the whales but lost a lot of wine and booze from the bottles falling off shelves and breaking. Hummmm - actually what happened is that a pod of whales surfaced right in front of the ship and the pilot spun the wheel to miss them and we healed over and back. Bottles and yells were everywhere and some of the pool water soaked several of the passageway carpets. once in a while something like this happens but not very ofter. balance of cruise was wonderful but you gain about a pound a day!!!! gotta lay off everything including wine until I get this off!!!! bah humbug.

drank a few margaritas - no water except bottled - and took some wine with me. my luggage (with the wine) did not arrive with our other bags and I inquired why. THEN there was a letter stuffed under my door. Please come to the reading room to pick up my suitcase as there was some contraband inside in the form of bottles. hummmmmmm!!! Well, went up there and found a line of 30-40 people that had received the same letter. So, you could either release your wine there (to be returned at debarking) or pay corkage. It's all about the money - anyway, they charged $15 per bottle for corkage and they gave your wine back to you with a 'corkage paid' label attached. You then could take your wines to dinner or whatever. To give you a idea of the wine prices on board - a bottle of Berringer White Zin (normally 4.99 to 7.99 retail) is $22. I took 4 bottles of nice commercial wine with us and what I paid plus the corkage - was still quite a bit less that the ship's price for the same.

Did attend a wine tasting on board - $15 charge to taste 6 wines - 4 white and 2 reds. There was French, German, Australian, Chileian, Italian and American. Wow. The wine officer gave a wonderful presentation as well. Went to see him afterwards and told him I was a newbie winemaker and he was really interested. While we were talking he opened another bottle and gave me a taste. Asked me what I thought and I told him as much as I could - then he told me that this was a several year old Italian SuperTuscan - and was over $150 a bottle. Needless to say I only had about 1" in a glass but WOW is the only word I can come up with to describe this. This will be the target for my wines!!! Yeah, right!!!

Anyway, the conversation with this wine officer was amazing. He also said that next port he would go off the ship and make me a copy of a high level professional wine course from around the world. I said sure and promptly forgot about it. Two days later he called and said he had something for me. It was a copy of the course - 6 hours - from and about wines all over the world. I was really amazed that he really did this for me and it turned out to be a wonderful DVD wine course.

Enough rambling for now - hope all is well and your wines are all happy!!! you too!!!

rick
rrawhide

 

[NorthernWinos]

Sounds like a fantastic time....a cruise to remember.


The wine course sounds interesting....tell us about it.

 

[Joanie]

Sounds like a great trip We need photos!!!!

 

[rrawhide]

Well - here is the description of the course. It is about 300 minutes and I have only gone through the front half. Lots of great photos and interviews. Definately worth the time to look at. I noticed that Ebay and Amazon both have this product. This Jancis Robinson seems very well aclaimed both here and abroad. Enjoyed it so far. You might Google Jancis Robinson and see all she has done. Hope that this helps.


rrawhide

Product Description
Over the course of five videos, Jancis Robinson gives us a basic understanding of wine: how it is made, how to appreciate it, how to properly store, open, and drink it. Robinson is an expert in the field, editor of The Oxford Companion to Wine, as well as a columnist for the Wine Spectator. These tapes, though, are not just about the drink; just as interesting is her look into the people behind the wines. Each video introduces a new locale and the people who cultivate the grapes and turn them into nectar. Robinson never speaks down to her viewer--she points out that wine should not be a serious subject, that its point is to provide pleasure--although she is frequently a bit condescending to the vintners in her interviews, making the show all the more amusing. Some of the best moments occur when she offers a winemaker a taste of the competitor's wine--somehow they never think it is quite up their own standards. She revels in revealing the scandals and failures of the wine world, providing a gossipy feel. While the wine course is more than enough reason to watch this series, the cinematography is spectacular, beautifully highlighting the wine-growing regions of the world--from Australia to Chile to Oregon to Europe. Mixing history and culture with nuts and bolts, this set is a perfect place to start if you have little or no previous knowledge of wine.

 

[Nebraska-Wino]

Hi Rick...


Sounds like a very memorable trip!!


Jancis Robinson has made some very interesting DVDs. I have seen some of them. She is quite a woman. I read somewhere, a few years ago, that she is one of only 10 female "Master sommeliers" in the world. Andrea Immer is another one... very down to earth gal.


I have a "Super Tuscan" ageing but don't want to touch it for another year or so. It is the Cellar Craft Rosso Fortissimo. I can't wait to try it. I have never tasted a Super Tuscan but heard they are great.


Glad to hear you made it back safely.