Question about Wine Onboard
Hello everyone,
I am taking a trip to Oktoberfest this September with Tauck, and had a question regarding the wine on board the ship.
My wife and and I are wine professionals and we wondered if the wines offered on the ship reflect the areas we are traveling through (Alsace and Germany for example... our absolute favorite regions for wine.) Or do they have a standard wine offering that is the same from ship to ship. Either way we are very excited, but were just curious. Thanks in advance!
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The river boats do have regional wines. I’m far from being a connoisseur but have always enjoyed the selections, especially the wine pairings during the special dinners. Befriend the sommelier; she/he will take good care of you. Enjoy!
Thanks!
My pleasure.
Yes they do use regional wines. On a previous cruise I had a chance to talk with the sommelier about how much latitude he has in picking wines. Quite a bit and he worked with the chef on matching it to the menu for that day. On the last few cruises we've had the sommelier would come up to the lounge at happy hour and talked about the wines that night. If you buy something off ship you like they'll serve it to you. No issues.
I’ve also heard about a special wine cellar that the river boats have. Is there a separate wine list for this? Is it general knowledge or something that is kept secret? (Until now, I guess!)
I can’t imagine wine professionals would be impressed by anything that is onboard. Maybe the French owned small ship cruises would have better choices. We have dined with the Captains on several of those ships and the wine they chose for the table is pretty good.
Please tell us if you think the wines are good and any recommendations!
mjhandle - I am unaware of a “special” wine cellar. There is a wine list available for varietals beyond the normally stocked items. On a few occasions I have asked if a certain regional wine was available and it was. If something is not available, I am sure the sommelier will offer an alternative.
British - Which river boat wine(s) were you not impressed with? I have only been on one Ponant tour and I thought the wine offerings on the river boats were far superior.
I was referring to the Small ship cruises when we had the good fortune to dine with the Captains. They chose the wines for the table for each course and being French, they seem to know their wines. We have only taken one river cruise with Tauck, we prefer land tours. We tend to like French and New Zealand wines best. We have not found a Californian Chardonnay we like. Think it’s because we always had more access to European wines in England. We have enjoyed un-oaked Chardonnay when we can find it. So unsure as if we know a lot about wines, but we don’t, we just know what we seem to like and definitely more into white wines than reds these days.
Isl1995 hasn’t been back to the forum yet anyway.
I rarely drink Chardonnay, but my husband likes Clos du Bois from Sonoma. I don’t know if you have tried that.
On one of our last trips, “Savoring France”, it was basically a wine tour and we learned a lot about French wines. One of the things we learned was that the French freely admit, is that French wines are made with American grapes. A blight was wiping out the French vineyards, and the only way they could save the industry was to cross their vines with those from the US, because the US grapes were immune to the blight that was wiping out their industry. Without the US vines, there would. be no French wine industry.
Yes, but the soil and the blending methods will be different and no sulfites
Indeed. And IHOP makes better pancakes than Bisquick. And we have better wines here in California than you can easily get in Philly. As in many wine growing regions the best wines never make it across the border. My brother in law was one of the founders of Ravenswood when it was a small company. The vintner, Joel, made the first wine, but he did not have enough money to buy the bottles. My brother in law bought the bottles. Ravenswood got bought out from under them, but Joel and his son both have their own wine labels now. I don't know anything about sulfites in wine, but I think most California wines bottles contain ‘wine’. I flew to Chile in the past and really liked their wines, but their best wines never leave Chile.
P.S. Small amount of researh. All wines contain sulfites.
You’ve got me researching now too. I found this
European Union regulations are stricter on sulfite use than US regulations, contributing to lower sulfite levels ——meaning restricting the addition of extra sulfites to supplement those that occur naturally in the fermentation process
This goes without saying that, for example, French cosmetics made in France are better than U.S. cosmetics with all the preservatives that are currently banned in Europe and still allowed here! Recently returning from Italy, I learned the same about Italian Olive Oil. It’s all very interesting.
So sorry to go off subject…I’ve been on several olive oil tastings with Tauck in different areas of the world and I learned that most countries but not the US…specifically California and also New Zealand have strict rules and their oils cannot but adulterated with anything, where as say Italy and Spain can have things added. As a consequence, I always buy olive oil from California.
Kfnknfzk…I like Clos du Bois also. Tell your husband to try Mer Soleil and Chateau Saint Michelle “Mimi” (not their other vineyards); they’re my faves. He should love them.
I've heard claims of off menu wine offerings but have never personally known anyone who used it nor, after 6 Tauck river cruises, heard any ship personnel say that it's an option. On one forum thread quite awhile ago someone said they'd asked for a particular cocktail which the bar didn't have the ingredients for that day but by the next they had bought what was needed.
Yes, the Saint Michelle is a pantry staple. I’ll look for your other suggestion. Thanks, mfrancis. This is what makes the forum so valuable. Like-minded individuals helping one another.