Box wine in MDR - has anyone asked to have this served

I have seen loads of info on the boards about bringing wine onboard and corkage fees being levied. My question is has anyone brought boxed wine into the main dining room and have it served by the sommelier? Was there a 'corkage fee' charged and what size was the box?

Please no sermons about stepping outside the 'box'!:D

I have seen loads of info on the boards about bringing wine onboard and corkage fees being levied. My question is has anyone brought boxed wine into the main dining room and have it served by the sommelier? Was there a 'corkage fee' charged and what size was the box?

 

Please no sermons about stepping outside the 'box'!:D

I just want to watch when they use the corkscrew on the boxed wine. you better be ready to drink fast and hope lots of people near you have empty wine glasses and like that wine!

Den

Never saw a box being served. They keep my white wine or rose chilled in a bucket next to the table.

Your asking the sommelier to run back and forth to the storage area when you want to top your glass? or Store it on the floor? Don't see it as a very feasible request of the staff.

if you really want to appear uncouth, why not go "the whole hog" ??:D:D

I would pay to see the expression on the very formal sommelier's face when you hand him the box of wine...........

i would keep the boxed wine for just your cabin, if you must have it at dinner, pour it yourself and carry the glass only, to the dining room. the box is a little tacky for the mdr, at least if you carry in the glass, in the correct glass, some may think that it was bought in one of the clubs....:D

I was pooh poohed by the sommelier for ordering a bottle of wine with a screwtop (but Madam, it has a screwww top!) I imagine his reaction to a box would be very entertaining.

I took a bottle of red wine on the ship once called fat bastard. Well the waiter nearly died laughing. The table next to us act ually asked t o try it also as they had never heard of it. The guy s ti ll didnt believe us as he thought it was a homemade label!!!!!

We stopped at the San Sabastian Winery in St Augustine for their tour. After the tour while there was a Q and A. I asked about their opinion of boxed wine. Was told that many wineries are considering it because the wine stays fresher as no air enters it as the wine is dispensed. The impurities in the air is what destroys wine. That is also the reason that beer from a keg goes bad after a few days if a air pump is used instead of CO2. Was also told that twist off caps are another option they are considering for bottles as the cork does not really seal the bottle as good.

Are you allowed to take a box on for use in your cabin?

Was there a 'corkage fee' charged and what size was the box? !:D

I have read that the corkage fee depends on how many bottles the box holds...fee is per bottle.

I took a bottle of red wine on the ship once called fat bastard. Well the waiter nearly died laughing. The table next to us act ually asked t o try it also as they had never heard of it. The guy s ti ll didnt believe us as he thought it was a homemade label!!!!!

The waiter would get a big laugh from the wine I had tonight. It was from Cupcake Vineyards. :)

My uncle used to make a wine called Old Sweat Socks. We didn't even WANT to try it. YUCK!

I would love, just for the fun, to bring a box to any of the dining rooms and see the reaction,- but my wife will kill me or ask for several massages.

I took a bottle of red wine on the ship once called fat bastard. Well the waiter nearly died laughing. The table next to us act ually asked t o try it also as they had never heard of it. The guy s ti ll didnt believe us as he thought it was a homemade label!!!!!

Actually Fat Bastard wines are fairly good for the price. They were named after an old English term, when describling a full-bodied wine they used to say, "Now that is a Fat Bastard".

I would go with the suggestion of each of you taking a glass of wine to the MDR. That way you won't be charged corkage.

Or you could take the box into MDR and tell them you'll be happy to pay corkage if they can find a cork.:rolleyes:

If you take a box wine to the MDR you will probably be more embarassed than you think. Most box wines are 3ltr or 5ltr (yes, there are 1.5 and smaller). If you take a 3liter how will you explain that you violated the policy of bringing 2 bottles (750ml) per cabin when your box is equal to 4 bottles?:eek:

I was pooh poohed by the sommelier for ordering a bottle of wine with a screwtop (but Madam, it has a screwww top!) I imagine his reaction to a box would be very entertaining.

Ah a sommelier who is completely unfamiliar with New Zealand wines then

Give me a break. Who is going to bring out a $10 box of grape juice and pay $25 to have it opened?

Even the cheapest bottle on the wine list will surpass the quality of any black box.

I believe you are sailing on the wrong cruise line.

Give me a break. Who is going to bring out a $10 box of grape juice and pay $25 to have it opened?

 

Even the cheapest bottle on the wine list will surpass the quality of any black box.

 

I believe you are sailing on the wrong cruise line.

Actually the whole concept of taking a box to MDR is hilarious!:p

S.I.- Possibly you need to "lighten up". I intend nothing personal, but I respectfully disagree with your second comment. There are a few box wines that leap above many "cheap bottles" of wine. I can also name some very expensive bottles of wine that did not meet "minimum standards".:confused:

I've taught wine classes and trained retail wine establishment employees for 20 years, so I feel somewhat qualified to have an opinion. In addition, wineries throughout the world have given me private tours and "put me up" on their properties. I'm past president of the Kansas Association of Beverage Retailers, and represented my state as a board member of the national liquor association for a number of years.

I pride myself on finding the best values in every price range. And to fulfill that philosophy I've done a serious study of wines in all categories, including box wines. I will admit that I've never found a box wine that "knocked my socks off", but I've found a number of them that I wouldn't hesitate to serve to my closest wine aficiondao friends.

I wouldn't normally do this but you have now inspired me to list some box wines that I definitely find pleasing. I know that I'm "asking for it" by doing this but you know, wine is subjective, which makes it so much fun. So attack if you must, somehow I will survive.:cool:

So here is a general list:

In the red category (dry reds)- FROM THE TANK Vin Rouge...FOUR Cabernet Sauvignon...PINOT EVIL Pinot Noir...BIG HOUSE Red...FRENCH RABBIT Pinot Noir...BOTA BOX Old Vine Zinfandel...BOTA BOX Shiraz...QUELU Cabernet Sauvignon...BLACK BOX Cabernet Sauvignon...BANROCK STATION Shiraz...HARDY'S Cabernet Sauvignon.

I'm a "red" wine person so I'll stop there. I WILL say, however, BLACK BOX Sauvignon Blanc is worth remembering.

So if you take a box wine to MDR you'll probably will get MY ATTENTION, and maybe a laugh or two.:p

And S.i., I would enjoy sharing wine with you. Happy Sailing:o

Actually the whole concept of taking a box to MDR is hilarious!:p...

So here is a general list:

In the red category (dry reds)- FROM THE TANK Vin Rouge...FOUR Cabernet Sauvignon...PINOT EVIL Pinot Noir...BIG HOUSE Red...FRENCH RABBIT Pinot Noir...BOTA BOX Old Vine Zinfandel...BOTA BOX Shiraz...QUELU Cabernet Sauvignon...BLACK BOX Cabernet Sauvignon...BANROCK STATION Shiraz...HARDY'S Cabernet Sauvignon.

 

I'm a "red" wine person so I'll stop there. I WILL say, however, BLACK BOX Sauvignon Blanc is worth remembering.

 

So if you take a box wine to MDR you'll probably will get MY ATTENTION, and maybe a laugh or two.:p

 

And S.i., I would enjoy sharing wine with you. Happy Sailing:o

I agree, taking a box to the dining room would be beyond odd. and over the 2 bottle limit.

though I won't carry it to the MDR, thanks for taking the time to list some decent boxed reds. Black box Cabernet has become our vin ordinaire. It might be nice to try a few others.

Actually the whole concept of taking a box to MDR is hilarious!:p

 

S.I.- Possibly you need to "lighten up". I intend nothing personal, but I respectfully disagree with your second comment. There are a few box wines that leap above many "cheap bottles" of wine. I can also name some very expensive bottles of wine that did not meet "minimum standards".:confused:

 

I've taught wine classes and trained retail wine establishment employees for 20 years, so I feel somewhat qualified to have an opinion. In addition, wineries throughout the world have given me private tours and "put me up" on their properties. I'm past president of the Kansas Association of Beverage Retailers, and represented my state as a board member of the national liquor association for a number of years.

 

I pride myself on finding the best values in every price range. And to fulfill that philosophy I've done a serious study of wines in all categories, including box wines. I will admit that I've never found a box wine that "knocked my socks off", but I've found a number of them that I wouldn't hesitate to serve to my closest wine aficiondao friends.

 

I wouldn't normally do this but you have now inspired me to list some box wines that I definitely find pleasing. I know that I'm "asking for it" by doing this but you know, wine is subjective, which makes it so much fun. So attack if you must, somehow I will survive.:cool:

 

So here is a general list:

In the red category (dry reds)- FROM THE TANK Vin Rouge...FOUR Cabernet Sauvignon...PINOT EVIL Pinot Noir...BIG HOUSE Red...FRENCH RABBIT Pinot Noir...BOTA BOX Old Vine Zinfandel...BOTA BOX Shiraz...QUELU Cabernet Sauvignon...BLACK BOX Cabernet Sauvignon...BANROCK STATION Shiraz...HARDY'S Cabernet Sauvignon.

 

I'm a "red" wine person so I'll stop there. I WILL say, however, BLACK BOX Sauvignon Blanc is worth remembering.

 

So if you take a box wine to MDR you'll probably will get MY ATTENTION, and maybe a laugh or two.:p

 

And S.i., I would enjoy sharing wine with you. Happy Sailing:o

Hilarious is right. I would love to see that. Actually, I didn't realize there were so many box wines. I will be looking for the BOTA BOX Shiraz.

Thanks for the list.

I agree, taking a box to the dining room would be beyond odd. and over the 2 bottle limit.

comments like this always boggle me - there are a lot of box wines that are just normal 750 ml size, or even 1 l. And they are probably far superior to the ones that come in a 3 l box with a spigot.