Seabourn's "house wines"

[MARIANH]

This being post number 200.... I think Seabourn have heard enough...;)! I hope we all will be enjoying a good glass of wine in the (near) future on one of the Seabourn ships.... cheers!

Marja

 

Or maybe even a glass of good wine.

 

Salud

[Menelaus]

A jobsworth is a person who is very self important about their job. Normally a very run of the mill job eg. a parking lot attendent who insists that you are not parked correctly, in his eyes and according to his interpretation of the rules, or insists that you cannot pay with whatever change you like, has to be done his way. Think Frank Burns from MASH and you might get the idea.

[marazul]

Yes, SB management reads these boards.

 

Host Dan

 

Let's hope they do. I know it's a pet peeve of mine, but having Beringer white zin as the house rose is embarrasing! White zin is a cliche for cheap, tacky wine. If anything says the standards are down (slippage?), that's it.

[laryrob]

Let's hope they do. I know it's a pet peeve of mine, but having Beringer white zin as the house rose is embarrasing! White zin is a cliche for cheap, tacky wine. If anything says the standards are down (slippage?), that's it.

 

do they serve it in a brown paper bag-or just from the box?

[marazul]

do they serve it in a brown paper bag-or just from the box?

 

This past summer, I saw the wine waiter serve it from a bottle, with much flourish, to a German couple. I cringed. They winced upon tasting it and politely requested something (anything?) else.

[marchanxiety]

I hope they don't think that represents the current US taste in wine! I hold to my belief that the Beringer white zin has been in the hold for 15 years. Even my kids, back when they were illegal drinkers, wouldn't have touched that stuff.

[white oak]

for house wine that might be mason jars!

 

You might be a redneck if...........

[Seabourn-nail]

You might be a redneck if...........

 

I like your name "white oak"...... Like I like white oaky Chardonnay's;)!

I know most of the people prefer unoaked nowadays....

Marja

[wripro]

Menelaus,

 

A jobsworth then is obviously what I call a ribbon clerk.

[Menelaus]

It comes from " it's more than my jobsworth" eg. to let you park like that etc.

[white oak]

I like your name "white oak"...... Like I like white oaky Chardonnay's;)!

I know most of the people prefer unoaked nowadays....

Marja

 

Marja

 

I took the screen name White Oak because I had just returned from a trip to Sonoma County in California and joined the wine club at the White Oak Winery. I like reds but your right, the Chardonnays at White Oak are oaky or toasty as some call it. Good for softening the tannins.

[Chairsin]

On every Seabourn cruise we have been on they have had a decent french rose in addition to the Beringer white zin.

[CraftyEC]

On our recent Quest trip the 'alternative' rose was JP Chenet. The same stuff which is sold in little bottles in French motorway service stations ...

[MARIANH]

On our recent Quest trip the 'alternative' rose was JP Chenet. The same stuff which is sold in little bottles in French motorway service stations ...

 

Chenet rose is grim ( IMHO). The bent bottle says it all. I have been told that the little bottles sold on French motorways are in fact for use as a fuel additive.;)

[margbem]

Just had a conversation with my TA about our recent cruise on the Spirit and commented to her that the only complaints we had were the quality of the champagne and the house wines. She informed me that I wasn't her only client to complain about the wines so she had e-mailed Rick Meadows to pass on these comments. He told her that the wines have not changed!! Well, all I can say is that since our first Seabourn cruise in September 2009 they have certainly changed and not for the better. We were served Oyster Bay Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc one lunchtime back then (UK retail around £10 a bottle) - the NZ Sauv Blanc now being served is nowhere near as good, but is still one of the 'better' choices available, the Chilean Sauv Blanc being sharp and thin.

 

Sorry to harp on, but 'fine wines' they are not, nowadays. My TA has asked me to put all this in an e-mail to her so she can pass it on to Rick Meadows. It will be interesting to see what his response is.

[wripro]

I think the point has been made. If "fine" wines are the deciding factor in choosing one's cruise line Seabourn should be eliminated from consideration. But where you gonna go?

[texanaust]

Unfortunately it is a race to the bottom with wine quality. If the wine is included, then management seen to think everyone will be satisfied with the cheapest stuff available. If anyone has been to a Ritz Carlton Club level recently, you will fine similar 'quality' wines to those available from Seabourn. They do not serve champagne at the RC either, just a cheap sparkling wine. Seabourn is better in that respect.

[lincslady]

The NZ sauv. blanc is the easiest way (for me) to judge the downgrading; we had the Oyster Bay a couple of years ago, pretty good and then about £8 in the UK. Then something else less good, and more recently the Wingspan, which is even less good. QED. So Rick Meadows is wrong, I am afraid.

[Harvey2442]

Seabourn has used the description fine wines for as long as I can remember and even back 10 years ago they were not truly fine wines but the were good quality everyday drinking wines circa £10 - £12 a bottle. The brochure description has not changed but oh my word how the wine quality has been falling. Rick Meadows claims he is not spending less on wines and maybe the rot started under the previous management and has taken time to fully work through the fleet. I suspect if the claim to fine wines was changed we might feel less aggrieved. Sure we can buy off the wine list but if you at a table for 6 or 8 this starts to destroy the club feeling that there is an inclusive wine on offer which will suit all - it is after all the all inclusive aspect that gives Seabourn one of its unique features - we were at the captain's table some time ago and a couple had signed up for the gold offer and they were drinking from their large goblets before even the Captain had been offered any wine.

[Martita B.]

I bought the 'Gold' wine package a few years ago ~as I enjoy inviting friends for dinner it didn't take long to go thru' the package. It was fun to treat friends but I really wasn't that impressed ~ I have also seen couples at hosted tables drinking from their large crystal goblets ~tablemates drinking from the 'everyday' glasses. Awkward situation ~

MB

[white oak]

I think the point has been made. If "fine" wines are the deciding factor in choosing one's cruise line Seabourn should be eliminated from consideration. But where you gonna go?

 

Silversea, or Crystal perhaps. On Silversea at least you can find from the included wines quite a few that are very good, drinkable wines of decent quality. Its too bad that Seabourn has chosen to save money by lessening the quality of their wines because for many it is one of the deciding factors when booking a cruise on these "luxury" lines. They all travel to the same geographical regions so that is not a factor. Offering Beringer's White Zinfandel is akin to offering Kool aid (a drink made of powdered sugar and flavoring mixed with tap water) What's next, Mogan David 20/20, Ripple, or Boone's Farm? :eek:

[JaneBP]

I used to like Kool Ade when I was at CAMP!!

[wripro]

White Oak,

 

I just spoke with someone who recently got off the Silver Whisper and could not stop complaining about the quality of the wines and how it has deteriorated. As I said if wine quality is the deciding factor perhaps one should look elsewhere but personally, I choose a cruise line for a composite of factors and that's where SB usually comes out on top.

[Chairsin]

I don't think we should keep focusing on the Beringer white zin. They have always had it on board from what I remember because for better or worse some people do really like it. And for those of us that do not they have always had at least one very pleasant french rose.

[Balloon Man]

We next cruise with Seabourn April 2012. The wines were not too bad when we sailed on Odyssey last year but if they are now as bad as reported here and remain that way then that may be our last cruise with them. We cruise Seabourn because we don't penny pinch. If they do then we will look elsewhere.

It's a pity Seabourn doesn't employ a Blogging Officer. Azamara has, and he offers the impression of providing a direct link between CC members and Azamara management. He is given quite a hard time on these forums, and generally regurgitates the company line in a long winded fashion, but he has managed to get things changed. Other lines could look and learn. Alan