FYI - Current Complimentary Wines on the Quest

[DCCruiser57]

MY wife and just returned from the Dec 9-22 sailing in the Quest. Below is a list of the complimentary wines that were being served. Some were good, others were not. If a wine was offered and was not to our taste, another was readily substituted. The sommelier, Angelo, was quite good (we met him when he was an assistant sommelier on a prior cruise) and he quickly learned our likes and dislikes. He also offered some other complimentary wines that were not on the list. The stockage levels for these wines were not sufficient to be listed and were probably ones that were either being phased out or had not yet been restocked.

 

White Wine

Robert Mondavi Private Selection, Chardonnay (California)

Louis Jadot Chardonnay (France)

Santa Alicia, Sauvignon Blanc (Chile)

Spy Valley, Chardonnay (New Zealand)

Santa Margherita, Pinot Grigio (Italy)

Chateau St. Michelle, Reisling (Washington)

Le Poulle Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc (France)

Footprint, Chardonnay (Australia)

Alicia, Chardonnay (Australia)

Bellia, Pinot Grigio (Italy)

 

Red Wine

Placido, Chianti Classico (Tuscany)

Rosemount, Shiraz (Australia)

Cote du Rhone, Syrah (France)

Round Hill, Cabernet Sauvignon (Chile)

Santa Alicia, Merlot (Chile)

Le cog rouge (France)

Santa Alicia, Cabernet Sauvignon (Chile)

Columbia Crest, Cabernet Sauvignon (California)

Columbia Crest, Syrah (California)

Latitia, Pinot Noir (California)

Castilio Morante, Blend (Spain

Black Opal, Cabernet/Merlot Blend (Australia)

 

Rose

Le Pousson (France)

[oregon50]

Thanks for posting. Boarding next week and we will pack a few bottles.

[won2go]

Thank you for posting the current wine list. Certainly seems to have improved, albeit by a small amount.

Footprint Chardonnay is from South Africa and not Australia

Alicia Chardonnay is maybe the Santa Alicia Chardonnay from the Maipo Valley in Chile (not familiar with Alicia chardonnay from Australia).

[Martita B.]

Thanks for your excellent information as to the wines ~

I prefer and drink red cab or merlot ~ from Chile. I've been very pleased with the ships selection. My very favorite red "Compass Navigator" was a fabulous wine, but Seabourn no longer stocks it ~Boo Hoo ~ Guess I need to search on line,then take a couple of bottles aboard. I don't like to pack wines in my luggage, however:eek:

My favorite pre-dinner cocktail is a "Lemon Drop" (rimmed with sugar) ~anyone else enjoy this tasty, pretty, refreshing stem?

Martita B

[DCCruiser57]

Thank you for posting the current wine list. Certainly seems to have improved, albeit by a small amount.

Footprint Chardonnay is from South Africa and not Australia

Alicia Chardonnay is maybe the Santa Alicia Chardonnay from the Maipo Valley in Chile (not familiar with Alicia chardonnay from Australia).

 

 

Sorry for the error, but we'll have to blame Seabourn as I was only reporting the information from the complimentary wine list that they provided to me.

[white oak]

The Laetitia, Pinot Noir (California)has potential to be very drinkable. .Probably "Estate" usually about $15 retail. Depending on vintage.

[Seabourn-nail]

Are you sure (or is Seabourn sure...) that is was the Louis Jadot and not (like earlier) Louis Latour Chardonnay Grand Ardèche?

Marja

[fairbourne]

Na na na - we've paid for them! ;):)

[wripro]

We all pay for any wine we drink on board.

[auldlassie]

Just back from the carribbean Xmas/new year on Quest and some of the complimentary wines are different already. My opinions humbly given below.

 

White Oak, you may be interested to know that the Laetitia Pinot Noir is not complimentary, but on the "revenue" list at $78 a bottle, and is part of the silver wine package, although it was being served as complimentary on the first night of the cruise in restaurant 2 only. It was good, but not outstanding. Can't recall the vintage, sorry.

 

No Louis Jadot (or Louis Latour) chardonnay available on this cruise in any restaurant as far as I could find, but the Mondavi reserve was not bad if served very cold, and unpleasant otherwise. We had one bottle fizzing slightly on the tongue -not checked by any sommelier before pouring, but it was replaced when we pointed it out.

 

The current chianti is not Placido now. I cannot remember the name of the new one, but definitely not that (I know that label). It was by far the best of the current crop of reds on the comp. list for me. The only one not new world far and not too young, black or jammy. I was given both the 2006 and 2008 vintages and both were good and well rounded, with just the hint of a sweet edge due to some more maturity. Not great, but good. So nice to be able to tilt a glass and see a tawny rim instead of purple.

 

They still have the Castillo Morante -pretty rough -and the Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio (again ok when very cold, but awful when not). The La Poule Blanche, le Coq Red and la Pousson Rose are just vile, bottom row of the supermarket wines. Suggest you avoid unless your stomach lined with lead. If only to stop encouraging the French to do these aggressively marketed export things.

 

If Rhone is your thing, they have a Perrin Reserve (only began to make an appearance half way through the cruise) and a Chapoutier -which I could have sworn was called Bellevue, but online can only find Belleruche, so it must be that instead -unless someone out there knows otherwise? - which only began to appear very late in the cruise in Restaurant 2 - both unsophisticated lower priced blends from good producers. The Chapoutier blend is good -much lighter and smoother than the rougher, denser Perrin.

 

I think I did try almost every new world red on the comp list, but I liked none. Too young, too rough for me. Such a pity because I am well aware that great new world reds do exist!

 

Overall thoughts -

Comp. wines barely adequate and certainly not "fine", as discussed at large elsewhere on these forums. By the end of the cruise, we were quite fed up with them and began to feel the need to buy better from the revenue list -reluctantly!! The junior sommeliers (often the bar staff doubling up in the other dining rooms) know very little, resulting in frequent small mix-ups, e.g. asked for chardonnay, told chardonnay, actually poured an obvious sauvignon blanc, asked for bordeaux, given rhone etc etc. They do offer you a chance to taste beforehand, but only for your first glass, so later, when topped up from further bottles of the same wine, they don't taste beforehand and neither are you offered that, so you can be given the occasional bad glassful, or an underchilled one at that point. The head sommeliers and assistant sommeliers do have more knowledge of what is on offer, as you would expect. They also quietly acknowledge that the comp wines are not great. All sommeliers did try to do their best and were happy to let me try as many of the different wines available as I needed to find my preference.

 

Very surprised that, even with wines purchased from the overpriced revenue list, on serving, vintages or producers were swapped without the sommelier even seeming aware of it until I drew it to their attention. The revenue list is not kept up to date -much is out of stock and replaced in cellar, but not noted on the list. That is the source of these problems.

 

Did these quibbles spoil the cruise for me? No, not at all. But they are niggles that should be addressed by Seabourn if they want to maximise guests enjoyment of their cruises and maximise the odds of re-booking. This -and the smoking issue. Now -where is the thread for that?;)

[johnnycruise]

Thanks for your excellent information as to the wines ~

I prefer and drink red cab or merlot ~ from Chile. I've been very pleased with the ships selection. My very favorite red "Compass Navigator" was a fabulous wine, but Seabourn no longer stocks it ~Boo Hoo ~ Guess I need to search on line,then take a couple of bottles aboard. I don't like to pack wines in my luggage, however:eek:

 

My favorite pre-dinner cocktail is a "Lemon Drop" (rimmed with sugar) ~anyone else enjoy this tasty, pretty, refreshing stem?

Martita B

 

Martita - If you like a Lemon Drop, sometime you should try the gin equivalent - White Lady. My preference for pre-dinner cocktails, though, is a Hendrick's gin martini with muddled cucumber. Not standardly sourced on board, so you have to request it for your minibar.

 

As for wine, I also don't see your Argentine Malbec or Seabourntraveler's Chablis on this list. I hope they will continue to stock those two. Also hope Seabourn will consider restocking a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, a Dry Creek Valley (California) Fume Blanc and more palatable French reds (Bordeaux and Burgundy).

 

DC57 - thanks for posting!

 

johnny

[auldlassie]

Hi Johnnycruise, on the Quest this Xmas/New Year there was indeed a complimentary Argentinian Malbec, but no Seabourntraveller Chablis (nor any other complimentary Chablis) at all.

[my crow's nest]

This is the wine list that was printed for us on the Quest Holiday Voyage.

White Wine:

Chardonnay Robert Mondavi private selection, California

Loouis Jadot, Chardonnay France

Santa Alicia, Sauvignon Blanc, Chile

Sauvignon Blanc, Spy Valley, New Zealand

Pinot Grigio, Santa Margarita, Italy

Riesling Chateau St. Michelle

La Poulle Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, France

Footprint, Chardonnay, Australia

Alicie Chardonnay, Australia

Red Wine:

Malbec, Disegno, Argentina

Cabernet Sauvignon, Clos du Bois, California

Merlot, Santa Alicia, Chile

Le Coq Rouge, France

Cote du Rhone, Perrin, Rhone Valley

Cabernet Sauvignon, Columbia Crest, California

Pinot Noir, Brancot, New Zealand

Castilio del Morante, Spain

Castello d'Albola, Chianti Classico

Not being an expert, I offer no opinions. We did purchase some wines from the Seabourn List and we also brought some bottles that we bought in St. Barts which the staff opened with pleasure and without a corkage fee.

[auldlassie]

On Quest holiday cruise we dined with friends who brought their own wine. They had no corkage charge (it was not even hinted at) and sommeliers very happy to decant and serve, with the better glasses that they would normally use only when you purchase a wine from their "revenue" list.

 

We never saw hide nor hair of any complimentary reisling while on board, despite attempting to check out everything they could offer. Did anyone try it?

[zigtraveller]

Thank you for posting the current wine list. Certainly seems to have improved, albeit by a small amount.

Footprint Chardonnay is from South Africa and not Australia

Alicia Chardonnay is maybe the Santa Alicia Chardonnay from the Maipo Valley in Chile (not familiar with Alicia chardonnay from Australia).

 

I believe the wine is ''Alices white", it was served on Sojourn last year.