Wine Service in Formal Dining Room?

[bumbles]

I tried this on the RCCL forum, but no responses...so, I'll leave it up to the experts in the foodies group. We are bringing an old bottle of wine (1981) and it's sure to have quite a bit of sediment in it. Will they strain and decant it for us in the dining room? If they don't, we're going to leave it home (and hopefully drink it soon since it's very close to being too old!)

[CDRMark]

The short answer is that any sommelier worth his salt would do a good job at decanting a wine that may have thrown sediment. Make sure he knows its particulars ahead of time. They should properly do it away from the table and bring it to you in the decanter.

That said, my recommendation would be to enjoy your special bottle at home, where you can let it settle for 24 hours before decanting it yourself. The travel to the ship will make settling and decanting all the harder. Also, unless the wine has had a good life, it could be 'off'. That would be an unpleasant surprise at your table.

So do it at home for a special dinner, and have another bottle standing by just in case.

Whatever you decide, I'd love to hear the results! Have a great cruise.

Cheers

MarkB

[elron]

I also think it would be a good idea to have that particular bottle of wine at home. We had brought a bottle of wine with us and it turned out to be spoiled. We were more disapppointed than we would have been at home!

[bumbles]

Thanks to both of you! I think we've resigned ourselves to leaving the older bottle home. Instead we're bringing a couple newer bottles. I just hope RCI's policy about bringing wine on-board doesn't extend to those that wish to bring their own and pay the corkage fee into the dining room. BUT...we'll find out in a few days!

 

Now I need to convince my husband that EVERY day is a special occasion so that we can drink that bottle! Happy cruising!

 

[cruisinbuddy]

Thanks to both of you! I think we've resigned ourselves to leaving the older bottle home. Instead we're bringing a couple newer bottles. I just hope RCI's policy about bringing wine on-board doesn't extend to those that wish to bring their own and pay the corkage fee into the dining room. BUT...we'll find out in a few days!

 

Now I need to convince my husband that EVERY day is a special occasion so that we can drink that bottle! Happy cruising!

 

 

Why not have it the night before you go on your cruise. A special send off per say.

[kinoglaz]

What kind of wine is your 1981?

My wife and I are hoping to bring a bottle of '95 Brunello di Montalcino on our NCL Dawn cruise, which incidentally does not allow any alcohol, even wine, to be brought onboard. Really want to celebrate Valentine's Day with it...

[sultan_sfo]

We did take one bottle of early (inexpensive Napa Valley) '80s wine on the Star Princess. The waiter was very embarrassed because the cork broke. I told him that it was not his fault because the cork had softened. I told him at worst he would have to push in the cork. He gave me the half cork to sniff. It smelled terrible. But the waiter from Eastern Europe was a wine drinker. And lo and behold he was able to pull out the other half. He asked me whether I wanted the other half of the cork to smell. I said "YES"! That smelled OK. The waiter let it sit until the main course but I told him not to decant it. We shared the wines at our table of 6. So I warned everyone that they should try just a little bit before deciding whether to drink it! The wine had mellowed and was now smooth. Everyone enjoyed it. /Sultan