Elegance........Really?

[CaroleSS]

In the UK we used to have a great TV chef called Keith Floyd in the 80's and 90's. He was always seen with a glass in hand when cooking and often joked that he'd donated his liver for the good of his TV series. I'm sure many fellow Brits on here remember him fondly.

 

Anyway, he'd always say "If it's not good enough to drink, it's not good enough to cook with.....".

 

Your post reminded me of him! :)

 

You had Keith Floyd and we had Graham Kerr....although I think he was from your side of the pond!!!

[sollyman]

You had Keith Floyd and we had Graham Kerr....although I think he was from your side of the pond!!!

 

 

Graham Kerr was Canadian if i am not mistaken....Aka "The Galloping Gourmet"

 

Showing my age now.

[CaroleSS]

Yes, that was him! He would put the same amount of wine in a glass as in the food! He was GREAT!! Loved that show!

[Sarajevosue]

Graham Kerr was Canadian if i am not mistaken....Aka "The Galloping Gourmet"

 

Showing my age now.

I

 

 

I have his cookbook. Use it all the time. The pictures are beautiful!

[Hlitner]

We hate to take a shot at the current Celebrity CEO, but the weird wine/booze situations seem to coincide with her reign. Even a friendly bar tender (who we have known for a few years) on the Eclipse told us that her current reign has resulted in fewer high end brands of various types of booze, and limited selections of wine. It seems that as Celebrity tried to sell more Premium Beverage Packages (which we have had on a few cruises) they continue to reduce the higher end product available to Premium Beverage package holders. That being said, we cannot get excited about Kendall Jackson...which is a decent (but far from outstanding) large wine company. On the other hand, if we are willing to pay for something better then the mediocre wine offerings covered under the Premium maximum....there should be some product! When a wine steward gives you a choice of a single (lousy) Malbec, or does not even have a Super Tuscan....we have to wonder what has happened to what we used to think of as "Premium Cruising."

 

So here is our plea to CEO Lisa Lutoff-Perlo! Please expand your available wines (by the glass), scotch whisky, and Cognacs! Some of us want to experience more options...even if that means paying a few dollars over the Premium max. We get tired of hearing apologies from staff (both bar tenders and wine stewards) about not having anything decent to offer.

 

Hank

[jagoffee]

We dine Specilty every night, Murano 3 times. Specialty had it but not around the ship.

 

 

I know it was available in Luminae and probably the MDR.

Next time you might want to ask for it at the Passport bar or the Martini bar although it may not be on the drink menu.

It,was also in the Michael's Club, but that does not do you any good if you are cruising in a suite or have Zenith status.

 

From my experience it is not available in every bar.

[newbie2013]

Graham Kerr was Canadian if i am not mistaken....Aka "The Galloping Gourmet"

 

Showing my age now.

 

 

.... born in England, started his TV chef career in New Zealand, and then moved to Canada and subsequently US... quite a character!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[Mynki]

We hate to take a shot at the current Celebrity CEO, but the weird wine/booze situations seem to coincide with her reign. Even a friendly bar tender (who we have known for a few years) on the Eclipse told us that her current reign has resulted in fewer high end brands of various types of booze, and limited selections of wine. It seems that as Celebrity tried to sell more Premium Beverage Packages (which we have had on a few cruises) they continue to reduce the higher end product available to Premium Beverage package holders. That being said, we cannot get excited about Kendall Jackson...which is a decent (but far from outstanding) large wine company. On the other hand, if we are willing to pay for something better then the mediocre wine offerings covered under the Premium maximum....there should be some product! When a wine steward gives you a choice of a single (lousy) Malbec, or does not even have a Super Tuscan....we have to wonder what has happened to what we used to think of as "Premium Cruising."

 

So here is our plea to CEO Lisa Lutoff-Perlo! Please expand your available wines (by the glass), scotch whisky, and Cognacs! Some of us want to experience more options...even if that means paying a few dollars over the Premium max. We get tired of hearing apologies from staff (both bar tenders and wine stewards) about not having anything decent to offer.

 

Hank

 

My observations mirror yours. I drink a lot of Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand because I like the taste and it pairs well with a lot of what we eat at home. On board we were offered the regular Villa Maria expression which sells at the local supermarkets for around £7 ($8.75) per bottle. Great value for money, but it can't be regarded as a 'premium' product by any stretch of the imagination.

 

So I ask the sommelier if they have Cloudy Bay savvy blanc onboard. At home this retails at around £20 ($25) per bottle. Her reply was that "we used to, but it's too expensive". So it's not cheap, it's more costly than similar sauvignon blanc from the same country but compared to quality burgundy or bordeaux it's really not 'expensive'. So I look at her and say, "what you really mean is that someone in Miami increased the margin too much don't you?. She tightened her lips and quickly nodded her head before replying "yep".

 

 

So, my theory is that they've probably taken a dip in sales of bottles due to the increased number of premium packages on board and that they are offering very ordinary wines as a 'premium' product to compensate for this loss in revenue. I'd also not be surprised to learn if they were deliberately sailing with lower stocks of the most popular bottles included in packages so that they can turn over more low end inventory.

 

I wholeheartedly agree with you that selections particularly scotch could be considerably expanded.

[richsea]

I recall that not too long ago Celebrity was noted for, & even touted, their extensive wines lists that appealed to the discerning wine drinker. I guess times ahve changed with the advent of the drink packages. If Celebrity wants to market themselves as "Modern Luxury", they should rethink their wine selections.

 

I am not a wine expert, but know what tastes good to me, and ususally have no problem finding something I like. However, I can imagine that it must be frustrating not to have something suitable available to those who are particular when enjoying wine.

[danstr1]

Just got off the Equinox myself. I had the Elegance Chardonnay each night I attended dinner at the MDR. Even towards the end of the cruise, they still had it. I only drank this at dinner so I can't speak for the other venues. I tried other wine selections while dining at the specialty restaurants. Still struggling with the post vacation blues:loudcry:

[puppyluv1]

Just out of curiosity, did you return the bottle of wine?

 

 

I ordered by the glass, not a bottle. The wine was actually pretty good, just didn't like that he wasn't upfront that the wine I ordered wasn't available. No biggie, just seemed a bit unprofessional.