Vines Wine Blending

[XBGuy]

The Princess Circle magazine arrived in the mail the other day, and I noticed this on Page 22:

 

 

Has anybody seen this in a Vines on any of your cruises?

 

I do not recall ever seeing any Silverado red wines on a Princess wine list. I know I've seen Sauvignon Blanc, and I think I've seen Chardonnay. Silverado is a fine producer. So, if Princess is getting into a relationship with them, then that is good news.

 

I wondered what the "four premium red varietals" were. I went to the Silverado web site and it looks like they now are offering:

 

 

• Cabernet Franc
  
• Cabernet Sauvignon
  
• Merlot
  
• Sangiovese
  
• Zinfandel
  

They, in fact, offer multiple bottlings of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.

 

I could speculate whether the four referenced in the Princess article are among this group, or, if so, which one is excluded, but my personal prejudice is really not important.

 

I am aware of various wineries here in California that offer "Wine Blending" experiences. I've never been tempted. In all honesty, I can't imagine that anything I blended would turn out happily. I assume that the wine blending experiences offered by the wineries allow the participant to blend from barrel samples, whereas, this Princess event probably offers wines from the bottles.

 

If I was looking for something to do on a Sea Day on the ship, though, and I saw that this was available, I would probably try it, if for no other reason that to meet other people who enjoy wine.

 

I wonder what they charge for it.

[smslms]

We've had Cab, Cab Franc and Sangiovese aboard various ships. Don't remember seeing a Merlot or Zin.

 

You're right, nice drinkable wines. It would be fun to blend some, as I don't believe they offer a Meritage.

[Astro Flyer]

It's something we'd consider & this wine list price comparison spreadsheet created by 'Steelers36' shows Silverado Cabernet Sauvignon ($65) and a Sangiovese ($46).

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=410218&d=1503617110

[Mapu]

These wines are available in Vines and not necessarily the dining room. With the Sip and Sail package we generally stop at Vines and bring our glass of wine into the dining room.

[AnyMajorCruiseDude]

Yes. Beakers are given to all to blend their favorite. You get a bottle of your blend. Was limited to 8 participants and was about $100 on Ruby back in March. We gave up our spots so another couple could do it. Seemed like it was "sponsored" by Silverado, and reports were favorable.

[tailspintom]

Yes. Beakers are given to all to blend their favorite. You get a bottle of your blend. Was limited to 8 participants and was about $100 on Ruby back in March. We gave up our spots so another couple could do it. Seemed like it was "sponsored" by Silverado, and reports were favorable.

I would not be too interested in this. Nor would I like to try my hand in making pizzas in Alfredo's. The wineries are masterful at getting the most out of their grapes. Why on earth would I think that I could get a superior blend by mixing some already bottled wine?

[suzyed]

The Princess Circle magazine arrived in the mail the other day, and I noticed this on Page 22:

 

 

Has anybody seen this in a Vines on any of your cruises?

 

I do not recall ever seeing any Silverado red wines on a Princess wine list. I know I've seen Sauvignon Blanc, and I think I've seen Chardonnay. Silverado is a fine producer. So, if Princess is getting into a relationship with them, then that is good news.

 

I wondered what the "four premium red varietals" were. I went to the Silverado web site and it looks like they now are offering:

 

 

• Cabernet Franc
  
• Cabernet Sauvignon
  
• Merlot
  
• Sangiovese
  
• Zinfandel
  

They, in fact, offer multiple bottlings of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.

 

I could speculate whether the four referenced in the Princess article are among this group, or, if so, which one is excluded, but my personal prejudice is really not important.

 

I am aware of various wineries here in California that offer "Wine Blending" experiences. I've never been tempted. In all honesty, I can't imagine that anything I blended would turn out happily. I assume that the wine blending experiences offered by the wineries allow the participant to blend from barrel samples, whereas, this Princess event probably offers wines from the bottles.

 

If I was looking for something to do on a Sea Day on the ship, though, and I saw that this was available, I would probably try it, if for no other reason that to meet other people who enjoy wine.

 

I wonder what they charge for it.

I would try it too!!

[jennybenny]

Interesting. We might try it. We get a wine making kit every year from our favorite winery just for fun. We never make our own blend because clearly their combination is better than anything, but it's fun to play.

We usually will try things at least once. :)

[easyboy]

Will check on this and see if it is worth it.

[smslms]

I would not be too interested in this. Nor would I like to try my hand in making pizzas in Alfredo's. The wineries are masterful at getting the most out of their grapes. Why on earth would I think that I could get a superior blend by mixing some already bottled wine?[/quo

 

Perhaps you're missing the point. The bottled wines you refer to are individual varietals. The point is to blend them into a Meritage, something that might be enjoyable to those who appreciate wine.

 

If that's not for you fine, but don't disparage the event for everyone else.

 

PS - I would have no problem in cooking a pizza in Alfredo's.

[Thrak]

I would not be too interested in this. Nor would I like to try my hand in making pizzas in Alfredo's. The wineries are masterful at getting the most out of their grapes. Why on earth would I think that I could get a superior blend by mixing some already bottled wine?

 

I won't be doing this. I have made some wonderful beer in my time (my Brown Ale and my Oatmeal Stout were loved by all) but my wine was always terrible. (An oenologist I'm not. :o) I'll leave the mixing of the varietals to those who have a better palette and who are more knowledgeable about this sort of thing. I'll enjoy the wine they have on hand and let others create their own masterpieces. A pizza on the other hand... I can do that quite well and would have no problem playing in their kitchen. :D

[EndersFoul]

It was available on our Alaska cruise this summer - we signed up only to have it cancelled due to lack of interest. There was a clipboard in Vines but the waiters didn't push it or mention it at all and I think we saw it in the patter on the first day. We were very disappointed

 

The Princess Circle magazine arrived in the mail the other day, and I noticed this on Page 22:

 

 

Has anybody seen this in a Vines on any of your cruises?

 

I do not recall ever seeing any Silverado red wines on a Princess wine list. I know I've seen Sauvignon Blanc, and I think I've seen Chardonnay. Silverado is a fine producer. So, if Princess is getting into a relationship with them, then that is good news.

 

I wondered what the "four premium red varietals" were. I went to the Silverado web site and it looks like they now are offering:

 

 

• Cabernet Franc
  
• Cabernet Sauvignon
  
• Merlot
  
• Sangiovese
  
• Zinfandel
  

They, in fact, offer multiple bottlings of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.

 

I could speculate whether the four referenced in the Princess article are among this group, or, if so, which one is excluded, but my personal prejudice is really not important.

 

I am aware of various wineries here in California that offer "Wine Blending" experiences. I've never been tempted. In all honesty, I can't imagine that anything I blended would turn out happily. I assume that the wine blending experiences offered by the wineries allow the participant to blend from barrel samples, whereas, this Princess event probably offers wines from the bottles.

 

If I was looking for something to do on a Sea Day on the ship, though, and I saw that this was available, I would probably try it, if for no other reason that to meet other people who enjoy wine.

 

I wonder what they charge for it.

[EndersFoul]

And it was listed as $37 pp

[Astro Flyer]

was about $100

 

And it was listed as $37 pp

At $37 would consider it but not at $100.

[XBGuy]

I agree that $37 pp is much more palatable than $100. The XBGuys do most things together. So, it is a lot easier to spend $74 than $200. We have three Princess cruises planned between now and next April--2 X 10 days and 1 X 12 days (quite a few "Sea Days" to fill up). I will keep an eye out for this. If we do get the opportunity to try it, I can, pretty much, guarantee that Mrs. XBGuy's blend will be much better than mine.

 

And, yes, from the ad I had the distinct impression that Silverado was underwriting this project. I wonder if the facilitator is from the winery. That would add a lot of credence.

[smslms]

$37 would be great, particularly as you apparently keep the bottle that you blended. Now just need to find a ship/cruise that has this available.

[tailspintom]

I would not be too interested in this. Nor would I like to try my hand in making pizzas in Alfredo's. The wineries are masterful at getting the most out of their grapes. Why on earth would I think that I could get a superior blend by mixing some already bottled wine?[/quo

 

Perhaps you're missing the point. The bottled wines you refer to are individual varietals. The point is to blend them into a Meritage, something that might be enjoyable to those who appreciate wine.

 

If that's not for you fine, but don't disparage the event for everyone else.

 

PS - I would have no problem in cooking a pizza in Alfredo's.

Aw, come on smslms. I wasn't disparaging anyone for having some fun mixing a bunch of variatals. I just don't think I could do a respectable job of it unless I was in the winery business. I kept it in the first person for that very reason. I thought my analogy of making pizzas was brilliant, although some on the board seem to be up to the pizza challenge.

Cheers,

Tom

[septrack]

About 10 years ago X offered wine blending for free for their loyalty members. I believe it was sponsored by Kendal Jackson wineries. It was a blast. Took quite the buzz from all the variations attempted.

[tioalmsp]

I would not be too interested in this. Nor would I like to try my hand in making pizzas in Alfredo's. The wineries are masterful at getting the most out of their grapes. Why on earth would I think that I could get a superior blend by mixing some already bottled wine?[/quo

 

Perhaps you're missing the point. The bottled wines you refer to are individual varietals. The point is to blend them into a Meritage, something that might be enjoyable to those who appreciate wine.

 

If that's not for you fine, but don't disparage the event for everyone else.

 

PS - I would have no problem in cooking a pizza in Alfredo's.

Same for us. We would love to make our own pizza and as wine lovers we would love to blend our own.