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Welcome bottle of bubbly in the Grills?

Mudhen

By Mudhen,
in Cunard Line

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david,Mississauga

david,Mississauga

Posted
Posted (edited)

When we have been in Princess Grill it was Pol Acker. According to a friend who was recently on board it still is. If you are a member of the Cunard World Club you may get two full bottles of it, as we did. (When we have been in Queens Grill it was real Champagne.)

Edited by david,Mississauga
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Marmaduke

Marmaduke

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I recently went on a short voyage on the QM2 and was very disappointed to find 2 bottles of Pol Acker in my Princess Grill suite.  On Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth we have always had Pol Acker in the Princess Grill but I expected something better on the QM2 because the Cunard UK website clearly states " Bon Voyage champagne and chocolates on arrival"  (Our Ships - QM2 - Princess Grill- Services and Amenities).  Also the complimentary bottle of water had been opened,  contents partly consumed, the ice bucket in fridge was empty and I found a pair of dirty slippers in one of the wardrobes. Not impressed.

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Underwatr

Underwatr

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2 hours ago, Host Hattie said:

As others have posted, Champagne is provided in Queens Grill, in Princess Grill your options are - take your own on board, pre-order via the Gift Catalogue or order from Room Service once you're onboard.

... or pretend Pol Acker is Champagne.

 

We bring your own, but that means it isn't chilled upon arrival.

Edited by Underwatr
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Bigmike911

Bigmike911

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Pol Acker is not champagne. It is a sparkling white wine from the Loire Valley of France. Only wine from the Champagne region can legally be called Champagne. In the US the average retail price is $13. so it is not even a premium sparkling wine. My Grills champagne experience has been with Laurent Perrier N.V, or Veuve Clicquot N.V. in the iced bucket and Pol Acker in the back of the cabinet where I might editorially suggest it belongs. 

 

Edited by Bigmike911
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Underwatr

Underwatr

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55 minutes ago, Bigmike911 said:

Pol Acker is not champagne. It is a sparkling white wine from the Loire Valley of France. Only wine from the Champagne region can legally be called Champagne

 

Except in the US, where anything goes. We have New York champagne, Wisconsin parmesan cheese and domestic (New Jersey?) Serrano ham.

 

But I agree, as a dry sparkling wine Pol isn't even a very good dry sparkling wine.

 

I've been in the habit of carrying on Veuve Cliquot, but the onboard price isn't that much higher than what it costs me locally. Taking corkage into account it becomes very reasonably priced. 

Edited by Underwatr
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Mudhen

Mudhen

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36 minutes ago, Underwatr said:

I've been in the habit of carrying on Veuve Cliquot, but the onboard price isn't that much higher than what it costs me locally. Taking corkage into account it becomes very reasonably priced. 

Edited 34 minutes ago by Underwatr

....and a ball park figure on that price would be....??!!!

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Bigmike911

Bigmike911

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21 minutes ago, Mudhen said:

....and a ball park figure on that price would be....??!!!

Total wines have it for $45 ($41 for six). My local grocery H.E.B. has it chilled for $42. These are Texas prices so I cannot say what it would be in NY. If you have a Total in your neck of the woods, check out their prices

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Bigmike911

Bigmike911

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1 hour ago, Underwatr said:

 

Except in the US, where anything goes. We have New York champagne, Wisconsin parmesan cheese and domestic (New Jersey?) Serrano ham.

 

But I agree, as a dry sparkling wine Pol isn't even a very good dry sparkling wine.

 

I've been in the habit of carrying on Veuve Cliquot, but the onboard price isn't that much higher than what it costs me locally. Taking corkage into account it becomes very reasonably priced. 

I don't know if you have noticed that in the US California sparking wine is not called Champagne. They used to say made in the Champaignoise method, but now say Methode Tradtional. By the way, Cunard has ended their agreement with Veuve Cliquot and have substituted Laurent Perrier, so I am not sure you can get the 'widow' on board now. Laurent Perrier sells for about 5 dollars less, so it's more cost cutting from Cunard, I suspect. 

Edited by Bigmike911
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Underwatr

Underwatr

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"Most California sparkling wines are made in the Méthode Champenoise style with many of the wineries calling their product “sparkling wine” and some even use the Champagne designation."

 

http://www.californiachampagnes.com

 

"The Pleasant Valley Wine Company has been a trend-setter in the wine-making industry for decades, and it is currently one of the most renowned producers of prestigious and sought-after champagnes in America."

https://www.pleasantvalleywine.com

 

DOC protection isn't a legal restriction in the US.

Edited by Underwatr
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Mudhen

Mudhen

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3 hours ago, safarigal said:

Two bottles of Pol Acker on QM2 in PG today. One down, one to go. The night is yet young.

We'll manage with PA....not a favorite, but with a little OJ or a drop or two of chambord, could be just fine!

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Bigmike911

Bigmike911

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On 11/16/2018 at 3:27 PM, Underwatr said:

"Most California sparkling wines are made in the Méthode Champenoise style with many of the wineries calling their product “sparkling wine” and some even use the Champagne designation."

 

http://www.californiachampagnes.com

 

"The Pleasant Valley Wine Company has been a trend-setter in the wine-making industry for decades, and it is currently one of the most renowned producers of prestigious and sought-after champagnes in America."

https://www.pleasantvalleywine.com

 

DOC protection isn't a legal restriction in the US.

Some additional clarifications, In early 2006, the United States and the European Union signed a wine-trade agreement. This time, the United States agreed to not allow new uses of certain terms that were previously considered to be "semi-generic," such as "Champagne" (as well as "Burgundy," "Chablis," "Port" and "Chianti"). But anyone who already had an approved label— for example Korbel which long called its product California Champagne on its label was grandfathered in and may continue to use the term. So the answer is in general unless you were using the term prior to  the signing of the Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights Agreement in 1993, a predecessor agreement, you could can't legally call your US made sparkling wine Champagne.  

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