Riedel Comparative Wine Crystal Workshop

[NCteacherlovescruising]

We will be on the Summit to Bermuda.  My husband and I love wine, but we have the premium package so I don't know if it's worth the high price.  Could anyone tell me what wines they serve?  Were they more expensive than those available with our package?  Also, could someone tell me when this is?  Is it during the day?  Sea day or while we're in Bermuda?

[dsa181920]

We did this on the Connie several years ago. It’s a fun class. They use several different wines. You taste each wine from several different glasses to see how the shape of the glass affects the taste. It really does make a difference. After the tasting was over we each got two vouchers to order Reidel glasses. The glasses are not cheap so that makes the cost of this class worth it. We already had some of the Reidels at home so we were able to choose the type of glasses we were missing.

 

Sallie

[dsa181920]

The one we did a few years ago was on a sea day. I think it was a late morning class.

[4774Papa]

We did it and it was very informative.   The type of wine glass that you use can change the taste of the wine.  There are wine glasses for certain types of wine and we have some at home.  You can tell the difference.

[NCteacherlovescruising]

7 minutes ago, dsa181920 said:

The one we did a few years ago was on a sea day. I think it was a late morning class.

Morning?  lol  I guess while on vacation... 😂😎

[redjetz]

The wines used in this session are not special, just selections from onboard, such as their Celebrity Chardonnay and similar, both red and white. But like others have said, it’s fun, interesting, and you get hooked on Reidel wine glasses 😉

[MaggieAtSea]

It is worth doing, I think...and we have used the stemware at home... and the knowledge we picked up.

 

Tip: if you order finer wines with dinner, after taking the class they routinely brought the better/more appropriate stemware for the grape varietal.  If you don’t get an appropriate glass for a particular wine, be sure to ask.

[niborHS]

We did this quite a number of years ago, and if they still give you either the glasses, or a voucher for glasses, definitely worth it. We are big wine drinkers, and have even brought a case of mixed wines with us on ships and paid the corkage. We just returned from a cruise, and with the premium beverage package we still paid extra for better glasses of wine on many days. That being said, I was previously very skeptical about the idea that wines taste different when drunk from different shaped glasses. I got a real education from this class, it positively makes a difference. 

[cangelmd]

3 hours ago, NCteacherlovescruising said:

We will be on the Summit to Bermuda.  My husband and I love wine, but we have the premium package so I don't know if it's worth the high price.  Could anyone tell me what wines they serve?  Were they more expensive than those available with our package?  Also, could someone tell me when this is?  Is it during the day?  Sea day or while we're in Bermuda?

I have not done the Riedel class because we had done a similar tasting somewhere before with the different shaped glasses.

we did do the Blendtique class once and it was a blast, although there was no fine wine there, LOL. We enjoyed it so much we considered buying a kit for a family Christmas party.

You get a small bottle of each of 4 pure red varietals, the blend your own “Bordeaux”, or your own Conundrum perhaps. Then the sommeliers taste tested the blends and gave prizes to the winning group of four people. We lost. I recommend 95% Cabernet and smidgens of the others, leave out the Syrah.

It was a fun afternoon.

[JerseyGirlatHeart]

We have done this several times.  It is not about the wine, but about the wine glasses.  You can pay for the "Tasting only" for about $30, or for the "Tasting and the Glasses" for about $85.  If you do the Tasting and the Glasses you will each get a coupon for four glasses after the class is complete.  Once you get home (or to an internet) you can order the type of glasses you prefer and they will ship them to your home … FYI:  the cost for shipping is about $25.  The wine glasses are nice and get lots of use at our house … in fact, due to breakage, we may have to take this class again on our upcoming cruise. We always have enjoyed the experience, and IMHO worth the price. 

 

 

[WAVTAM]

Big fan of Riedel glasses and the classes offered. We even did a Cola-Cola glass testing class on a longer cruise.

[vtcruising]

We have done the class several times and enjoy it every time. The first time was several years ago and at that time they gave you the glasses onboard to carry off, so no shipping charge. We have done the class since that time without buying the glasses and always learn something. Each sommelier has a  different way of doing the class, though it is basically the same. We have never had great wines, but have had some decent ones. The last one on the Reflection featured a CA winery and actually were quite good. I think we paid $35 without the glasses. Our last one was at 10 AM on a sea day, I believe. It makes for a great nap after lunch.

 

I would recommend booking the event through your MDR, Blu or Luminae sommelier onboard. They get a kickback for selling a wine event and once you buy from them, you will likely get better service (we normally get good service, but once they book something for you, you stand out to them, and we have found that we get even better service).

 

You can ask your dining room sommelier to serve your wine in Riedel glasses, though they may have a limited number. We have found that once your ask for them, they will save some for you each night (or so they say 🙂). On the Edge, they use Riedel glasses in all the dining rooms, Retreat Lounge and in the inside bars, I think. The upper suite guests get them in their suites.

[JaneAustenCruiser]

As someone new to the world of wine, I did this on my first Celebrity cruise and loved it! Super fun. Being a newbie to wine, it was definitely an eye-opener how much the shape of the glass really does affect the flavor/aromas of the wine. Will definitely be doing it again on our cruise in October if it's offered!