Unacceptable Wine List

[TayanaLorna]

1 hour ago, duquephart said:

 

What good does a list do when reds only by the bottle?

No there were 2 pages of red wines by the glass.  I drink both.  

[TayanaLorna]

43 minutes ago, Azulann said:

Thanks for the update. My   Pre Covid  cruise had a variety of prices I thought.

During my two cruises 2021 during the time of Covid, I basically drank cocktails,  something I changed to during COVID lockdown in my city.

I do remember getting  a different set of wines at Chef table and a nice Italian white at Manfredi last summer. I always get the SSBP.

Also the  martini tasting I  attended on the Orion  was no charge because I had the SSBP. 

 My sister who does not drink alcohol came with me. I get the SSBP for her too.  She gave her martinis to the couple at the next table. 

 

Right.  The wine tastings events were no extra charge for SSP.  The sommelier on our TA wine tasting was a hoot!  Better then the comedian in the Star Theatre.

[TayanaLorna]

Thank you @austinetcfor starting this thread.  Good entertainment for between cruise armchair sailors.

[Cienfuegos]

The Viking wine wine servers are often hungry to learn more about wine.  I've been delighted to offer suggestions about the wine they serve. 

[duquephart]

13 hours ago, austinetc said:

We signed up for the Silver Spirits Drinks Package, which reads in part “premium wine by the glass”. We’re on board the Viking Sky in the Med. ALL wine by the glass is $6. In my universe there is no “premium “ wine that costs $6 per glass. I’ve had great wine for $6, but it was never called “premium”. I’m about to make a polite stink. Seeking others’ views. 

 

Maybe view it as $6 more than what you were going to get for "free." Whatever the value of the included wine is plus $6 gets you "premium." Does that make you feel better?

[CCWineLover]

14 hours ago, austinetc said:

I checked. All the bars on board work off the same wine list. $6 wine by the glass. Everything else is by the bottle. 

We have found that several of our favorite Viking wines are not even on the published wine list.  We knew about them from recent past cruises and asked for them specifically, and magically they have them onboard!   Sometimes they are in the midst of running out, they say, of those "non-listed" wines, so they are likely clearing out inventory.

[austinetc]

4 hours ago, duquephart said:

 

Maybe view it as $6 more than what you were going to get for "free." Whatever the value of the included wine is plus $6 gets you "premium." Does that make you feel better?

No. For comparison, the whiskey list includes various kinds of whiskey at various prices, in keeping with the real world cost of each. 15 year old Ballentine ($14) is generally accepted to be better whiskey than Jim Beam ($6), and the price reflects this. Similarly, I expected a range of wine qualities (based on their price). Their $6 wines sell by the bottle at $25. They sell $40 bottles, but won't open it to give me a $10 glass. 

[duquephart]

What of the view, held by many, that the $6 wines aren't all that much better than the included? One of the arguments against the SSBP is that they are already pouring pretty good stuff for "free."

[Blackduck59]

I'm so happy that for some the "Quality" of a wine is defined by price. 

Keeping in mind that "all" spirits are NOT included in your fare that whiskey  comparison is not valid. I noticed another member point out that one should perhaps think of the $6.00 price as the charge above "included" in your fare. 

I may be some kind of ludite but wouldn't a more proper measure of a wine be "did you like it?" As opposed to how cool am I spending dollars on the expensive wine.

[Cienfuegos]

5 hours ago, austinetc said:

SNIP

Similarly, I expected a range of wine qualities (based on their price). Their $6 wines sell by the bottle at $25. They sell $40 bottles, but won't open it to give me a $10 glass. 

I'd expect Viking would have at least some wines under Coravin or Enomatic pressure devices. They've been in general use for decades. For exactly this reason.

 

wine oxidizes from the moment it is opened. By keeping the (opened) bottle under pressure, oxidization is diminished. The bottle may remain "good" for days.

[Twitchly]

1 hour ago, Blackduck59 said:

I'm so happy that for some the "Quality" of a wine is defined by price. 

Keeping in mind that "all" spirits are NOT included in your fare that whiskey  comparison is not valid. I noticed another member point out that one should perhaps think of the $6.00 price as the charge above "included" in your fare. 

I may be some kind of ludite but wouldn't a more proper measure of a wine be "did you like it?" As opposed to how cool am I spending dollars on the expensive wine.

Well, that’s one (rather uncharitable) interpretation.
 

There really can be a significant quality difference between wines, and cost is often (though not always) a reflection of this. Like the OP, I would like to see Viking offer a wider quality range of wines by the glass.

Since that seems unlikely, I think Cienfuegos comment is interesting. I’m now thinking we should bring our own little vacuum-wine-sealer-thingie and splurge on bottles rather than limit ourselves to Viking’s by-the-glass list, which we found disappointing on our last cruise. 

[WNcruiser]

3 minutes ago, Twitchly said:

Well, that’s one (rather uncharitable) interpretation.
 

There really can be a significant quality difference between wines, and cost is often (though not always) a reflection of this. Like the OP, I would like to see Viking offer a wider quality range of wines by the glass.

Since that seems unlikely, I think Cienfuegos comment is interesting. I’m now thinking we should bring our own little vacuum-wine-sealer-thingie and splurge on bottles rather than limit ourselves to Viking’s by-the-glass list, which we found disappointing on our last cruise. 

You answered that much better than I was going to. I am guessing Blackduck is not a wine drinker by his statements. I drink wine much more than liquor and would have bought the package just for the better wines. I agree with the OP and would not be happy to see a better premium selection. 

[Blackduck59]

I knew I would get a reaction. I do enjoy wine, I am not a wine connoisseur. My only interest is "does it taste good to me?" and "does it go well withe what I am eating?"

I'm really not interested in the "score" or what some "expert" has to say about it. 

I have to admit that I didn't look at the wine list (I was never offered one) but you won't find anyone on land or at sea offering the truly fine wines by the glass. 

[Twitchly]

2 hours ago, Blackduck59 said:

I knew I would get a reaction. I do enjoy wine, I am not a wine connoisseur. My only interest is "does it taste good to me?" and "does it go well withe what I am eating?"

I'm really not interested in the "score" or what some "expert" has to say about it. 

I have to admit that I didn't look at the wine list (I was never offered one) but you won't find anyone on land or at sea offering the truly fine wines by the glass. 

Those are my interests as well, and probably those of nearly everyone who enjoys wine. The “score” and “expert” can be useful when considering trying a new wine. But I don’t know anyone who continues to drink wine they dislike just because of those metrics. Apparently you do know such people. 

[Blackduck59]

2 minutes ago, Twitchly said:

Those are my interests as well, and probably those of nearly everyone who enjoys wine. The “score” and “expert” can be useful when considering trying a new wine. But I don’t know anyone who continues to drink wine they dislike just because of those metrics. Apparently you do know such people. 

I think there has been a disconnect here. The OP was angry because they had purchased the silver spirit package which stated you would be able to have "Premium" wines by the glass. They then said all the wines were $6.00 a glass and there was no Premium wine for $6.00 a glass. 

As I said I didn't look at the wine list but I do know there was port on the list at more than $6.00, the implication of the opening post and a subsequent one was price point was the measure of a wine.

[Kitekat]

On 4/26/2022 at 10:29 PM, TayanaLorna said:

Right.  The wine tastings events were no extra charge for SSP.  

What? On our Feb cruise we were charge $35 - 15% because we had SSP!!!! All spirits tastings were free with the package!!! That's what I call a poor deal.

[FetaCheese]

1 hour ago, Kitekat said:

What? On our Feb cruise we were charge $35 - 15% because we had SSP!!!! All spirits tastings were free with the package!!! That's what I call a poor deal.

Can you clarify?  Were you charged for the tasting -- and you had purchased the SSP ?  

[cruzzzinma]

On 4/26/2022 at 1:25 PM, Twitchly said:

Does Viking let you try a sip of non-house wines before you purchase? (Assuming no drinks package.) Many restaurants are kind enough to do this.

Yes, they do.

[Kitekat]

9 hours ago, FetaCheese said:

Can you clarify?  Were you charged for the tasting -- and you had purchased the SSP ?  

Oh yes, we were charged for the wine tasting even with the package! Told that was the way it was done!

 

We had the discount for purchase of a whole bottle applied to the cost of the tasting, but it still rankles. And it wasn't as if we had huge amounts poured. 

On the spirits tastings - which were free because we had SSP - there were some very expensive spirits (gin, whisky... ) which were not included in SSP but were great to taste. 

 

[TayanaLorna]

On 4/27/2022 at 1:30 PM, Blackduck59 said:

I knew I would get a reaction. I do enjoy wine, I am not a wine connoisseur. My only interest is "does it taste good to me?" and "does it go well withe what I am eating?"

I'm really not interested in the "score" or what some "expert" has to say about it. 

I have to admit that I didn't look at the wine list (I was never offered one) but you won't find anyone on land or at sea offering the truly fine wines by the glass. 

Does it taste good to me is the question.  Our yacht club used to have a wine tasting event.  Everyone would bring a bottle of wine but take the label off.  We would rate the wines as we tasted them.  Consistently the most expensive wine would NOT rate in the highest category.  Anyone remember "2 buck chuck", a red wine (Charles Krug I think) that was sold at Trader Joes?  LOL but that wine occasionally would rate high.

[TayanaLorna]

On 4/27/2022 at 5:42 PM, Kitekat said:

What? On our Feb cruise we were charge $35 - 15% because we had SSP!!!! All spirits tastings were free with the package!!! That's what I call a poor deal.

On one cruise the French wine tasting had a charge even with the SSP.  However there was another wine tasting with no charge and none of the wines were from the $6 by the glass list.

[Blackduck59]

12 minutes ago, TayanaLorna said:

Does it taste good to me is the question.  Our yacht club used to have a wine tasting event.  Everyone would bring a bottle of wine but take the label off.  We would rate the wines as we tasted them.  Consistently the most expensive wine would NOT rate in the highest category.  Anyone remember "2 buck chuck", a red wine (Charles Krug I think) that was sold at Trader Joes?  LOL but that wine occasionally would rate high.

Thank you, my point exactly. A good wine tasting event (and yes I have been to a few) pours the wine, tells you the variety and lets you decide what you like. Make your notes and then check out the price. You then decide if whatever ransom they want for the wine you liked is worth it. These were pay to attend events so they were pouring a few  pricier bottles. 

[CCWineLover]

As a wine lover, it should AWAYS be about what tastes best to you.  🍷🍷 

 

and that may depend on what your environment is, what time of day or year even, what you have eaten or are eating, what you’ve already drunk, friends (vs dedicated tasting), and more! We’ve all been in that situation where we were at a winery with some friends, having fun, great atmosphere and the wi w tasted wonderful, only to retested it at a quiet home alone, and finding it tasted so different!

[austinetc]

23 minutes ago, TayanaLorna said:

Does it taste good to me is the question.  Our yacht club used to have a wine tasting event.  Everyone would bring a bottle of wine but take the label off.  We would rate the wines as we tasted them.  Consistently the most expensive wine would NOT rate in the highest category.  Anyone remember "2 buck chuck", a red wine (Charles Krug I think) that was sold at Trader Joes?  LOL but that wine occasionally would rate high.

I’m the originator of this thread. I once thought White Zinfandel was a fine wine. But after having tasted wines in over two hundred tasting rooms, I am now a bit more refined in my requirements AND more knowledgeable. Two (and a half) buck chuck is an interesting wine in that Trader Joe’s buys grapes from sources that have an excess. Sometimes they get great deals from great wineries. So it’s very possible to get surprisingly good wine. BUT, no one would call two buck chuck premium wine. I’ve been on Viking for six days now, tasting their $6 wines. None have excited me. At $25 a bottle none would be called premium wine by anyone who knows wine. I’m now drinking a fine $11 scotch. I’d rather be drinking a fine $11 wine. 

[TayanaLorna]

On 4/28/2022 at 4:12 AM, Kitekat said:

Oh yes, we were charged for the wine tasting even with the package! Told that was the way it was done!

 

We had the discount for purchase of a whole bottle applied to the cost of the tasting, but it still rankles. And it wasn't as if we had huge amounts poured. 

On the spirits tastings - which were free because we had SSP - there were some very expensive spirits (gin, whisky... ) which were not included in SSP but were great to taste. 

 

I found that some spirits tastings have a charge to the SSP and some wine tastings do also.  Then there are spirit and wine tastings that do not.  I don't know if it is cruise itinery specific or based on the premium level of the drink.  What i did learn on our last cruise is to ask Guest Services soon after embarkation about what is scheduled.  The free to SSP holders fill up first.  We got the last 2 spaces to the free wine tasting whereas the French wine tasting with a charge was wide open.