Whadaya say? Any wine insights you are willing to share? For example, what's the average mark-up on a bottle of wine on Celebrity? What's the best buy if you want a Cab. Sav.? What do you think of Penfolds' Rawson brand?

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Originally posted by bmajor:
Good hit Joe...

Perhaps he could explain
Why is a glass of wine is so expensive?

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Because people are silly enough to pay the price!

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Originally posted by chateausmith:
----thought her wine list tremendous and very well priced from $20 to $2650.

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I have been in fine resturants and observed the TLC with which an expensive wine is handled, from cellar, to sommelier, to client.

Now think of the dymanics of QM2's maiden voyage. Much sendiment was stirred, of that I am sure.

My wife and I ordered wine above our means on "France" because we had discussed this matter of ships' motion with the sommelier. He not only assured us that the wine we had ordered was known to "travel well," but placed his Gallic soul on the line in a dramatic manner to assert the level of quality.

It was not a really big-bucks wine, but was in three figures, which on my low federal salary, was still far more than I usually paid. But we felt it was appropriate to the superb cuisine in "Le Chambord."

I am sure that the winestaff on QM2 have similar skills, but "two grand" for a wine in "travel status?"

Perhaps.

[ 07-16-2004: Message edited by: Cambodge ]

But, only out of curiosity, when french wine is imported, so obviously also the more upmarket (fragile)and chatau wines, it travels always by ship ? And from the coast to, say, Chicago or Denver ? Is the wine made to rest then in the US before being sold ? A year or more ?

Do you taste the difference between a french wine in France, and in the US ?

In a restaurant I have never had anything more than $50 a bottle, and in fact have preferred some around the $30 mark. But I am not a connoisseur, far from it, just someone who knows when I taste, what I like & what I don't. I will try anything I see on the list unusual...

That is my downfall.. not listening to the Sommelier On QM2, the wine we had had for a couple of nights, was 'no longer available'... smashed it appears in the storm. So I espied an Israeli wine on the list from Golan Heights. Hmm, never had any from there before... the Sommelier said he could not recommend it and advised not to try it. But me being me, said well I would anyway.
Dave pulled a face tasting, but said OK... gawd it was awful! Now I am not too fussy, but we didn't drink more than half the bottle and tole the chap not to save it for tomorrow Israeli wine is out, even though there may perhaps be a nice one. Same with Chilean.. I had some revolting wine [not as bad as the Israeli though] & I won't ever have any again.

So what Californian medium dry whites do you recommend? I seem to like them mostly, but never recall the actual names.

Reading the news today, it seems some champagne has been salvaged from a wreck that's been under the water for 50 years. See

Shipwrecked champagne uncorked.

""It certainly did not taste bad or spoiled, although there was just a hint of a fishy aroma and taste, but nothing major and it did not taste salty.

"You would not be able to tell it was from a shipwreck," she added."

The champagne is still good, and tastes like champagne..well and good.

But somehow, most champagnes I inbibe do not have this uniquel chacteristic. Being underwater does not necessarily impart the essence of fish. If it did not leak, the "fishy aroma" must have been caused by osmosis...or something.

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Originally posted by Malcolm @ cruisepage:

So what would $2650 buy me, wine wise?

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A nice cruise i thought so. My goodnes $2650 fore a bottle off wine.

99% of people drinking wine cane not even proof the diffrends between diffrend wines.

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Originally posted by PamM:
But with art & baseball cards, when you tire of them, you can sell, recouping some of the money spent on their purchase, maybe even make a profit. But the wine may be gone in an hour, never to be seen again. It's not an 'investment' but a luxury. I think if I had over $2000 hanging around, I'd give it away rather than drink it. Obviously others disagree or wine would not be priced as such; I doubt I'll ever see the point.

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I accept, of course, that if wine's been loaded on board a ship and is on the list, the chances are that the ship expects it to be drunk. But then, there are many people on board a ship who will just book the owner's suite and have done with it. Gulp!

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So I espied an Israeli wine on the list from Golan Heights. Hmm, never had any from there before... the Sommelier said he could not recommend it and advised not to try it. But me being me, said well I would anyway.
Dave pulled a face tasting, but said OK... gawd it was awful! Now I am not too fussy, but we didn't drink more than half the bottle and tole the chap not to save it for tomorrow Israeli wine is out, even though there may perhaps be a nice one.

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Originally posted by Globaliser:
But please don't let this experience put you off Lebanese wine. There is a fine red called Chateau Musar, .....

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Originally posted by Cambodge:

...I remember the great wine we had on "France."
It was a "Chateau Cheval Blanc 1949." Now it is out of sight, but our crossing was in 1969 which was not that far removed from the vintage date.

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Good news Cambodge, you can still pick up a bottle or two - here. Price ranges from $540 to $5400...

Joe at TravelPage.com

[ 07-19-2004: Message edited by: joe at travelpage ]

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Originally posted by The Wine Pro:
[QB... Northern California in particular makes some great rieslings....[/QB]

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What do you think of the New York State (mainly the Finger Lakes region) rieslings?