I have found that the most difficult planning I have encountered is my alcohol acquisition. I had planned in using Drizzly, but Total Wine and More will deliver locally, min $99 purchase, so now I’m going to have to rework costs and timing concerns. Total Wine has the best selection and, the real monkey wrench for me, water delivery. Ill carve some time out later to figure out our best option.
Can you go to Palo the first afternoon and have a quality bottle delivered to MDR without eating at Palo the first night? If so,I think I would rather do that for my onboard bottle. I would rather pay more in wine than a corkage fee if I could get what I wanted instead of just meh wine. Maybe, I don’t know. I feel like its all a big logic puzzle.
Have you heard of the Ullo wine filtration and aeration system? Its really fantastic. I took mine on board last time. I find it limits any adverse effects.
Right? this is more complicated than I thought!
I sound like a much bigger wine snob than I am but what I consistently end up going back to at home is Josh Cabernet. It's $17.99 per bottle at most places where I live, but found it for $14.99 a bottle (but inconsistently stocked) locally at one place, so last time I was at trader joe's (in MA they sell wine) I stocked up for $10.99 a bottle - down to my last one now lol. So I would say while I am not a wine snob (I don't think this price range puts me in that category), I definitely have preferences.
I have also started to get into the red zinfandels, reading reviews on what I like I tend to prefer the ones that are more jammy and spicy (or maybe I just like the word "jammy") - but they are some of the higher ABV and I learned this weekend it does make a difference in modulating consumption (meaning I know how to pace myself perfectly on a cab, but that pace was too fast on the zin.) I only drink socially and on the weekends (not remotely every weekend though) and will at most have a bottle in a down weekend when we are entertaining (or just entertaining each other, lol.) and on holidays and this frequency keeps my tolerance pretty low.
I am re-reviewing the wine lists now and seem to have missed the adventurous reds section, with tons of choices by the glass so I might just end up buying whatever I feel like by the glass, which was my original plan since it seems to hard to plan! This way I can go with the flow more easily and I can try a glass of something I'd never buy a bottle of at Remy (no clue how any of that would pair though - I am not much into champagne and will probably have the glass that comes with it but was hoping for a recommendation on something non-sparkling that will pair well with brunch!)
I have just reached a point in my wine drinking where I kind of know what I like (or don't) and was hoping for expert advice to pick some things I might not know to pick on my own. On land I will just google the name and read reviews and I do alright but this is an opportunity to have a discussion with someone who is really knowledgeable. A bottle might be too ambitious alone (after talking this through on here) and I might just end up buying whatever I do by the glass - especially at Remy seeing the prices, seeing all of the reds I'd be perfectly happy to have in the MDR and it gives me the option to enjoy a few cocktails as well if the mood strikes me.
I THINK I'd rather enjoy one glass of very expensive wine and see what that is all about (there is no way I am paying hundreds for a bottle, I'm just not that good at the wine thing for it to be worth it!) but I'd treat myself to a really nice glass of something I wouldn't buy a whole bottle of. I'm guessing the whites would pair better with brunch and I tend to be a lot more picky about whites, I don't like them to be acidic or mineraly at all and so I tend to not like more than I do like - but I do like some chardonnay and also a reisling if not toooo sweet but also not too mineraly. I enjoy a much wider range of reds so I usually stick with that because unless it is super cheap it's usually drinkable at a bare mininum - I've found I like it better if I don't buy the cheapest available because those are usually pretty harsh (unless I google what it is and find it won't be.)
But maybe if I try something by the glass and LOVE it I can just have a bottle sent to the MDRs for me.
