Flight 539 from Fort Lauderdale to Dallas/Fort Worth on Saturday, August 3, 2013

Wine tasted at 6:30 PM

I can definitely see some positive changes on American Airlines. Before our flight, we called AA for our upgrade to first class, and the customer service representative was so extremely helpful and nice. When we checked in at the airport, the check-in agent was friendly and willing to help. When we got on the plane, the flight attendant took our drink and dinner orders. He was very friendly and nice. I wondered whether this was really the American Airlines I knew and hated in the past?

The dinner was served with the choice of red or white wine, or both. The red wine was Glass Mountain from Chile and the white was an Esala Chardonay from California. I was not familiar with the names. However, I knew these could not be overly expensive wines, as all airlines are trying to cut costs and save money.  For reviews of the wines on offer, please read the individual wine reviews on this site. Both were quite good and offerings were generous. Moreover, I really enjoyed the service and goodwill at AA, a world of difference with the “old” airline. I will fly American Airlines again and again, and the service on this domestic route exceeded my expectations.

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Flight 539 from Fort Lauderdale to Dallas/Fort Worth on Saturday, August 3, 2013

Wine tasted at 6:30 PM

I can definitely see some positive changes on American Airlines. Before our flight, we called AA for our upgrade to first class, and the customer service representative was so extremely helpful and nice. When we checked in at the airport, the check-in agent was friendly and willing to help. When we got on the plane, the flight attendant took our drink and dinner orders. He was very friendly and nice. I wondered whether this was really the American Airlines I knew and hated in the past?

The dinner was served with the choice of red or white wine, or both. The red wine was Glass Mountain from Chile and the white was an Esala Chardonay from California. I was not familiar with the names. However, I knew these could not be overly expensive wines, as all airlines are trying to cut costs and save money.  For reviews of the wines on offer, please read the individual wine reviews on this site. Both were quite good and offerings were generous. Moreover, I really enjoyed the service and goodwill at AA, a world of difference with the “old” airline. I will fly American Airlines again and again, and the service on this domestic route exceeded my expectations.

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After my experience on Japan Airlines First Class, my expectations for the return flight to the US were very high.  Asiana First Class met and exceeded all such expectations on April 24, 2013. While I  know that the quality of service in non-us airlines is generally far superior to that available on US airlines, once I got on the plane the first impression was “wow”. My own beautiful “suite” with a door and featuring a 32 inch monitor was something I had not expected, and was delighted by. I knew I would have a great 14-hour trip back. I know this blog is not the place to talk about a flying experiences, but you will love their service and comfortable seat (converting into a fully flat bed). After several great meals and tasting their excellent wine selections, I had a much-deserved nap that made the trip very bearable.  For the wine tasting, the flight attendants were very helpful and willing to open brand new bottles to enable me to taste just one glass. I continued with the reds after starting with their generally excellent whites.

When I came home, I did some price checks for these wine offerings for posting, which turn out to be the price range between $45 and $75 in US retail price for reds and between $29 and $70 for whites. The various offerings, which are reviewed individually elsewhere on this site, were:

Reds

Chateau Gruaud Larose, Bordeaux red blend, 2008, Saint-Julien, Bordeaux, France. Priced a bottle at $44.97 (www.pjwine.com). ALC.13%.

Corton Bressandes Grand Cru, Pinot Noir, 2009, Burgundy, France. Priced a bottle at $74.99 (www.jjbuckley.com). ALC. 13.5%

Keenan by Robert Keenan Winery, Cabernet Sauvignon, 2007, Spring Mountain, Napa Valley, California, USA. Priced a bottle at $49 (www.keenanwineary.com). ALC. 14.3%.

Vaso by Dana Estates, Cabernet Sauvignon, 2009, Napa Valley, California, USA. Priced a bottle at $84 (www.wine-searcher.com). ALC. 14.8%.

Whites

Roux Pere & Fils Meursault 1er Cru Clos Des Poruzots, Chardonnay, 2009, Burgundy, France. Priced a bottle at $69.99 (www.du-vin.net). ALC. 13.5%.

Chateau Brown, White Bordeaux Blend, 2009, Pessac-Leognan, Bordeaux, France. Priced a bottle at $39.99 (www.snooth.com and K&L Wines). ALC. 14.5%.

Jordan, Chardonnay, 2008, Russian River, California, USA. Priced a bottle at $29.00 (www.wine.com). ALC 13.5%.

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Through the courtesy of our very fine flight attendants, I was able to walk down to the Business Class lounge and have a Business Class wine tasting, this after a three-hour nap that became necessary to  recover from my First Class wine tasting.  When I came home, I did some price checks for these offerings for posting, and the price range was between $10 and $20 a bottle US retail price.  Nowadays, all the airlines are cutting costs and charging for everything.  One should admit that the quality of wines should not be judged by the price, but I thought Japan Airlines was a little cheap in its spending for business class wines, though thanks to its sommeliers, wines on offer were above average in terms of quality.  The next time when you drink wines offered while flying on Japan Airlines Business Class, be aware that your choices are for wines under $20. Keep that in mind or fly First Class.

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Flying in First Class is a once-in-a-blue-moon experience for most of us. If you happen to fly in first class, you want to sample everything  a particular airline offers. On Monday, March 25, 2013 I flew JAL 005 from JFK to Narita, Japan. I thought, why not be creative in finding a way to kill almost 15 hours while having as much pleasure as possible?  I am not talking about sleeping in the completely flat bed, the great gourmet meals, the Champagne on departure, the luxury of ample leg space, the 23 inch monitor and the special first class lounge.   Rather, I realized when the menu and wine list were handed to me that this would be a great opportunity to experience and taste top of the line wines. The best part was that I knew nothing about most of the wine list. Japan Airlines stated that it is proud to present its wine collection to the first class passengers, and the very friendly flight attendants were very willing to help me with a thorough wine tasting. Relying on their generosity, I tried 3 reds and 1 white. I could not handle more than those four.

When I came home, I did some price checks for posting. I have discovered the price range of Japan Airline first class wine offerings is between $50 and $112 (US retail price). One Napa wine is produced by a Japanese wine maker who seems to supply it to the Japanese market only. I thought it is very interesting to do that, so the price he commands might be an outlier.

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This wine tasting took place on April 10, 2013 at 2 PM at the Rotterdam dining room in the Holland America MS Volendam. It offered 10 different wines from 5 major wine producing countries: Italy, France, USA, Chile and Australia. The nicest thing about the event is that it was organized around 5 stations, one for each country, with 2 wines in each. Some stations had two whites and some had a white and a red, so it was easy to try them all repeatedly and then select the wine you liked the most. It became a bit of an all-the-wine-you-can-drink within one hour.  It was not bad for a $25, plus 15% gratuity. Of course, these wine offerings were not best wines on board, and consisted mostly of red and white blends. One thing you must be aware of in this kind of wine tasting, you don’t want to mix white and red wines. Try first all the lighter white wines, and only then move on to red wines. You don’t want to confuse your palate.

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It was Friday, July 12, 2013. I wanted to try the weekly wine tasting at the Total Wine store, Fort Lauderdale, FL, which is a very good retailer. My partner and I like to go wine shopping there. The store offers a great variety of selections with good pricing and great sectional arrangements, with friendly knowledgeable staff.  I am always impressed by the goodwill of the staff. The store is also inviting and attractive; that must be why I never come out empty-handed. The only problem I have is that I end up buying more wines than needed. Alas, since wine is good for your health, I end up drinking it over time.  However, today we went there for a different reason.  We had known for a long time that every weekend (Friday 12-6, Saturday 12-6 and Sunday 12-5) each Total Wine store has a free wine tasting. Today I went there and the store offered two French whites and three red wines for tasting. Nowadays we mostly drink either Chilean or Argentine wines given the excellent quality/price ratio. So this was a good opportunity to experience French wines on the cheap.

The wine tasting offered a wide range of prices and different wines. Today the price range was between $10 and $20. The next week (July 12-14), it will be under $30 wines. I thought that for a free wine tasting, the deal was quite good. The one downside was a small tiny plastic sample cup they pour the wine in. I told a nice lady who was in charge that I would bring my own wine glass next time, so I can properly swill it.  I prefer a glass because, firstly it helps save the environment by not having to discard plastic cups;  second, a wider and deeper container helps  open up red wine; and lastly,  it always feels better to taste wine in a real wine glass (yes, I know, its old-fashioned). Although I thought some of the French wines were good, I did not buy any of those tasted.

At the same time, the store is willing to offer you tastings of different wines if the bottles are already open. This very generous marketing from the store works, as we ended buying  $150 worth of wines. We all like a generous store when it comes wine tasting. The best part of this tasting is not only discovering the wines you like, but also you can buy a wine you really liked with a 10% off coupon.  You can also compare and share the experience with other customers and share views. After all we have a lot in common when it comes to wine drinking. These people are all quite expert. If you ever go there, you will have a great time. What a great way to start the weekend!!!!  Each wine review of those wines included in this tasting is available in the red or white categories on this website. The five wines offered were as follows:

1. Bougrier “‘V” Vouvary Grande Reserve, Chenin  Blanc, 2011, Loire, France. Priced a bottle at $14.99. 12% ALC.
2. Debeaune Pouilly Fuisse Galopieres, Chardonnay, 2011, Burgundy, France. Priced a bottle at $19.99. 13ALC.
3. Le Renard Bourgogne Rouge, Pinot Noir, 2009, Burgundy, France. Priced a bottle at $19.99. 13% ALC.
4. Domaine Mont Chavy  Morgon, Gamay, 2011, Beaujolais-Villages, France. Priced a bottle at $17.99. 13% ALC.
5. Chateau de Nages Buti Nages Nimes Rouge, Red Blend, 2010, Rhone, France. Priced a bottle at $10.99. 14% ALC.

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Holland America: Navigator Wine Tasting

This was the first of three Holland America MS Volendam wine tastings during a 14 -day Japan, Korea and China cruise. The first one took a place on April 2, 2013 at 2:00 PM at the Rotterdam main dining room, deck 4. This was a perfect occasion to help fill a gloomy and cloudy day. The cost for the tasting was $15 per person, plus a 15% gratuity, and it was expected to last 40-45 minutes. When I glanced at the wines on offer, they were not all that great and consisted mostly of cheap reds and whites.  My conclusion after this tasting experience is that you would be better off spending the money on something else on the ship, but not on these cheap and wholly uninteresting red and white wines. The five wines were that presented were as follows:

Nobilo, Sauvignon Blanc, 2012, Marlborough, New Zealand, 12.5% ALC. Priced a bottle at $13.99 (www.wine.com).

Georges Duboeuf Macon-Villages, Chardonnay, 2011, Burgundy, France, 13% ALC. Priced a bottle at $10.99 (www.garyswine.com).

Pinot Noir Mark West, 2010, California, USA, 13.8% ALC. Priced a bottle at $13.99 (www.wine.com).

Merlot, Stone Cellars by Beringer, California, USA, 13% ALC. Priced a bottle at $4.49 (www.totalwine.com).

Tempranillo Granacha, Red Guitar, 2009, Navarra, Spain, 13.9% ALC. Priced a bottle at $7.95 (www.empirewine.com).

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After my experience on Japan Airlines First Class, my expectations for the return flight to the US were very high.  Asiana First Class met and exceeded all such expectations on April 24, 2013. While I  know that the quality of service in non-us airlines is generally far superior to that available on US airlines, once I got on the plane the first impression was “wow”. My own beautiful “suite” with a door and featuring a 32 inch monitor was something I had not expected, and was delighted by. I knew I would have a great 14-hour trip back. I know this blog is not the place to talk about a flying experiences, but you will love their service and comfortable seat (converting into a fully flat bed), notwithstanding the recent accident in San Francisco. After several great meals and tasting their excellent wine selections, I had a much-deserved nap that made the trip very bearable.  For the wine tasting, the flight attendants were very helpful and willing to open brand new bottles to enable me to taste just one glass. I continued with the reds after starting with their generally excellent whites.

When I came home, I did some price checks for these wine offerings for posting. The price range turned out to be between $45 and $75 US retail for reds; and between $29 and $70 for whites.

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