Our next few days were all at sea as we sailed the North Atlantic Ocean on route to Paamuit Greenland. This leaves me one more ocean to sail upon and I will have sailed all the World’s oceans. Can you guess which ocean I haven’t sailed yet?
The weather was mild and sunny, so a good day for a few laps of the deck before lunch! Not sure why the pool was emptied, but it did not look good today… A bit green.
One of the great things about sea days on Regent Seven Seas is that they usually schedule something interesting (well to me anyway) like a Connoisseur Wine Lunch. Today was one of those days.
As these are considered “premium” wine lunches there is an additional cost, usually around USD150 per person. I am not sure if they are always value for money, still enjoy them as the Culinary and Sommelier teams do put a lot of time and effort into them and you do get to meet like minded people. The like minded person I was to dine with was “Bob” from my dinner in Chartreus the night before, we ended up sharing a lot of wine over the rest of the cruise.
Connoisseur Wine Lunch (number 1)
Once we were seated we were served a with a Kir Imperial to start with. This was not for me, too much like a sparkling Ribena for me, gave it a 2 out of 5 (not worth a review)
First Course:
2011 Perrier-Jouët Belle Epoque Fleur de Champagne Brut, Champagne, France. 50% Chardonnay, 45% Pinot and 5% Meunier
| Appearance: | Pale light straw, fine in consistent bead |
| Nose: | A bit of a funky nose not sure of the aroma maybe Brie or toast? |
| Palate: | Light on the palate, with citrus and mineral notes |
| Finish: | Short |
| Oz’s Rating: | 3 out 5 Champagne and caviar, a good pair |
Tian of Sturgeon Caviar, Buckwheat Blinis, Traditional Garnish
A great looking blinis tower. Tastes good as well, nice combo
Second Course
2016 Patz and Hall Chardonnay, Russian River, California, USA. 100% Chardonnay
| Appearance: | Bright golden straw |
| Nose: | A pleasant mix of buttery biscuit and lemon / lime aromas |
| Palate: | Refreshing with light citrus flavours, it was not overly “oaky” either |
| Finish: | Medium length with a bit of heat |
| Oz’s Rating | 3.5 out 5 A nice Chardy from Russian River, interesting pairing with the Beef Consommé, it worked well |
Beef Consommé Grimaldi, Parmesan Royal, Celery, Tomato Concasse.
The saltiness of the Consommé and the sweetness of the wine meant that they paired very well.
Third Course
2014 Castello Banfi “SummuS” Sant’Antimo, Tuscany, Italy. 40% Sangiovese, 35% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Syrah
| Appearance: | Medium deep crimson |
| Nose: | A subtle combination of white pepper, cherry and vanilla aromas |
| Palate: | Medium bodied, balanced with evolving tannins |
| Finish: | Medium length |
| Oz’s Rating | Oz’s Rating: 3.5 out of 5, verging on 4 when paired with the risotto. |
Risotto Al Funghi, Carnaroli Rice, Shallots, Wild Mushrooms, Parmesan
Tasty, the truffle really makes this dish work and pairs very well with the SummuS
Fourth Course
2016 Darioush Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, California, USA. 83% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Cabernet Franc, 6%Merlot, 2% Malbec, 2% Petit Verdot
| Appearance: | Youthful deep crimson, with nice lees |
| Nose: | Pleasant mixture of mocha, subtle black pepper and cigar tobacco aromas |
| Palate: | Medium to full bodied with a lingering residual sweetness |
| Finish: | Medium-long |
| Oz’s Rating: | 3.5 out 5, also verged on a 4 when paired with the food. Another interesting pairing |
Scallops with Smoked Bacon, Savory Cabbage and Cabernet Cream.
An interesting pairing, the sweetness of the wine worked well with the saltiness of the pancetta and scallops
Fifth Course:
2016 Two Hands Lily’s Garden Shiraz, McLaren Vale, South Australia
| Appearance: | Deep purple |
| Nose: | An enjoyable restrained combo of subtle blackberry, plum, cedar and spice aromas |
| Palate: | Full bodied, smooth with a sour cherry after taste and evolving silky tannins |
| Finish: | Medium-long |
| Oz’s Rating: | 3.5 out of 5. Drinking very well now, will definitely repay some patience. McLaren Vale Shiraz is a safe bet with steak. |
Chateaubriand, Roasted Beef Tenderloin Salsify, Porcine, Pickled Pair, Red Wine Mustard Sauce
Nice choice for the shiraz, unfortunately the meat was a bit “chewy”. The sauce was good
Sixth Course:
Dow’s Tawny 20 Year Old Port, Douro, Portugal. Tinta Barroca, Touriga Nacional, Tinta Roriz & Touriga Franca
| Appearance: | An attractive medium-deep amber with a nice set of lees! |
| Nose: | A perfume of caramel, raisin and mocha aromas |
| Palate: | Balanced, semi-sweet, a bit of savoury under tones with silky tannins |
| Finish: | Medium to long |
| Oz’s Rating: | 3.5 out 5 Love a good port at the end of dinner… |
Chocolate Truffle Dome, Soft Raspberry Jelly
Very nice, another great pairing
The Lunch
This was a very enjoyable lunch, some very different pairings of wines and food, they all worked quite well, making the lunch more of an experience than a meal. The Sommeliers made sure we never went “dry”, looking forward to the next one!
Choosing a wine of the lunch was a challenge, it was either the SummuS or the Darioush. I went with the Darioush in the end due to how well it paired with the scallops. Both are great wines
Dinner
After a very enjoyable Tanqueray Martini in the Observation Lounge, I headed to Sette Mari for dinner, only needed one course after lunch.
Penne with bolognaise sauce, which was very enjoyable, though the fresh chili was still not spicy.
The Wine
2016 Rocca Sveva Valpolicella Superiore, Valpolicella, Italy. 70% Corvina, 15% Rondinella, 15% Molinara
| Appearance: | Deep ruby |
| Nose: | Heady mix of berry and sour cherry aromas |
| Palate: | Medium bodied, balanced with firm tannins |
| Finish: | Medium length |
| Oz’s Travels: | 3 out of 5 Not bad as a quaffer |
Day 5 – North Atlantic Ocean
What a great day at sea, looking forward to tomorrow, another sea day. There is an American Whiskey tasing in the afternoon and a pre-dinner cocktail party, could be a long day!
You are SUCH a brat about your chilli…
It is the spice of life. Thanks for reading, it is interesting that a wine guy focusses on the chili and not the wine #justsaying….
Good to see an Australian wine in the tasting.
Yes, there were a few bottles of decent Australian Wine onboard, on one of my previous Cruises they had some very average (think something similar to the one with tail) onboard so most people gave Australian wine a miss. Bought a couple of very good Australian wine with me that did surprise some people.
Thanks for reading
That fourth course wine sounds really interesting tbh
It was good, a few more years and it will be even better… Thanks for reading
Another excellent description helping us to relive the wine lunch!
A lunch is always better with good company… Glad to help! Cheers