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| Frigate birds. |
Barry went out on the balcony about 8:00 AM and saw about 12 frigate birds fishing. They were flying along side the boat and when the front of the boat went near the small flying-fish, the fish would fly out of the water and the birds would catch them in the air, or dive for them when the fish went back into the water. He watched this for half an hour.
We go down to Coffee Connections for coffee and take all of our reading material, schedules, etc. with us.
We have our "Connoisseur's Wine Tasting" at 12:15 PM today. I have booked a pedicure for 11:00 AM and decide I have enough time to go to Terry Bishop's Enrichment Lecture on "William Adams...the First English Samurai".
After the lecture, I sprint from Deck 6 to Deck 12 and plan to meet Barry for the wine tasting at 12:15. Whew! Busy, busy.
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| Impressive. |
I get to the Compass Rose with plenty of time to spare.
The tables are set up and we've got a ton of glasses in front of us.
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| Let the games begin! (That's Anna behind Barry.) |
We are given a glass of Perrier-Jouët Rosé, while we waited to start.
Here are the wines we had and the food pairing...
2009 Moet & Chandon Cuvée "Dom Perignon"
-- paired with a Caviar Shot (chilled beef essence with vodka, layer of crème fraîche and then a layer of Oscietra caviar)
2016 Rombauer Chardonney, Napa Valley, California
-- paired with Crab salad w. lemon oil and greens
(Marian was served foie gras paté, with strawberries and fig jam...due to her allergy)
**Mystery wine: Woodward Chardonney
**Mystery wines were served blind...the bottle is completely covered in foil wrap and we had to guess the wine and decide if we liked it better than the original offering.
2013 Louis Jadot Meursault, Chardonney
-- paired with Pumpkin Ravioli, Pistachio and Sage Butter
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| 2013 Amarone -- big surprise |
I liked the French Chardonney better than the Pinot Noir.
2013 Jordan, Cabernet Sauvignon, California
-- paired with Baked Turbot Fillet, Parsnip purée & semi-dried tomato
**Mystery wine: 2013 Amarone Classico
...surprisingly he served 2 red wines with the fish and they were delicious...I liked the Jordan better.
2011 Joseph Phelps "Insignia", Cabernet Sauvignon
-- paired with Almond-crusted Veal Medallions, Vegetable Gateaux and Red Wine Sauce
**Mystery wine: Duckhorn Merlot
Imagine having Insignia vs. Duckhorn!! -- hard to say what is better with the veal, but I did enjoy the Insignia.
2016 Inniskillin Ice Wine (Vidal), Canada
-- paired with Mango Sorbet on top of pistachio cake and sauce.
** No Mystery wine...the ice wine was it.
So, as you can imagine, around the fish course, a party started to break out. Everyone was talking to everyone and the wines were discussed.
We finished the Wine Tasting around 2:30 PM and Barry gathered a small group to meet at the Navigator Lounge to "carry on". We meet Michele & Bruce and Anna & Mike and hear their stories. Rich & Carol walked by and we dragged them in...so, they joined us as well.
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| Carol & Rich |
This party broke up around 5:00 PM.
We head back to our cabin and Barry informs me that we have been invited to have dinner with the Cruise Consultant, Gundren, and we are meeting her for dinner at 7:00 PM.
OMG!!!
Quick nap and dress for dinner.
All went well and we head back to our cabin.
We have an excursion tomorrow in Puerto Princesa, Philippines.
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