Like other types of resorts, the food and wine component of even the popularly priced ships has come a long way. The food and wine program has to be better, not just bigger, and the cruise lines are openly in the wine business. While a few customers bring some special wine with them to celebrate (this is welcomed and there is no corkage charge), a whole lot more are leaving the ship with boxes of wine along with their souvenirs and sunburns. Why bother? Because the selection is good, you’ll find wines you can’t find at home and the prices are attractive because of the tax (lack of) situation. But what else can you expect on an Epicurean adventure on the sea? Here’s the skinny on two of the best cruise lines for wine and foodies.

Radisson Seven Seas

Lots of folks don’t seem to be aware that this well-known hotel company operates several luxury ships around the world. Their special themed cruises—called “Spotlight on Wine and Food”—tie the ports of call to special Epicurean wine tastings and dinners on board. Many are routes through Europe and the Mediterranean, plus two unusual sailings—one in Tahiti and another from Singapore to Sydney.

Radisson fares include unlimited featured wines in the main dining room with dinner, always a white and red, paired by the chef and wine director. Port and some dessert wines are included as well. The excellent new continental cuisine is cooked to order and beautifully presented—this is not banquet food. But if you tire of the fine, seven-course menu, which is changed nightly, you can reserve a table at the ship’s smaller venue, the Portofino. Here, there is a nightly wine tasting with starters and some good wine education about 20 Italian wines you can purchase for consumption on board or take home. The ship’s sommelier brings in the wines directly to the ship after tasting them in Italy, so there’s a good chance you will find some gems. We especially enjoyed a 2002 Amarone Della Valpolicella from Zenato and a fresh 2004 white, Cantine Terranera Greco Di Tufo. All wines were $29 per bottle.

In case you doubt the depth of the ship’s cellar, there’s a reserve wine list for big spenders that rivals many restaurants, with notable collections and Wine Spectator awards on the walls. You can start your dinner with a bottle of ’96 vintage Cristal, sip a white 2000 Latour Grand Cru with your seafood appetizers, enjoy a ’96 Chateau Margaux or a 2000 Ornellia Super Tuscan with your beef cheeks, then a sticky ’96 Chateau d’Yquem with dessert. If you’re up to it, there’s a single malt, port and cognac cigar bar on board as well.

If cruising appeals to you, with a new port every day with only one unpacking of your suitcases, pick a themed wine and food cruise on a luxury line such as Radisson. In can be a lot to digest, literally, but in between meals and events there’s always the spa and casino! Bon voyage and bon appetit.

(Sidebar) IF YOU GO
More information and specific itineraries on Radisson Seven Seas’ Spotlight on Wine & Food series of cruises is available on the web at: www.rssc.com or by calling 800-285-1835.

Cruising not for you? Think again. For many, the thought of being captive on a ship sounds like a sentence of confinement. But things have changed – especially for wine enthusiasts. Some lines, including Silversea, have organized cruises that specialize in on-shore winery visits, tastings and seminars. These itineraries combine the luxury of a cruise with visits to exclusive vineyards not normally accessible.

Certainly cruising offers unique features. Your view changes continually, affording spectacular scenery, and at your beck and call is a floating resort. In the case of the Silver Shadow, this includes a spa, exercise facility, several dining options, an extensive wine cellar with 15,000 bottles and a sommelier, pool complex, Internet cafй, libraries and special lecture.

Our wine specialty cruise on the M/V Silver Shadow (with a maximum of 285 passengers) began in Istanbul. Before boarding ship, we had a free day to visit mosques and wander the Grand Bazaar, sample local cuisine and the wines of Turkey. Istanbul proved to be daunting for the uneducated Turkish wine detective. While little information is available, we were able to locate a few quality retailers (Bade Wine Shop, KAV Sarap Butik—wine boutique and La Cave Wine Shop) with the help of local guides and the Internet. Some reliable producers to look for include Doluca, Kavaklidere and the Cankaya whites of Ankara.

Turkey is just beginning to recognize the potential of exporting wine, so there is little formal regulation and you won’t find DOCs and DOCGs. Being the crossroads of Asia and Europe, yet a Muslim country, wine is not generally served with the meal. Alcohol is permitted, but is consumed in the form of spirits rather than wine. Reeki, a type of Ouzo, is popular as are the local beers, which are quite good.

By the time Turkey was behind us and we neared the island of Santorini, we had already met other wine enthusiasts on board at a tasting held by Stephanie Putnam, winemaker for Napa’s Far Niente vineyards. Fellow voyagers came from around the world: Hong Kong, Australia, Britain and South Africa. Wine stories were traded and notes compared on the wide selection of complimentary and optional wines served on board.

Together we sampled Santorini’s unusual wines at Boutari vineyards. Here, a unique varietal called Assyrtico is grown in “baskets” formed from the vines rather than on trellises, in volcanic soil where there is little precipitation. The varietals, including Aidani and Athiri, exist almost nowhere else on earth. Later, we would visit the Sigalas winery of Oia, Santorini, a progressive vineyard that uses some trellis systems (in addition to the baskets) and produces award-winning reds as well as the island’s traditional whites. The Santorini Sigalas VQPRD white is the finest Greek wine I’ve had the pleasure to taste—great body, open fruit, with the rich volcanic minerals for balance.

But back on board ship, the wine experience does not wait for a port of call. Head sommelier Pascal Morel chose four quality wines to be served with each meal – Latour, Chateau Laborde, Antinori, Wente, Mondavi, Raymond, Vina Errazuriz, Banfi, Bradgate and more. And in the Silversea tradition, an unlimited supply of French champagne by Philipponnat was available. Silversea is all-suite, each with a fridge stocked daily with wines and other beverages of your choice (no additional charge).

Dinner under the Stars

Dining on the Shadow can only be described as “personal, with flair” with French-influenced menus to suit any palate. From light options to six-course extravaganzas, all is prepared to order and of excellent quality. Optional themed meals are held throughout the ship and under the stars. “Our mission is to deliver whatever dining options the customer desires,” Morel said. “And special requests for food or wine are always welcome.” Some of our favorites included: pan-fried veal medallions with hazelnut sweetbreads, a Hawaiian lemon-ginger scallop in pineapple, veal calf's’liver with raspberry vinegar and onion compote and a great entrйe of frog’s legs risotto with garlic butter and tomatoes.

Guests can even reserve the special dining room, La Champagne, with yet another menu and a special for-purchase vintage wine list from some of the top producers in the world: ’85 Haut-Brion, ’88 Latour, ’95 Ornellaia, ’88 La Romanee, ’90 Sassacaia, even a ’90 d’Yquem was on-board.

And then there’s Italy

The first Italian stop allowed us to explore the southern Amalfi coast, where the wines are mostly from Sicily, plus fantastic lemon and melon liqueurs. Silversea offered an exclusive luncheon at the legendary Hotel Positano for just 20 passengers. The property was spectacular and the food served on the patio above the sea was good southern Italian (prosciutto, melon, pastas), but the wines were nameless local red and whites. Here, it’s all about the view.

The second Italian port was the highlight of the tour for wine lovers. A select group was offered a trip to the Super Tuscan villa of Sassacaia in Bulgari. Sassacaia makes only one wine—a blend of 85 percent Cabernet Sauvignon and 15 percent Cabernet Franc. You can’t buy wine at this exclusive estate, as none is for sale. This is the only domain to garner its own DOC—and the prices to match. We tasted two vintages, an ’84 and a ’99 Cab, and they were powerful, deep, almost purple with multiple layers of fruit. We also were treated to a visit through the decidedly low-tech but charming winery facility.

The third stop was Portofino on the Italian Riviera, where we visited three picture-perfect waterside villages. Chiantis were mostly featured here—at spectacularly high prices, as was most everything (the Euro makes purchases very expensive). Buy them at home and save.

A wine cruise may not be for everyone, but the combination of wine events, history and luxury can be a great trade-off. And, you'll never find a more civilized way to experience them.

IF YOU GO...

Sidebar:
If you choose to consider a wine-specific cruise of the Mediterranean, and/or other European ports,

Contact: Silversea Cruises:
www.silversea.com
1-800-722-9955

Turkish Wine information: www.lacavesarap.com

Greek wines of Santorini: www.boutari.gr

Sassacaia and other Tuscany info: phone (Italy code) 0565 749768

Hotel Positano, Italy: www.ilsanpietro.it