Norwegian Cruise Line unveils ‘Meet The Winemaker Cruises’

Norwegian Cruise Line has teamed up with renowned wineries including Michael Mondavi Family Estate and Banfi to offer holidaymakers on board the ‘Meet the Winemaker Cruises’ series to wine and dine with winemakers.

Norwegian Dawn cruise

The full series was revealed during the first ‘Winemaker Dinner’ cruise of the season, held on Norwegian Escape cruise and featuring Antonio Hidalgo, president of Bodegas Hidalgo La Gitana.

Other winemakers and personalities that are going to participate in the programme include Michael Mondavi, founder of the Michael Mondavi Family Estate; Bill Whiting, director of wine education at Banfi Vintners; Aarón Sánchez, TV chef and James Beard award winner; Gerard Bertrand, vintner of Languedoc-Roussilon and Salvatore Ferragamo, heir of luxury Italian fashion house and owner of Il Borro winery.

“Given the incredible reception of Michael Mondavi’s past visits aboard our ships, we are excited to expand upon this concept to provide our guests the opportunity to get up close and personal with renowned experts within the winemaking industry,” said Mark Kansley, senior vice president of Hotel Operations for Norwegian Cruise Line.

“As we strive to continually enhance our beverage program and onboard offerings, these partnerships represent our ongoing goal to serve as innovators in the cruising industry.”

The new programme is a further expansion for the cruise line to tap into retail wine travel sector after it partnered with Michale Mondavi family to create the cruise line’s first branded wine bar – The Cellars, a Michael Mondavi Family Wine bar in 2015.

The series will carry out on its Norwegian Escape and Dawn cruises from this year to 2018. Guests aboard these select sailings will have several opportunities to engage with the winemakers and experts, to participate in the open-forum question and answer session, and to purchase wines on board.

A wine tasting and educational seminar will also be held at The Cellars, which will feature hand-picked wines by the vintners. Pricing for the tastings will be US$19.95 per person. A five-course wine dinner hosted by the vintner or industry expert is also available for US$59.95 per person.

The full lineup for the series is:

• September 22, 2017 – Norwegian Dawn: Michael Mondavi, founder of the Michael Mondavi Family Estate, co-founder of Folio Fine Wine Partners and co-founder of The Cellars – A Michael Mondavi Family Wine Bar.
• November 4, 2017 – Norwegian Escape: Bill Whiting, Director of Wine Education at Banfi Vintners.
• December 2, 2017 – Norwegian Escape: Aarón Sánchez. FamedTV Chef and James Beard award winner, Aarón Sánchez is the official ambassador and spokesperson for Terrazas de los Andes wines.
• February 17, 2018 – Norwegian Escape: Gerard Bertrand, renowned vintner of Languedoc-Roussillon.
• March 2018, Norwegian Escape: Salvatore Ferragamo, heir of famed Italian fashion house and owner at Il Borro Winery in Tuscany, Italy.

Norwegian Dawn sails to Bermuda from June through October, and to Canada and New England in September and October from her seasonal homeport in Boston. Norwegian Escape is currently sailing the Eastern and Western Caribbean from her homeport in Miami.

For more information, please visit https://www.ncl.com/.