After taking some 170 cruises in the course of my career, I have learned that the drinking experiences that punctuate joyful days and evenings at sea need not be limited to frozen rum drinks like pina coladas, familiar grocery-store wines and buckets of Budweiser. It’s now possible to drink excellent, even hard-to-find vintages and top-shelf liquor on cruise ships—often with little to no markup.
These days, even mass-market lines have expert mixologists and sommeliers floating around main dining rooms and specialty for-a-fee restaurants with outstanding beverage programs. Especially when you get into luxury cruising, deep wine cellars are full of temptations, with complimentary pours from an array of notable wines and upgrade bottlings that will please even the most dedicated oenophile.
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That’s because wine and drinks are increasingly an important source of revenue for cruise lines. They often work with master sommeliers and other consultants on collections designed to lure passengers. “For wine, they tend to stock equal amounts of Old World and New World wines,” says hospitality expert Dietmar Wertanzl, a former cruise executive and now president and CEO of Anglo-Eastern Leisure Management Inc., a company that services expedition ships and other hospitality businesses.
But these lists are not stagnant. Oftentimes, wine lists will be updated to match the itinerary of a cruise—such as boosting Italian, Spanish and French wines on a cruise in the Mediterranean.
“We want to offer guests a great menu and a value,” says Wertanzl. “And I would argue there is no more romantic experience than being on the ocean and having a great wine.”
We agree, which is why we decided to round up the cruise lines that offer the best drinks programs on the high seas. From exclusive excursions featuring some of the world’s top producers and curated selections of hard-to-find bottles to onboard breweries and educational opportunities, the following list explores the top liners for beverage enthusiasts.
This year, AmaWaterways is offering 70 Celebration of Wine cruises in Europe, each hosted by a wine expert. These industry professionals, who hail from across North America and Europe, range from vineyard owners and winemakers to sommeliers and wine educators. For instance, join Greg Freeman, winemaker at California’s Chalone Vineyard—the oldest producing vineyard in Monterey County—on the 196-passenger AmaMagna to sip Grüner Veltliner and explore the terraced vineyards of Austria’s Wachau Valley. Or sample sparkling Espumante and Port with wine educator and sommelier Holly Howell on a cruise through Portugal’s Douro Valley.
Experience Washington and Oregon wine country on select wine-themed fall river sailings between Spokane and Portland on the 212-passenger American Empress sternwheeler river boat. Guests can book a tour that explores the Red Mountain AVA and meet the Williams family while sipping their robust and vibrant selections at their Kiona Vineyards and Winery just outside Richland, Washington. Later, they can pop into the nearby Terra Blanca Winery & Estate Vineyard for a behind-the-scenes tour of the winemaking process, followed by a tasting with owners Keith and ReNae Pilgrim. This cruise also passes through the Lewis Clark Valley and the Dalles wine regions.
This river line’s specialty wine cruises in Europe—which will include 18 options in 2024 and 2025—are accompanied by a Master of Wine who lectures on pairings and leads tastings of regional vintages. Guests who cruise on the 164-passenger ships on the Danube, Rhône, Rhine or Moselle or Saône rivers can sample regional wines on shore, too, with visits to both legendary cellars and family-owned vineyards. For example, on a Rhine trip that sails between Amsterdam and Basel, Switzerland, passengers can explore the wineries of France’s Alsace region, experience Riesling right in the Rheingau and sip at the 13th-century Kloster Eberbach, a former abbey now known for its wine production, in Rüdesheim.
This soon-to-come luxury French barge experience may be particularly titillating for Champagne lovers. Round up a group of friends to charter the three-cabin Coquelicot for a tour of the world-renowned sparkling wine region. Sip bubbly in the Art Nouveau-inspired interior, which includes a salon and Champagne bar. Meanwhile, out on the large deck, an open-air kitchen and dining area serves regional fare and pours to enjoy while cruising past idyllic vineyards and chateaux. The boat has partnered with the oldest established Champagne house, Maison Ruinart to offer exclusive experiences, including a behind-the-scenes tour and tasting, along with lunch on the boat created with the winery’s head chef.
Craft beer fanatics, rejoice! On a half dozen Carnival ships—including the recently launched 6,500-passenger Carnival Jubilee—guests can sip a smoked porter, farmhouse ale, hoppy IPA and toasted amber, all of which are brewed onboard. Can’t decide which to try? Order a flight and then have your favorite delivered to your cabin in a refillable growler. For those really looking to geek out, these ships offer brewery tours led by the onboard professional brewmaster.
Celebrity has racked up more awards than competitors when it comes to wine. More than 500 selections—including its private-label selections made by Kendall-Jackson and Grgich Hills—are served on its newest ships: the 3,260-passenger Celebrity Beyond and Celebrity Ascent. Though the massive array of bottles is already impressive, the wine experience is boosted with tastings led by sommeliers, wine-pairing dinners, food and wine workshops and winery tours on shore. Don’t overlook the cocktails, though: Check out the Martini Bar, where you may feel almost virtuous sipping a kale martini with Grey Goose vodka, kale, celery, lime, ginger and apple—before going to town on ribeye and lobster tail for dinner.
On the cushy, 740-passenger Crystal Serenity and 606-passenger Crystal Symphony, owned by luxury tour operator Abercrombie & Kent, the wine list is one of the deepest on the ocean, presented in digital form on a tablet. At the top-end, cruisers can splurge on coveted picks such as Screaming Eagle, Domaine de la Romanée-Conti and Chateau LaTour. These ships also offer guests an opportunity to further their wine education. The ships’ intimate, dark wood-paneled Vintage Rooms are used to engage discussions, tastings and dinners led by the onboard sommeliers and, occasionally, visiting winemakers such as Christian Moueix of Bordeaux’s Château La Fleur-Pétrus and esteemed Napa Valley winemaker Heidi Barrett.
On board Cunard’s flagship ocean liner, the 2,700-passenger Queen Mary 2, which regularly crosses the Atlantic, a chief sommelier, wine trainer and 27 sommeliers help wine lovers find the perfect bottle from the ship’s sizeable—and impressive—wine list. Hard-to-find selections, like 2014 Screaming Eagle from Napa Valley, are available both by the bottle and glass, while the Champagne Bar highlights Laurent-Perrier. Of course, the venerable British line honors its national cocktail heritage with a wide selection of gin. It even boasts its own line of small-batch artisanal offerings produced by Pickering’s Gin. New for the line’s fourth and latest ocean liner, the 3,000-passenger Queen Anne, which debuts this year, is a new gin that incorporates British Isles botanicals, including woody milk thistle and zesty sea buckthorn.
Disney’s five ships are playgrounds for kids and adults. While the little ones interact with beloved characters at the Oceaneer Club, grown-ups can sit in on Champagne tastings led by the head sommelier, covering a collection that includes Taittinger and Moët & Chandon bottles plus Bollinger, Billecart-Salmon, Ruinart and Krug Grande, among others. For an adult night “on the town,” head to French-inflected restaurants Remy on the 4,000-passenger Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy or Enchanté on the 4,000-passenger Disney Wish, where the menus by three-Michelin-star chef Arnaud Lallement are matched with a prestige wine selection. On the Disney Fantasy, the list includes a Chateau Cheval Blanc 1947, the wine ordered by the food critic in Disney Pixar’s Ratatouille.
The Whisky Trail Cruise on European Waterways, which traverses through the Great Glen along the Caledonian Canal and Loch Ness, visits single-malt distilleries throughout the Scottish Highlands. Passengers sailing from Inverness on boutique eight- or 12-passenger hotel barges get to experience tours and tastings at Dalwhinnie, Tomatin, Benromach and Glen Ord distilleries. Onboard Scotch choices include Aberlour, Jura, Laphroaig, Highland Park, Glenmorangie and others. And, for those guests who’d like to stretch their legs in between whisky tastings, this voyage offers excursions to Cairngorms National Park to spot majestic red deer—the region’s largest wild land mammal—and historic sites such as the Culloden Moor battlefield and the 13th-century Eilean Donan Castle.
This new luxury cruise line’s first ship, the 922-passenger Explora 1, has five sommeliers (including a sake specialist) who lead guests through selections chosen by the company’s two cellar masters. These experts have curated an enviable selection of rare (and pricey) wines, which include 1999 Domaine Coche-Dury ler Cru, 2013 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti and 2005 Henri Bonneau Chateauneuf-du-Pape. Of course, those who don’t want to drop thousands on a bottle can still have a great wine experience with complimentary pours of Moët & Chandon.
On its new 6,300-passenger MSC Euribia, Geneva-based big-ship line MSC Cruises introduces a wine experience that combines state-of-the-art technology and wine education. It’s a fun way for beginners to up their wine knowledge. At Helios Wine Bar, guests sit at multi-touch tables activated by digital coasters, where they can dive into world wine history, grape varietals, wine-making regions and more. With a drink in hand, of course—wines made from 96 grape varietals are available. The bar is also the scene for master classes with a sommelier who leads guests through specially designed tastings.
Norwegian Cruise Line was recently recognized with awards at the Vibe Conference for beverage professionals, including Best Wine Program and Best Adult Alcohol-Free Program for 2023. The former is thanks to an organic and biodynamic wine list, as well as a rare vintage collection curated by master sommelier Andrea Robinson. At Cagney’s Steakhouse, a Coravin wine preservation system allows guests to sample glasses of pricier wines that would oftentimes only be offered by-the-bottle, such as Amuse Bouche by Heidi Barrett. Norwegian’s award-winning mixologists on the line’s latest ships, such as the 3,215-passenger Norwegian Prima and Norwegian Vista, are especially creative at the Metropolitan Bar. There, the menu of sustainable cocktails is designed to impress with “zero waste” concoctions made with banana peels, spent coffee grounds and other ingredients that would have otherwise been destined for the garbage. A prime example is the mai tai that incorporates day-old almond croissants.
Oceania, with a fleet of upscale ships, recently added a rare wine collection featuring 80 labels, with esteemed selections like Château Mouton Rothschild, Cabernet from Napa Valley’s Mascot and Super Tuscans from Ornellaia. On the 1,200-passenger Marina and Rivera, and on the new 1,200-passenger Vista, guests can up their knowledge while sipping samples at exclusive wine-pairing dinners. Vista also offers a new two-hour Cellar Master’s Wine Luncheon led by the head sommelier. For an intimate and special dining experience, guests can opt for premium wine pairings to accompany bespoke dinners in the ships’ private dining rooms. Oceania shines on shore, too, with its expert-escorted Food & Wine Trails Tours that visit family-owned vineyards across Europe.
Caymus Vineyards has been working with Princess Cruises to refresh its wine menu. As part of the partnership, Chuck Wagner, owner and winemaker of Caymus, chose selections for a new Caymus Vineyards Winemaker Dinner, which is held in the Crown Grill steakhouse specialty restaurants on a number of the company’s ships, including the soon-to-debut, 4,300-passenger Sun Princess. A five-course menu for up to 12 guests per seating includes prime beef tenderloin with blossom artichokes, paired with the popular Napa Valley winery’s Cabernet Sauvignon. Also, starting this year, guests on California cruise itineraries may book exclusive tours of Caymus’s vineyards in Rutherford or the new, architecturally stunning Caymus-Suisun Winery in nearby Fairfield.
The all-inclusive, cushy “discovery” yachts of this Australian-owned line showcases what seems like an endless collection of whiskey bottles on the wall. The actual count is 110, displayed floor-to-ceiling in the main lounge. This is where guests on Scenic’s 228-passenger Eclipse I and II, both equipped with Airbus helicopters and a six-person submarine, share their exploits during explorations of far-reaching destinations like Antarctica and the Arctic. Sip single malts such as a 25-year-old Glendullan and 30-year-old Jura The Loch, blends including Johnny Walker Blue and Jameson Select Reserve Black Barrel and other rarities from Japan, Australia, Taiwan, India, South Africa and Sweden—all included in price of the cruise.
On SeaDream’s recently refurbished, 112-passenger SeaDream I and II, the cellars are well-stocked with rare and popular brands. But the wine experiences are on overdrive on the luxury line’s Wine Voyages, which offer onboard tastings and special dinners that pair a degustation menu with top cuvées from a visiting winemaker. There are also field trips to vineyards, such as those offered during the fall harvest-time sailings between Barcelona and Rome, which can include visits to Catalonia’s Empordà Wine Route, wineries in Provence and more.
As part of its impressive S.A.L.T. (Sea and Land Taste) destination-focused food and drink program, Silversea offers on its ultraluxury ships—which now include the brand new 728-passenger Silver Nova—local beverage selections that reflect the area where ships are cruising. On a voyage through the Adriatic, for example, travelers can sample an aromatic Croatian Pošip white onboard or take a day trip to 500-year-old, family-owned Bibich Winery in Zadar, Croatia. S.A.L.T. also features regional mixology based on local spirits and flavors. That particular trip features the Baka’s Garden cocktail, a tribute to Croatian grandmothers with a mix of Grey Goose and Calvados infused with Dalmatian sage, lavender and aromatic bitters.
Luxury line Regent brags of having the world’s “most luxurious” ships, citing its extensive house wines, connoisseur lists and themed epicurean spotlights on wine cruises sailing to destinations around the world. These gastronomic journeys bring winemakers aboard and offer exclusive vineyard tours on shore. In April, set sail on the 750-passenger Seven Seas Splendor with sustainable winemakers Jack and Ann Seifrick of the boutique Sonoma winery CAST. Taste their New World bottles while visiting Old World wineries, including the Domaine de Fontenille estate in Provence and Castello di Bolgheri in Tuscany.
Ritz-Carlton translates its luxury resort hospitality to the high seas with the 298-passenger Evrima superyacht and this year’s new 448-passenger Ilma. These cruises feature onboard mixologists who create personalized cocktails by asking a question or two; an array of premium liquors (including fine and rare bottles of Macallan at the cigar bar); complimentary Moët & Chandon; and a vast wine cellar with changing complimentary and added-fee selections. Over-the-top excursions allow guests to continue their wine experience on land with options that include a wine pairing at the gorgeous Semeli Estate in the mountains of Greece and a private tasting at Italy’s architecturally impressive Antinori nel Chianti Classico winery.
With its opulent river ships, such as the 159-passenger S.S. Catherine, Uniworld gives guests the chance to explore some of the top wine destinations France—without having to repack a suitcase. Visits to local wine cellars are included in the cruise fare, as are complimentary wines onboard. Boost the experience with add-on tours such as a sommelier-guided cellar and tasting tour in the Châteauneuf-du-Pape appellation, which is available on the “Burgundy & Provence” itinerary between Arles and Lyon. On this specific voyage, which traverses the Rhône and Saône rivers, there’s also an optional trip to taste premium Côtes du Rhône, Saint-Joseph and Crozes-Hermitage at a private outdoor tasting on a hilltop vineyard in Tain-l’Hermitage.
Learn about the Bordeaux region on Viking’s “Chateâux, Rivers and Wine” itinerary that sails from the city of Bordeaux along the Dordogne, Gironde and Garonne rivers on the contemporary, 190-passenger Viking Forseti. The fare includes tastings and a special wine dinner at Château Kirwan. On Privileged Access tours, for a fee passengers can explore the vineyards of Saint-Emillion, Medoc and Margaux. One of these excursions combines a visit to a cooper (professional barrel maker) with stops at Château Paloumey and Château Léoville-Poyferre. Onboard, guests can deepen their knowledge of the region via in-room wine education videos and sip from a list of 30 local bottles. At the end of the journey, those who wish to formalize their newfound knowledge can earn a certification of achievement with its Wine Tasting Master Class at the Wine and Trade Museum of Bordeaux.
Award-winning, small-lot California wines and wine-tasting events are an added attraction on five 2024 wine-themed sailings from Windstar Cruises, the official cruise line of the James Beard Foundation. A cruise from Venice to Athens on the 348-passenger Wind Surf—the world’s largest sailing ship—offers enrichment seminars and experiences. They include a tasting of coveted Cabernet Sauvignons from the 90-year-old Louis M. Martini Winery, as well as a “Meet the Chef” experience with two-time JBF semifinalist Loryn Nalic of the highly-acclaimed Balkan Treat Box in St. Louis, Missouri. In Tahiti, a sailing on the 312-passenger motor yacht Star Breeze highlights California Pinot Noirs and sparkling wines from Healdsburg’s J Vineyards & Winery made by Nicole Hitchcock, Wine Enthusiast’s “Winemaker of the Year” in 2022.
Published: January 25, 2024
