CRUISE FOCUS
Bottles in Ships
Carol Wright highlights the
growing trend for providing a great
wine-tasting experience as well as a great cruise
ship in a bottle was once a popular nautical souvenir. Now it’s the bottles in ships that are the big attraction. Accord- ing to the Passenger Shipping Associa- tion, fully 40 per cent of UK passengers choose their ship based on its food and wine experience. Cruising has long been the place to enjoy a drink, from champagne at the captain’s cocktail party to an after-dinner cognac. Now cruise compa- nies see wine as an extra dimension in enhancing the voyage, whether sampling fine and exclusive wines, having a tutored tasting on board or visiting wine producers on shore excursions. P&O’s Azura, launched this spring, has what they call “the first real onboard wine bar,” called The Glasshouse. Working in conjunction with wine
A
expert and TV presenter Olly Smith, The Glass- house aims to provide a relaxed and informal way of tasting new wines. Smith declares: “My mission is to make people happy – not mildly amused or satisfied but utterly delighted and looking forward to coming back to The Glasshouse. “It’s not formal or intimidating. I want people, including families, to drop in for coffee and read the papers and then stay on to sample a glass of wine and perhaps stay for lunch.” The menu features steaks, fish and chips and seafood and has wine selected by Olly to match each course. The draw of The Glasshouse is 32 wines listed
by style, all sourced from around the world by Olly, all available by the glass and kept in condi- tion by Enomatic machines. This enables passen-
Winter 2010 / 2011 I WORLD OF CRUISING 37
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