Call me a wine romantic for whenever, I travel, I always find a way to focus on wine. While we rarely take cruises, last spring on our way back from Australia we took a repositioning cruise from Sydney to San Francisco. Before leaving Sydney we (John and I) did wine tasting of Chateau Tanuda wines, and we even managed a wine trip to the Hunter Valley. Likewise, two of our stops in New Zealand we turned into wine adventures. Yes, I looked for ways turn part of our cruise into wine adventures. I know there are wine cruises but most cruises are not. Hence, I checked for any wine events besides the wine packages offered on most cruises these days. Fortunately on this cruise, I also discovered Food and Wine Pair Tastings. We attended two of these events during our South Pacific Travels in April.
This post will feature the first event where they featured food pairing with wines from around the world. The event was held in one of the ship's special dining room options at lunch time. They had a five course lunch menu that featured five wines from around the world. Let me introduce the wine and food pairings.
Wine #1: M. Haslinger & Fils, Brut Champagne, NV
Haslinger & Fils, Brut Champagne, NV © Spaswinefood
Food Pairing: Mediterranean Temptation: An Array of Marinated Sea Delights
A Closer Look: Mediterranean Temptation © Spaswinefood
Vegetarian Option: Caprese Salad
Wine #2: Feudi di San Gregorio, Greco di Tufo, DOCG Campania 2021
Feudi di San Gregorio, Greco di Tufo, DOCG Campania 2021 © Spaswinefood
Food: Beef Carpaccio
Beef Carpaccio © Spaswinefood
Vegetarian Option: Grilled Vegetable Salad
Grilled Vegetable Salad © Spaswinefood
Wine #3: Cloudy Bay, Sauvignon Blanc 2021
Cloudy Bay, Sauvignon Blanc 2021 © Spaswinefood
Food: Fontina Cheese Soufflé
Fontina Cheese Soufflé © Spaswinefood
Wine #4: Silver Oak, Cabernet Sauvignon, Alexander Valley 2018
Silver Oak, Cabernet Sauvignon, Alexander Valley 2018 © Spaswinefood
Food: Herb Crusted Lamb Chop
Spaghetti © Spaswinefood
Wine #5: Opus One, Napa Valley 2015
Food: Beef Tenderloin
Beef Tenderloin © Spaswinefood
Vegetarian Option: Grilled Soy
Grilled Soy © Spaswinefood
We enjoyed this wine and food pairing lunch, as did most participants. The Vegetarian options were well done. The ship's staff was well versed in catering to dietary needs. Getting to taste a wide variety on wines over lunch was awesome. It is always appreciated to start a lunch with Champagne. The M. Haslinger & Fils, Brut Champagne was a good wine to kick-off the tasting.
Enjoying Wine and Food While Cruising the Pacific © Spaswinefood
On a personal note, I loved being introduced to the Italian wine Greco di Tufo, DOCG Campania. Greco di Tufo is a grape that was new to me. It is the unique grape varieties that catch my attention. Whether my wine travels have take me to Bulgaria, Greece, Georgia, Italy, Romania, Serbia, Turkey, or North America I am finding myself drawn to the indigenous and local grape varieties. The next wine, New Zealand’s Sauvignon Blanc from Cloudy Bay, with its tropical aromas, is often a favorite with Sauvignon Blanc lovers. It definitely rounded out the white wine pairings.
I suspect many came to taste the Opus One. The 2015 Opus One gets great reviews, as does the 2018 Silver Oak Cabernet Sauvignon. Given the price difference of these two wines I suspect that most would likely choose the Silver Oak. Although the 2015 Opus One, Bordeaux style wine with its elegance of finer tannins make it worth the higher price tag for some.
While typically my wine country travels takes me to wine regions around the world it was fun to have this wine adventure at sea. It certainly added excitement to those sea days, which are numerous on a repositioning cruise.
Cruising the Pacific: Wine and Food © Spaswinefood
I invite you to join me in my travels in the Pacific Ocean and elsewhere at Wine Travels with Dr. Sharon, and at Spaswinefood on Twitter and Facebook. I am so looking forward to sharing more on my vine-filled explorations.
CHEERS!
Sharon
April 2024
Australia to San Francisco
© Spaswinefood
Wine Tasting while Cruising the Pacific Ocean © Spaswinefood
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I'll end with the two wine quotes at the end of the menu for the above tasting:
I only drink wine on two occasions, when I am in love and when I am not Coco Channel
A bottle of wine contains more philosophy than all the books in the world Louis Pasteur
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