Following the successful debut of SeaDream Yacht Club's Wine Voyages in 2014, eight intensive Wine Voyages have been added to the 2015 season, visiting the most picturesque marinas in the Mediterranean on cruises ranging from five to nine days. Each Wine Voyage will provide all guests on board with a rich experience, including tastings of wines produced at wineries in the regions visited. There will be a Master Class on wine tasting, led by an internationally renowned expert, and a tasting led by a prominent winemaker. At the exclusive Winemaker's Dinner, our head chef will create a special menu to pair with wines from an expert winemaker who will join us for dinner. Along with our SeaDream Sommelier, Erica Landin, there may be additional tastings of wines from local producers or from SeaDream's own wine list.
“The cuisine aboard SeaDream Yacht Club continues to receive rave reviews from past guests, as our kitchen team incorporates local ingredients from the ports we visit. This is only possible when sailing with 112 passengers,” commented SeaDream Yacht Club President Bob Lepisto. “Our extensive 2015 Wine Voyages offering builds on this tradition of linking legendary wine estates with expert instructors and winemakers to create an authentic and unique land and sea experience.”
SeaDream's Wine Voyages combine two mega yachts with an innovative culinary and beverage program, featuring the first and only onboard menu of entirely raw cuisine. They also showcase the local delicacies of the ports of call. Some examples include:
Civitavecchia (Rome) to Dubrovnik, Croatia
SeaDream I sails from August 8th to 15th from Civitavecchia (Rome) to Dubrovnik. Guests will enjoy memorable cuisine paired with the finest wines of Chianti and other regions. Onboard will be wine writer Anthony Rose of the British newspaper "The Independent" and Decanter Magazine, who will lead guests on a tasting tour of great Italian wines, including Super Tuscans, as well as mini-tastings of wines from the regions visited, including Sicily, Puglia, and Manduria. Special wine adventures on land include a visit to Cantina Benanti with owner Antonio Benanti in Sicily and a tour of Cantina Marisa Cuomo with Marisa Cuomo in Positano, Italy.
Civitavecchia (Rome) to Málaga, Spain
Passengers aboard the mega-yacht, which accommodates 112 guests, will sail from Civitavecchia (Rome) to Málaga from October 23 to November 1. In Spain, Guy de Rivoire, International Export Director of the Bollinger Champagne House in Monaco, will guide guests through a tasting of wines, from rosé to reserve, followed by a winemakers' dinner. During the same voyage, the winery owner or a member of the Martínez Bujanda family, owners of Finca Valpiedra, will present a special tasting menu on board. Exclusive shore excursions on this trip include a visit to the 1,500-acre private estate of Château de Berne in Sanary-sur-Mer, the Cavas Recaredo winery in Sant Sardurní d'Anoia (where guests will be welcomed by the grandson of the winery's founder, Ton Mata, during a stop in Barcelona), and the Simon Coll chocolate factory.
Here is a complete list of SeaDream's 2015 Wine Voyage itineraries:
• Malaga to Monte Carlo Wine Voyage: departing May 1.
Eight days including the boutique ports of Ibiza, Valencia, and Palma de Mallorca (Spain).
• Monte Carlo Wine Voyage: departing May 9. (Circular)
Seven days, including the ports of St. Tropez, Calvi (France), and Portofino.
• Monte Carlo Wine Voyage: departing May 16. (Circular)
* Five days, including the ports of St. Tropez, Portofino, and Portovenere (Italy).
• Civitavecchia (Rome) to Dubrovnik Wine Voyage: departing August 8.
Seven days including Positano, Sorrento, Crotone, and Taormina (Italy).
• Dubrovnik to Venice: departing August 29.
Seven days with stops in the Croatian ports of Piran, Pula, Rab, Sibenik, Hvar, and Korcula.
• Dubrovnik to Civitavecchia (Rome), departing September 12.
Seven days with stopovers in Kotor (Montenegro), Saranda, Corfu, and Paxos (Greece).
• Civitavecchia (Rome) round trip, departing September 26.
Seven days with stopovers in Sorrento, Amalfi, Positano, Costa Smeralda (Italy), and Bonifacio (France).
• Civitavecchia (Rome) to Málaga, departing October 23.
Nine days with stopovers in Porto Ercole, Portofino, Monte Carlo, Sanary-sur-Mer (France), and Valencia.
