P&O Cruises is toasting the success of its new Cellar Door at sea, which has proved a winner with guests since it was unveiled onboard the cruise line’s latest ships, Pacific Aria and Pacific Eden.
The Cellar Door at sea concept – an Australian first – has been developed in partnership with boutique Hunter Valley winery Glandore Estate Wines to provide P&O’s guests, and lovers of fine wine, with structured wine tastings in a comfortable and cosy setting.
Located near the ships’ central atrium, The Cellar Door showcases 12 New South Wales Glandore wines across two tasting menus.
Wine tastings are conducted using tablets which feature video tasting notes about each wine, as well an overview about Glandore Estate, while members of the Glandore team also host master classes and seminars at sea on select cruises.
Wine is available by the glass or bottle after the tasting is finished, with guests also able to select any of the wines they have tried to have with dinner or lunch in one of the ships’ many restaurants.
P&O Cruises Australia President Sture Myrmell said the cruise line’s food and wine cruises had proved popular with Australian travellers and the Cellar Door was a natural evolution of that product.
“The concept has proved to be a big hit with guests who enjoy the fact they can stop by at any time and taste some outstanding wines at their own pace, complete with detailed tasting notes,” Mr Myrmell said.
The Cellar Door partnership adds an extra dimension to Glandore Estate’s relationship with P&O, with the winery set to supply more than 30,000 bottles of wine a year to the cruise line. The cruise line now features 14 Glandore Estate wines on its ships.
“As Australia’s only home grown cruise line, we are passionate about supporting small businesses across Australia,” Mr Myrmell said. “As a boutique enterprise with a focus on quality, Glandore Estate Wines is the perfect partner for our Cellar Door venture.”
P&O Cruises partnered with Glandore Estate after a meeting at a local food and wine festival in 2009.
Established in 2005, Glandore Estate Wines produces wines of character and style from the traditional varieties known in the Hunter Valley. Its wine making style is hands on, from hand picking right through to the hand-operated basket press, and the winery has been designed specifically for small batch production of the very best parcels of fruit. The estate has established a reputation for innovative winemaking and best practice under winemaker Duane Roy and was the first Australian cellar door to open in Shanghai in 2012.
P&O’s Cellar Door is open on sea days between 10am and 9pm.
For more information about P&O Cruises visit www.pocruises.com.au, call 13 2494 or see a licensed travel agent.
SOURCE: P&O Cruises