Small-ship specialist Windstar Cruises has hired a team of sommeliers to further enhance the line's wine, beverage and culinary programs in 2018.
"Our new sommeliers will offer their all-encompassing knowledge of wine to guests, as well as to our dining room and bar servers by holding frequent tastings and educational classes," said Peter Tobler, Windstar's director of hotel operations. "Travel is an excellent way to expand your wine repertoire. Our sommeliers will share their wine expertise, tasting tips, and make recommendations for varietals from nearby the ports of call. Most importantly, they will help guests select the best wine to pair with our gourmet food selections. When on holiday, this is the best way to complete each day."
Four Windstar ships now offer sommeliers on board. The program just launched on the 310-guest Wind Surf, which arrived in Lisbon on April 14 for a summer season in the Mediterranean.
Windstar's three all-suite, 212-passenger ships also offer onboard sommeliers - Star Breeze and Star Pride, which are sailing throughout Europe, and Star Legend, which kicked off the roll-out in Asia in January and will arrive in Alaska for its maiden season there in May.
The sommeliers were chosen for their training, knowledge and experience worldwide having worked in a broad spectrum of wineries, restaurants, travel and hospitality providers such as Celebrity, Disney and Seabourn cruise lines, Hermitage and Radisson hotels, and Le Cheval Blanc in Bordeaux. Justin McAuliffe was the first sommelier in Asia, and joining him are Antony Graz Pradeep, Vitor Da Encarnacao Custodio, Marko Pejic and Slaven Cosic, who will rotate among the four ships.
They will lead wine tastings onboard each cruise for a nominal fee; generally, one to three are offered, depending on the length of the voyage. In addition, the sommeliers may accompany guests on culinary-themed shore excursions to local wineries and restaurants.
Windstar recently announced a multi-year partnership as the Official Cruise Line of the James Beard Foundation. This year the culinary-themed cruises feature not only James Beard-recognized guest chefs but also beverage experts hand-selected by the James Beard Foundation, including top sommeliers from across the United States. Find the full list here.
Windstar now is offering lower daily prices for beverage packages for guests sailing 14-day and longer, back-to-back Star Collector Voyages. The line launched a new beverage package program in fall 2017, allowing for a variety of tiered levels of premium products. The packages are available for purchase on an individual basis and do not require all guests sharing a stateroom to purchase the same package, a welcome change for non-drinkers and companions with different tastes.
The Voyager's Adventure ($32 per person, per day) and Topmast Discoveries ($42 per person, per day) beer and wine packages include a healthy mix of New and Old World wines. Many of the selections come from regions visited on Windstar itineraries, including Bordeaux, France and Barcelona, Spain. The Captain's Exclusive ($52 per person, per day) package includes a wide array of wines, beers, and spirits, including Dalmore Single Malt Whisky, distilled just outside of Invergordon, Scotland, a port visited on Windstar's "Gaelic Explorers" and "Norwegian Fjords & Scottish Isles" cruises.
Windstar's "Get Closer" promotion, good through June 15, offers guests up to $1,000 shipboard credit on new bookings based on sailing, stateroom or suite, with hundreds of cruise departure dates available in 2018 and 2019.
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