San Jose Mercury News....

Touring Wine Country Without the Car Keys

For Bay Area wine buffs, the advantages of Wine Country cruising are as clear as a crystal Riedel merlot glass:  

You won't have to worry about drinking and driving. The cruise lines create private food and wine experiences for you that are otherwise unavailable to the general public. And the all-inclusive nature of these cruises may offer a good deal compared to paying separately for luxury accommodations, gourmet meals and stellar wine tastings.

Having been to Wine Country many times, my wife and I are always looking for a new way to experience everything we love about wine (and travel). That’s why the concept of a four-night cruise that highlighted the Wine Country tempted us into trying a floating tour last fall.

Five days, four nights and oh, 40 or so glasses of wine later, we highly recommend that wine aficionados hit the high seas instead of the highways. Boarding a Bay Area-based small ship that carries passengers to Napa and Sonoma valleys provides a perfect way to visit wineries, vineyards, and more. Wouldn’t you rather be floating on an endless supply of wine instead of driving on some busy stretch of asphalt?

Our experience was aboard Cruise West’s 102-passenger Spirit of Endeavour, but Wine Country cruises with Clipper Cruise Line and American Safari Cruises also offer appealing options. These floating wine-based tours take advantage of the many waterways threading into vineyard country. The ships generally cruise the Sacramento Delta area and the Napa River, rather than heading into the Pacific Ocean.

We boarded Cruise West's ship for the four-night itinerary (Monday evening to Friday morning) in San Francisco (the line also features three-night cruises from Friday evening to Monday morning). To accommodate repeat passengers, the itineraries change somewhat each season, but exclusive tours, tastings and meals are the norm on land and onboard. Though you could probably arrange some (but not all) of the “private” opportunities at wineries on you own (from unique tastings to a candlelight lunch in a cave), the cruise line does all the legwork for you. There’s even an onboard guest wine expert who offers educational tastings on the ship and often joins the group on shore to share more wine expertise with passengers.

Cooking Classes

With an itinerary similar to the one we enjoyed, the four-night “Culture of the Vine” cruise this season will feature a tasting and dinner on the ship Monday night, with a busy Tuesday visit to Napa Valley that includes: a private “Cooking with Wine” class at the Culinary Institute of America's Greystone campus, a Mecca for “foodies” like us; lunch at Auberge du Soleil; a sparkling wine tasting and a private cave tour at Schramsberg; and a wine blending seminar back at Greystone to cap off the day (at least until dinner and more tastings back on the ship).

On Wednesday, the ship docks in Sausalito, where an interesting wine tasting takes place at Bachus and Venus--an elegant wine and art gallery that we enjoyed thoroughly. In the afternoon, the Spirit of Endeavour sails back yo Napa for a tasting and tour atDuckhorn Winery.

Thursday, the ship docks in Sonoma Valley, where there’s time in the morning for touring Sonoma or taking advantage of one of Cruise West’s optional tours (including an excellent “Cabernet Lovers Limo Tour” that visits Quintessa, Silver Oak, and Joseph Phelps, where they’re making great cabs).

The afternoon brings private group visits and tastings at St. Francis and Chateau St. Jean. After a final evening of tastings and a farewell dinner, the ship typically sails under the Golden Gate Bridge for a Friday morning finale that had us ready to book another Wine Country cruise.

The "Culture of the Vine” three-night cruise sets sail on Friday evenings with a champagne punch toast and views of the San Francisco skyline. An onboard wine educator typically hosts the first of several complimentary wine tastings before a casual dinner (where many local wines are featured on the moderately priced wine list).

On Saturday mornings the ship docks in Napa Valley, fora day of tasting and touring that includes St. Supery and Clos du Val, as well as a gourmet three-course lunch in the caves of Clos Pegase. Back on the ship, another tasting and dinner await.

Sunday mornings are spent in the Sonoma Valley, where the ship’s passengers with a private tractor-pulled tour (and tasting) at Benziger Winery (it sounded hokey to us when it was part of our tour last year, but the tractor ride was actually quite scenic and educational), an upscale lunch at Ledson Winery’s castle, and a sparkling wine tasting at Domaine Carneros, as well as a stroll around quaint Sonoma. An onboard tasting and gourmet meal make for an enjoyable final evening, and the morning sail into San Francisco typically includes sailing under the Golden Gate Bridge.

As with their other offerings in Alaska and Central America, Cruise West offers a nice middle-of-the-road small ship cruise for the money.Rates for the three-night weekend wine cruise start at $949 per person, double occupancy, while rates for the four-night weekday itinerary start at $1,449. Wine tastings are included in the price, but wines with meals are extra; many passengers, like us, purchased bottles during the winery visits and brought those back on board to enjoy.

Just 22 Passengers 

American Safari Cruises features similar three- and four-night sailings in the fall, but aboard the much smaller 22-passenger Safari Quest. As with the Cruise West experience, private experiences might include visits to COPIA, The American Center for Wine, Food & the Arts; Artesa Winery; Delectus Winery; Keller Estate Winery; and Schug Carneros Estate Winery, as well as a private tour of the villa and studio of muralist Carlo Marchiori.

Onboard, the intimate ship features creative dining, additional tastings and educational opportunities. The line also offers a popular “golf/spa” add-on package at Calistoga Ranch.

As the prices indicate, the American Safari experience is more upscale and personalized. Rates start at $1,695, per person, double occupancy, for the three-night weekend cruise and $2,195 for the four-night weeday itinerary. All wines enjoyed on board are included in the price. 

Clipper Cruise Line offers a slightly different possibility aboard the 138-passenger Yorktown Clipper. With offerings in both the spring and fall (starting April 17th, so book now!), Clipper’s five-night “California Wine and Cuisine” cruises begin and end in Redwood City.

Highlights include: two onboard events hosted by famed Bay Area chefs such as Traci des Jardines, Gerald Hirigoyen and Joanne Weir; a reception at Auberge du Soleil; a tour of COPIA and a cooking demonstration at CIA’s Greystone; a hot-air balloon ride over Napa Valley (included in the price of the cruise!); stops in downtown San Francisco and Sausalito; and visits to celebrated wineries and vineyards, like Niebaum-Coppola, Silverado, and Domaine Carneros. Before a gourmet dinner one evening, Napa wine expert Brent Trojan comes aboard to share his expertise with food and wine pairings.

Rates for Clipper’s five-night cruises begin at $2,240 per person, double occupancy, for the spring departures, and $2,290 per person, double occupancy, for the fall options. Like Cruise West, Clipper includes some but not all wines in the cruise price.

As veterans of dozens of cruises on both small and large ships of all styles and price points, we can report that Clipper sailings tend to compare quite well to American Safari on the luxury front, even though they sail with quite a few more passengers.

If You Go
Wine Country Cruises:

These companies offer cruises through California’s wine country:

*American Safari Cruises, www.amsafari.com, (888) 862-8881.

*Clipper Cruise Line, www.clippercruise.com, (800) 325-0010.

*Cruise West, www.cruisewest.com, (800) 203-8306.

.