Princess Cruises unveiled its largest and most luxurious ship to date with the Sun Princess. The 177,882-ton, 4,300-guest ship, which launched in the Mediterranean this past February, has an increased emphasis on unique and high-end food and beverage experiences.
One of these is a virtual “Art de Vivre” wine tasting with Gérard Bertrand, a renowned winemaker from the Languedoc region in the South of France. Cheers got to experience the tasting first-hand during the Sun’s inaugural season.
The tasting was set up in the ship’s Good Spirits at Sea Lounge, with four wine glasses on a labeled mat at each place, as well as water, cheeses, fruit and nuts. A “live” host from the Sun’s food and beverage crew walked us through the tasting while Bertrand appeared via visual media throughout the event.
Along with members of his winemaking team, Bertrand showcased the flavors of his bio-diverse wines, the landscape and stories of the region. The company operates eight wineries, and this past year achieved recognition as the largest certified biodynamic vineyard in the world.
We started off with the Ballerina Brut Etoile, a sparkling cremant rosé, followed by the Coté Des Rosé. The still rosé is popular in the U.S. and comes in a bottle that’s carved to look like a rose.
Next we moved to the Change sauvignon from a range of wines from a vineyard converted to organic farming. The Naturae Chardonnay that followed is from Bertrand’s Naturae wines, which are made without added sulfur or any other additives.
The Orange Gold, a white wine made in the style of red — giving it an orange hue from the skin contact — served as a bridge between the whites and reds. The Grand Vin from the Chateau de L’Hospitalet winery, situated about 325 feet above the Mediterranean Sea, was a blend of syrah, grenache and mouvedre. The final wine was a Naturae 100% cabernet sauvignon.
Bertrand’s video segments interspersed with the live commentary in the lounge kept things interesting, and we appreciated the phonetic spellings of some of the French words in the notes booklet provided. It wasn’t quite the same as being in a winery in the South of France, but when you’re on board a cruise ship, who cares?
