Wine Cruise
Our specialist Wine Cruise can be taken as a part of either the Classic or the Casual cruise, and is included in the cost.
Generally, it works best if all members of your group participate in the Wine Cruise, although if different members of your group would like to do other things, we would always do our very best to find ways of fitting this in. Normally, you could expect to participate in at least one specialist tasting each day. If required, we could arrange for a professional wine expert to accompany the cruise, and to guide you through the complexities of the subject (to be charged extra).
The Saint Louis Wine Experience
We serve excellent wines on board the Saint Louis. Wherever possible, our wines are selected from vineyards that are close enough to our route to take clients for a visit and a tasting. The choice we have is almost limitless!
According to French wine classification, our cruising area covers two distinct wine regions, "Bordeaux" and the "South West." The Bordeaux area is very well known internationally, indeed Bordeaux is often referred to as the "wine capital of the world." Bordeaux includes specific areas such as Pauillac, Saint Emillion, Pomerol, Graves and Médoc.
The "South West" includes some vineyards that may be less well known internationally, but that produce some really excellent wines. The area is divided geographically into the principal wine growing districts of Buzet, Cahors, Gaillac and Fronton.
We carry a stock of wine on board that will reflect the outstanding vineyards of the area and that will satisfy all tastes. For the 2007 season, our cellar will normally include, for example:
2004 Cuvée du Roc, La Mothe (Gaillac) red
2002 Chevalier du Mohune (Gaillac) red
2003 Esprit, Chateau Caminade (Cahors) red
2004 Chateau de Haute Serre (Cahors) red
2003 Cheval Blanc Saint Emillion (Bordeaux) red
2003 Optimum, Bellevue la Foret (Fronton) red
2002 Esprit, Chateau Saint Louis (Fronton) red
2004 Chardonnay Chateau Saint Louis (Fronton) white
2005 Le Lys (Buzet) white
2004 L´Allegresse, Bellevieu la Foret (Fronton) rosé
2005 Cuvée Prestige, Chateau de Seguin (Bordeaux) white
The Wine Cruise We offer a specific wine cruise for those who have a deep interest in wines, and who wish to spend more time exploring the vineyards of the region. During the Wine Cruise we would normally expect to visit one or two vineyards every day. These would include some of the vineyards known to connoisseurs around the world, as well as lesser-known producers that are rated very high, for example, by the tasting panel of "Le Guide Hachette."