SEATTLE — Guests on Holland America Line's new Koningsdam will be able to take their own custom-blended wine to dinner under a new partnership the cruise line has formed with the Chateau Ste. Michelle winery.
The two companies, both based here, plan to build a dedicated space on the Koningsdam where guests can learn more about wines and how they can be blended to create different tastes and textures.
Chateau Ste. Michelle will train Holland America's "cellar masters" staff and provide five single-vineyard wines for blending. The venue, to be located on Deck 2, will be called Blend by Chateau Ste. Michelle.
HAL President Orlando Ashford said Blend is "taking something [guests] already enjoy and adding a personal touch."
The exact price for a session at Blend has not been set but will be in the $70 to $90 range, said Michael J. Smith, senior vice president of guest experience and product development at HAL.
Participants will view a video featuring Bob Bertheau, the vineyard's head winemaker, then hear a talk from the cellar master about Washington state wines; soil and the weather conditions that affect them; and what flavors, characteristics and nuances to look for in each wine.
Two merlot, two cabernet sauvignon and one cabernet franc varietal will be poured from casks in one wall of Blend. The space, with a table and chairs for 10, will have a footprint shaped like a grand piano and be enclosed by floor-to-ceiling glass walls on two sides.
After the instructional session, guests will create their own blend and label it in a bottle for delivery to their cabin or dinner table. Thereafter, they can ask to have their blend prepared for them, at a reduced fee.
MSC Cruises was the first line to offer wine blending instruction, on its MSC Divina, but HAL said that Blend will be the only purpose-built blending venue at sea.
Lisa Anciaux, director of travel products at AAA Washington, who was among a group of agents taking part in a blending session at the Chateau Ste. Michelle winery prior to the announcement, said the idea plays into heightened interest in food and wine.
"People are looking for that experience," she said. "It's a perfect fit for HAL. It's going to go gangbusters for them."
Blend continues the romance between cruise companies and wine producers. Next month, Norwegian Cruise Line will debut its first wine bar, the Cellars – A Michael Mondavi Family Wine Bar. Mondavi's father is famed Napa Valley wine pioneer Robert Mondavi.
Chateau Ste. Michelle is the biggest vintner in Washington state and one of the top 10 producers nationwide, with about 3 million cases sold last year, according to President Ted Baseler. It owns about 3,500 acres of vineyards in eastern Washington.
Chateau Ste. Michelle has offered wine blending in its tasting rooms, but the selection of wines to pick from is broader than the five wines stocked for Blend.
Sanjay Goel, president of Cruise Connections in Vancouver, said most guests would not be experienced enough to discern subtle differences in the blends they make. But he also said that shouldn't matter, because social involvement is really what sells the activity.
"It's the issue of participatory experience and changing the brand impression of Holland America," he said.
Goel added that under Ashford, HAL is doing a good job of modernizing while respecting its legacy of tradition. He also said he could see the wine blending package as an ideal bon voyage gift for travel agents to give their clients.