January 24th 2016
Coastal California & Mexico Wine Cruise with Winemaker
Fred Brander from Brander Vineyards in Santa Ynez, CA
Sailing Dates: January 18-22, 2016
Ports Visited: Santa Barbara, CA and Ensenada, Mexico
Princess Cruise Line – Crown Princess
I hosted a wine group on the Crown Princess, which departed from the port of San Pedro on January 18th.
Pre-Cruise:
Some of my guests stayed at the Doubletree Cabrillo Marina Hotel, which is very convenient to the port and also offers a free shuttle to the ship. They also offer a “Park, Stay and Go” package, which offers up to 7 nights free parking at the hotel.
If you decide to drive, parking is $17 per day at the cruise terminal. Just drive to the cruise terminal, drop off your bags curbside by the embarkation terminal (make sure you have printed your luggage tags out and attached them to your bags first) and then park your car.
Other guests opted to fly (air with Princess) and used the transfer package to the terminal that Princess offered. They said it was very efficient.
Day 1 – San Pedro – The ship sailed at 6pm
We started our journey boarding the ship later than usual due to a Norovirus outbreak on the previous cruise. They took all precautions and completely sanitized the ship before we embarked (I have experienced this several times before when I was working as Food and Beverage Director on board and I have to say it is NO fun for the crew, but makes the ship very clean and sterile for embarking guests, which is of the upmost importance). The porters and check in staff in the terminal were very efficient and friendly. We boarded the ship around 4pm and I did not get chance to see the embarkation buffet on Lido Deck due to the time.
My cabin was on Caribe Deck (Deck 10) – Cabin C731. It was a standard balcony cabin at the aft of the ship. The cabin was spacious, clean and the bed was very comfortable. The bathroom was adequate and clean. The size was what I expected. I did like the size of the open wardrobe (no closet but one large rail adjacent to the bathroom), lots of room to hang clothes. I had a large balcony but did not use it much due to us cruising in January and the weather a little too cool to sit out on the balcony for any length of time. I did not meet my cabin steward until the second day but he was very welcoming and friendly and did a good job all cruise.
Boat Drill was at 5:30pm where we met in one of the lounges. The ship’s crew performed the drill dutifully, very seriously and kept everyone’s attention.
We had drinks in Crooners bar with some of my group, which is a nice meeting place as it is centrally located on the ship. The service was efficient and friendly.
We held a welcome reception at “Sky Walkers Lounge” where we had a meet and greet and got to know everyone in the group. We served a Sauvignon Blanc and a Cabernet Sauvignon from Brander Vineyards, The area was set-up for us and the bar staff did a great job taking care of us.
We had dinner in the Crown Grill this evening. This is the Steak House on Princess Ships and there is a $25 cover charge. The Crown Grill is located on Deck 7 midship and easy to find. I had the Mediterranean Style Spiny Lobster Cake with Tarragon Foam or an appetizer which was flavorful and well presented. I ordered the Goat Cheese and Heirloom Tomato Salad which was average presentation and flavor and the Porterhouse Steak (MR), which was cooked perfectly, fairly tender and delicious. Steaks in the Crown Grill are from “Sterling Silver Corn Fed Beef” (Sterling Silver is a brand name of Cargill Meats). The side dishes were good, garlic mashed potatoes and Asparagus. Dessert was enjoyed by all. Overall a great meal which was enjoyed by lots of wine, some of which we brought on board ($15 corkage for any bottles above one that you are allowed complimentary) and others we ordered of the reasonably priced wine list on board.
Day 2 – At Sea
I enjoyed breakfast from Room Service, which you order the night before on the door hanger provided in your cabin. The only disappointment was that the only hot food option was a breakfast sandwich with bacon, cheese and a fried egg (which was served in a heated aluminum bag). A full breakfast menu is available in the Da Vinci Dining Room as well as breakfast is available in the Horizon Court Buffet on Deck 15.
We decided to try lunch in the Da Vinci Dining Room. The weather was not very cooperative today, large swells were moving the ship slightly, therefore the Dining Room was extremely busy. The Maître D, Neville, moved the line as fast as they could before filling the dining room. Lunch was good. I decided to stay with my British roots and ordered “English Pea Soup” and “London Mixed Grill” which I enjoyed.
We held a private wine tasting for our group in the Botticelli Dining Room today at 2pm. We tasted four wines from the Brander Vineyard while Fred provided a great explanation of the Santa Barbara region and specifically the Santa Ynez and Los Olivos area where the majority of the grapes for Brander wines are sourced. The wine tasting went extremely well and was enjoyed by all.
Dinner this evening was at “The Salty Dog” a new concept by Chef Uchimura, who was the Corporate Chef for “Umami Burger” in Los Angeles. There is a cover charge of $19 for this restaurant and you get to choose three dishes from a menu of 12 items. I chose The “Ernesto” burger, the roasted cauliflower and Charred Asparagus and toasted Haloumi Cheese. We enjoyed a casual meal on high top bar stools at a high top table.
We wanted to make sure we caught the main show this evening as it was highly touted as the new collaboration with Princess and Stephen Schwartz (composer of Wicked). There are two show times on Princess. 8pm and 10pm. We went to the 8pm show. Every seat was occupied. The show “Magic To Do” was representative of a Broadway show that you would pay $75 – $100 per person to see on Broadway. The music, choreography and performances were entertaining and very professional.
Day 3 – Santa Barbara – 8am – 6pm
Another room service breakfast to start the day as I had to gather my group at 7:30am to take a tender ashore to meet our bus for the wine country tour of Santa Barbara and Solvang.
After getting ashore we met our bus driver, Nikki, who was extremely friendly and knowledgeable about the Santa Barbara wine regions. We headed to Happy Canyon Vineyard first which is not open to the public. The property is located on 800 acres and also is home to a polo field, where matches are played during the summer. Our host, Sean Pitts, General Manager of Happy Canyon, was a very charming and welcoming gentleman. He opened up his beautiful home to us, where we tasted 5 of his wines, one white (Estate Bordeaux White Blend of Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc) and four red blends, using Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, Malbec and Cabernet Franc, classic Bordeaux Style blends.
http://www.happycanyonvineyard.com/
After departing Happy Canyon, we headed to Brander Vineyards, where Fred (who we had dropped off at his winery before we visited Happy Canyon) was waiting to welcome us. Fred tasted us on a couple of his different styles of Sauvignon Blanc (He makes 11 different ones) and then led us into the winery where we got to taste the 2015 Sauvignon Blanc, right out of the fermentation tanks. A nice treat indeed! We headed to lunch and tasted more of Brander Vineyards wine (Syrah with lunch) and then enjoyed learning more about Fred’s extensive Mexican ceramic art collection, some of which was on display in the barrel room.
Then it was off to Solvang for an hour to meander around the quaint town. We were ready for a beer and headed to the Solvang Brewery, alas it was closed! Nikki, our host guided us to “The Good Life”, which was open, where we enjoyed a local California craft beer before heading back to the bus.
What a great day we had in Santa Barbara. The weather also cooperated and the sun was shining for most of the day. Back to the ship to get ready for dinner…and more wine of course!
We enjoyed a pre-dinner glass of wine at “Vines”, a wine bar on board, which has a more extensive selection of wines by the glass and at very reasonable prices. When ordering a glass of wine, a complimentary plate of sushi or Tapas is served with each order. A nice touch indeed. Unfortunately we only enjoyed this bar once due to the length of the cruise but Fred Brander told me he went there a couple of times and it was his favorite bar on board. I can see why.
Our dinner was in the Da Vinci Dining Room this evening. One of my guests brought a 2012 Hall Cabernet Sauvignon for us to share, which was a nice treat. Dinner was enjoyable and we caught up on the day.
A little casino action occurred later in the evening. This venue seemed very popular on this short 4 day cruise.
Day 4 – Ensenada – 9am – 6pm
A little later start today as we did not dock until 9am (scheduled for 8am) so I had time to check out the breakfast buffet on Deck 15. I enjoyed a bagel with smoked salmon and cream cheese as well as some scrambled eggs with hash browns. The service staff provided beverages tableside. Off to the gangway!
I met my group outside the ship and we walked down the pier to meet our bus. The bus driver and tour guide were very friendly and knowledgeable about the Valle De Guadalupe wine region. There are 125 wineries in this area now and more popping up weekly it seems!
Our first stop was at “Tres Valles” (grapes from three different Valleys – Guadalupe Valley, San Vicente and Santo Tomas Valleys) where we tasted Kojaa (100% Petit Sirah), Elegancia (100% Shiraz) and Jala (Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc and French Colombard which is fermented in stainless steel), Kuwal 2012, 90% Tempranillo, 5% Ruby Cabernet, 5% Grenache. Inspired by the origins of their state, their image and brands are based on the first native settlers of Baja California. The quality of the wines were great and were enjoyed (and some purchased) by all.
http://www.vinostresvalles.com/english/aboutus.htm
Next stop was “Clos De Tres Cantos” – Vitivinicultura Consciencia. The owners Joaquin and Maria developed Clos de Tres Cantos with the land in mind. Their concept behind the project is sustainable, and respectful to the surrounding areas. You see this in the use of local materials such as the laja stone that makes up most of the exteriors, as well as the reclaimed wood, and recycled wine bottles that they used to create art.
We tasted “Nada” (Tempranillo & Petite Sirah), “Duda” (Carignan and Mouvedre), “Resilencia” (Petite Sirah) and “Noesis” (Tempranillo). All their wines are made with passion and the quality shows. Maria was such a gracious hostess. Only the first 60% of the pressed juice is used in their wines. Definitely a winery you MUST visit.
https://www.facebook.com/Clos-de-Tres-Cantos-1498521527058077/
On to our last winery, Lechuza Vineyards. Lechuza winery was established in 2005 by Ray and Patty Magnussen and released its first vintage in 2007. Kris, their daughter, moved from Santa Barbara (where I worked with her at the Bacara Resort & Spa) with her husband Adam (winemaker) a year ago and now manages the property as well as taking care of their almost one year old son.
Kristin greeted our group with their 2013 Chardonnay (which has almost sold out). Most of their wines have sold out (great news for them) so we got to taste their 2012 Nebbiolo out of the stainless steel fermentation tank. We were also treated to a grappa!
Off to lunch at Javier Plascencia’s restaurant “Finco Altozano”, which serves a local product based menu from ranches and farms around Guadalupe Valley. Wood fired grills and beautiful open spaces where we enjoyed our lunch overlooking a vista of the valley. We enjoyed a welcome cucumber water cocktail, local wines (of course!) and a choice of grilled chicken, quail, lamb or vegetarian risotto. The food was delicious!
After a day of drinking and eating, what else was there to do? Get ready for our private group dinner in Sabatini’s restaurant with wine paired by Fred Brander of course!
Dinner was amazing and the staff at Sabitini’s did a great job of preparing and serving the four course menu as well as serve the appropriate wines with each course. We were treated to a Riesling, which was paired with dessert. A great end to the meal and the cruise.
Some things to consider when cruising with Princess:
Pre-pay gratuities before you board. It just makes your shipboard account a little less hefty at the end of the cruise.
Internet – Try not to use it if possible as the packages are VERY expensive on board. If you do need to access your e-mail and the internet choose a package. Example…..$99.00 for 220 minutes
Drink package – $56.25 per day. If you like a few cocktails and glasses of wine, think about purchasing the drink package which covers most beer, cocktails and wines by the glass.
Image source: http://www.brander.com/