Meet the Wine Maker Cruise Series is Back With a Fantastic Lineup
Wine Cruises On Our Newest Ships
The Meet the Winemaker series will take place on some of our most innovative ships: Norwegian Bliss, Norwegian Joy, Norwegian Escape and Norwegian Encore—our newest and most thrilling ship. In addition to having access to incredible wines and dining experiences, guests will enjoy all our ships have to offer, from hit Broadway shows and an award-winning spa to experiencing true luxury at sea in The Haven®.
Winemaker Cruise Lineup
Diane Flamand
7-Day Bermuda on Norwegian Encore: May 3rd, 2020Diane Flamand, winemaker, Bordeaux Collection wine Domaines de Rothschild [LAFITE]. From 1997 to 2003, Diane assumed the role of Training Manager at Barton & Guestier (Blanquefort - Bordeaux) where she ran the B&G Wine Training Program and promoted the brand in France and abroad in South and North America, Europe and Russia. In 2003, she spent several months in California at the Sterling Vineyard and in South Africa before formally joining DBR (Lafite) in 2004 as Winemaker, Bordeaux Collection Wines.
Salvatore Ferragamo
7-Day Alaska on Norwegian Joy: May 16th, 2020Since 1993 Salvatore Ferragamo, together with his father Ferruccio, have been responsible for conserving The Il Borro estate Historical heritage but have also transformed the property into a 5 star Relais et Châteaux Hotel in a 1000 year old medieval village and converted all agricultural farming practice to organic farming, producing world class wines with a unique concept of terroir.
Rob Mondavi, Jr.
7-Day Alaska on Norwegian Joy: August 29th, 2020A fourth-generation Napa Valley winemaker, Rob Mondavi, Jr. serves as the President of Winemaking for Michael Mondavi Family Estate. The son of Isabel & Michael Mondavi, Rob was raised in Napa Valley and spent much of his childhood playing among the vines and barrels at Robert Mondavi Winery, where he later served as Director of Marketing before co-founding Michael Mondavi Family Estate. Rob resides in Napa Valley with his wife, Lydia, and their two sons.
Michael Mondavi
9-Day Baltic on Norwegian Escape: September 14th, 2020Michael Mondavi is known as the “quiet icon” among his friends and colleagues and is widely credited with helping to establish and build the Napa Valley wine industry as we know it. Raised at the Charles Krug winery in St Helena, Michael’s wine career began in 1966 when he and his father Robert co-founded the Robert Mondavi Winery in Oakville, Napa Valley. He served in many positions at the winery, including winemaker for the first eight harvests, including the celebrated 1974 vintage. In 1999, Michael, along with his wife Isabel and their two children, Rob, Jr. and Dina, founded Michael Mondavi Family Estate, creating a sustainable legacy to be passed down to the next generation.
Antonio Hidalgo
10-Day Baltic on Norwegian Escape: Oct. 11th, 2020Antonio Hidalgo has a unique connection and commitment with the fascinating world of Wines. He is the 8th generation of family owned Bodegas Hidalgo La Gitana, a worldwide recognized Sherry house, founded by his great grandfather in 1792 in Sanlucar de Barrameda, Spain. Born and raised in Sanlucar, with the winery as his playground, he endeavored every single job there was available from harvesting to production. By the age of 17 he became part of the winemaking team.
Aarón Sanchez
7-Day Bahamas on Norwegian Encore: Oct. 13th, 2020Award-winning chef and owner of Johnny Sánchez restaurant, Aarón Sánchez is the official chef ambassador for Terrazas de los Andes wines and one of the world’s leading contemporary Latin chefs.
Miguel Torres Maczassek
14-Day Transatlantic on Norwegian Escape: Oct. 26th, 2020Founded in 1870 by Jaime Torres, Bodegas Torres (Miguel Torres SA) is a historical wine growing company located in Penedès. Torres is the family winery with the most extensive vineyards in the Denomination of Origin (DO) of Penedès and the largest winery in Spain. Torres is also Spain’s largest producer of DO wines under its own label, exporting to more than 140 countries. Under the Torres brand name they trade wine and brandy under on a range of different labels. Some of these are Viña Sol, Sangre de Toro, De Casta, Coronas, Atrium and Viña Esmeralda, with their best known brandies being Torres 5 and Torres 10.
Christine Wente
5-Day Mexico on Norwegian Bliss: Nov. 1st, 2020In 2000, Christine Wente became the first member of the fifth generation to join the family business, bringing new perspectives to the country’s oldest continuously operated family-owned winery. She is an active spokesperson for the company, and a member of the Board of Directors.
Pierre Casenave, Director of Winemaking Development & Operations for Veuve Clicquot
7-Day Western Caribbean on Norwegian Encore: Dec. 12th, 2020Pierre Casenave grew up in the Pyrénées Atlantiques renowned for tapas, ferias and rugby, a region closed to Spain. He recognized his passion for Oenology and obtained a diploma in Oenology at the University of Montpellier and has been enrolled at Bordeaux International Wine Institute in 2007 and graduated an MBA Wine. Professionally, after numerous practicals and internships, he has been appointed as winemaker for over six years in prestigious wineries in Saint Emilion, Pomerol as well as the South African Stellenbosch wine region and in the United States, California. Pierre joined Champagne Veuve Clicquot in 2008 as Oenologist. He is proud to belong to the tasting panel, taking an active part in the creation of the finest quality blends for all the House’s wines.In 2019, he was appointed winemaking development and operations director. Pierre also plays a significant role in the communication efforts of Veuve Clicquot – tasting, promoting and training all over the world. Originally Published: https://www.ncl.com/travel-blog/norwegian-meet-the-winemaker-cruise-series