Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Cruises
85
West Coast Wine Country Cruises
Rivers of Wine
Cruise West
If American wine is your thing, these
cruises are for you. Cruise West's small
excursion ships spend their summers in
Alaska and their winters down on the
Mexican Riviera and Panama Canal routes.
But in between they sandwich in some
excellent river tours of the West Coast's
premier wine regions. While you sleep and
dine aboard the boat, your days are filled
with vineyard tours, gourmet luncheons,
and meetings with noted vintners and
chefs.
In the autumn, the 138-passenger
Spirit
of Yorktown
does 4- or 5-day roundtrips
from San Francisco through Napa and
Sonoma. Vessels slip up the Napa River,
dock at St. Helena for a number of winery
visits via motorcoach, then navigate back
to the bay and up the Sonoma River to
dock at Sonoma for another round of vine-
yards. Optional excursions include hot-air
balloon rides, tours of an olive oil grove,
and a cooking demonstration at Napa's
branch of the Culinary Institute of Amer-
ica. Given Napa's congested traffic, par-
ticularly during the autumn harvest
season, gliding past it all on a boat is a bril-
liant stress-free alternative. Another
bonus: You don't have to worry about driv-
ing after too many tasting sessions.
In fall and spring, the 84-passenger
Spirit of Discovery
steams up the Colum-
bia River as it twists and turns from
Portland, Oregon, north into Washington
State. These Pacific Northwest Tasting
Tours visit a number of wineries en route
in Walla Walla, Red Mountain, and Horse
Heaven Hill. The Hood River region's fine
pear and apple orchards are also on this
8-day itinerary, along with a tour and tast-
ing of seafood fisheries back on the coast
in Astoria, Oregon.
Cruise West is a solid cruise industry
veteran, in operation for more than 60
years. Its small, agile, shallow-draft ships
are designed for intimate encounters with
nature. Lots of outdoor deck space and
large picture windows afford great views
of the countryside, whether it be Napa's
rolling vineyard-pleated hills or the breath-
taking drama of the Columbia River Gorge.
The shipboard vibe is casual and out-
doorsy rather than luxurious; the stream-
lined modern cabins, with their blond-wood
accents, reflect this. Fine dining isn't
Cruise West's raison d'être, but the on-
board meals are perfectly competent, with
a vegetarian option every night. Knowing
that wine-cruise passengers are likely to
be gourmands as well, they've upped the
ante on the shore-excursion meals.
Cruise West, 2301 Fifth Ave., Suite 401,
Seattle, WA 98121-1856 (
&
888/851-
8133;
www.cruisewest.com).
