Travel: The boat that rocked

First-time cruiser Jennifer Pegler raises her glass to a wine-themed trip around Europe.
The Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain. Picture: Jennifer Pegler/PA Photos.The Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain. Picture: Jennifer Pegler/PA Photos.
The Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain. Picture: Jennifer Pegler/PA Photos.

It was about six months ago, at a friend’s dinner party, when I exposed myself as a wine ignoramus. Conversation was flowing far more easily than the cheap bottle of plonk I’d picked up from the local supermarket, when I made the embarrassing admission that Lambrini was my favourite choice of tipple and I couldn’t name a French wine for the life of me!

A tumbleweed moment followed, and I wished the ground would swallow me up. I then vowed I’d take a crash course in wine tasting or risk being ostracised by my friends for years to come.

So when the opportunity arose to join a wine-themed cruise around Europe, I jumped at the chance to soak up some knowledge, along with a few fine vintages along the way.

As first-time cruisers, my husband and I weren’t quite sure what to expect from a holiday at sea.

We boarded the Azamara Quest, part of the well-established Royal Caribbean group, in Southampton. It was so easy to take the train and taxi to the port, rather than wasting time at the airport.

As soon as we set foot on the 694-person boat, we were struck by her luxury and opulence. The carpet felt new and thick under foot, and the ship was immaculately clean and gleaming.

By the time she pulled out of a grey Southampton, we had already found the Windows bar, a place that became our favourite hangout for the holiday. The attentive Indonesian bar manager Metz mixed us some cocktails from the complimentary menu to toast our journey.

As is standard on most cruises, food was included in our package, but unusually, so was a large selection of alcohol.

No sooner were our drinks finished than Metz was asking if we wanted more - and already knew our names, even though we hadn’t told him. In fact, throughout our stay nearly every member of staff greeted us with ‘hello Mr and Mrs Pegler’ as they passed.

It was indicative of the faultless service we would experience throughout our 12-night journey through St Peter Port in Guernsey, Bordeaux, St Jean de Luz, in the south of France, Bilbao, Lisbon and ending in Seville.

Smaller than the average liner, the Quest can dock much closer to the heart of destinations, stopping at less-visited ports. There are no giant shopping centres, cinemas or bowling alleys on board, and few families with young children - the cruises are aimed at mature members of society seeking considerable luxury.

Another plus point of the cruise was overnight stays at many of the stops, giving you time to experience a place. I was also relieved to discover the boat operates a relaxed dress code - ‘resort casual’ - so I felt I could really relax on holiday.

After a calm night’s sailing we woke up in Guernsey’s capital, St Peter Port. The bustling, shop-lined cobbled streets, decked with bunting, have an unmistakably Gallic feel.

That evening, we had the choice of eating in the formal Discoveries restaurant, with its fine dining five-course offering; or the Windows Cafe, a buffet-style, more casual place, which had a themed menu from around the world.

There are also two speciality restaurants: Prime C, specialising in steak, and seafood eatery Aqualina. You pay a supplement for the speciality dining, but in return, you get grub rivalling top restaurants and first class service from extra-attentive waiters.

Our next stop was Bordeaux, and excitement was building among the guests for the ‘Azamazing Evening’, a French-themed cocktail party to be held at an 18th century former stock exchange, Palais de la Bourse.

We all had our photo taken with the captain as we entered the venue for the show-stopping soiree. French waiters welcomed us with a selection of the region’s finest wines, and chefs prepared crepes and waffles in homage to the region’s gastronomy.

A French singer paid tribute to the likes of Edith Piaf and cancan girls took to the stage, as we sipped our wine and let the bon viveur wash over us.

It was just the start of our exploration of Bordeaux’s culture. The following day we were booked on a tour of the famous wine estate Chateau Margaux, one of the many ‘Land Discoveries’ tours Azamara offer to give a taste of the highlights of each stop.

The coach meandered through rolling vineyards to Chateau Giscours, one of the Margaux estate’s premier cru producers. Charismatic guide Helen greeted us at the grand estate home. She enthusiastically took us through the history of the vineyard, which dates back to the 14th century, and the unique growing conditions of the region.

After a tour of the cellars and a look at the distillation vats, we finally got down to business; the tasting. She coached us to swill the 2002 red, smelling for scents we might recognise - berries, coriander and a grass - and finally I rolled it across my tongue, and yes, it was beautiful.

The memories of the cheap claret that scarred me during my student days were replaced with something in its own league. Never again would I ignorantly say I don’t like French wine.

While the Azamazing Evening and vineyard experience of Bordeaux were highlights of the cruise, they didn’t overshadow the rest of our journey.

We travelled along the French coast to St Jean de Luz, situated in the shadow of the Pyrenees and lined with golden sandy beaches. Here we took the opportunity to swim and sunbathe as it was the only stop on the journey that would allow that holiday beach action.

A short stop in Bilbao allowed us just enough time to experience the show-stopping Guggenheim Museum, then after a day at sea we eventually pulled into Lisbon.

We passed restaurants selling sardines, and tourist shops filled with locally-made tiles, as we climbed steps to reach a viewing platform in the Alfama district.

As we stood high above the terracotta roofs of houses, we could see the Azamara Quest in all her glory. Tourists posed to have their photos taken against the backdrop; we felt so privileged to be staying on such an impressive vessel.

Our journey into Seville, down the relatively narrow Guadalquivir River, also demonstrated the advantage of travelling on a smaller, stream-lined vessel. There would have been no way a large cruise ship could have managed it, and locals looked on from the banks in amazement.

Strolling along streets framed by orange trees, we drooled over various tapas bars, each spraying mist from their awnings to cool down their roasting patrons. We couldn’t resist stopping for a glass of Rioja and some Iberian cured ham.

We finished our journey by visiting Catedral de Santa Maria de la Sede, where Christopher Columbus is buried (or parts of him are, at least).

He discovered the New World, while we had been visiting the Old, and we couldn’t have chosen a more luxurious and relaxing way to do it than on the Azamara Quest.

Travel facts - Wine Cruise

Jennifer Pegler was a guest of Azamara Club Cruises (www.azamaraclubcruises.co.uk; 0844 493 4016) who offer the Azamara Journey on a 14-night Food And Wine Fly/Cruise from £3,018 per person (based on two people sharing an interior stateroom).

Price includes return flight from London Heathrow, transfers and a 14-night cruise departing from Southampton and calling at St. Peter Port (Channel Islands), Nantes (Loire Valley, France), Bordeaux (France), St. Jean de Luz (France), Bilbao (Spain) and Porto (Portugal), before arriving into Lisbon (Portugal) for the flight home. The cruise also includes selected drinks and meals. Price is based on August 20, 2014 departure.

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