Note: As the internet was effectively non-functioning during most of the cruise I have posted a number of blog entries all at once. Be sure to start at the bottom and work you way up to this one.
The next day, our last, was Trieste, Italy. I had booked a tour which was to highlight some castles and local wines, but I was pretty toured out after our Slovenian guide, Montenegro being such a disappointment and Otapaji being just OK, so I cancelled and went with another couple for a walk around town.
Trieste is a beautiful town with wonderful architecture, lots of cafes and shopping. In a typical Iamboatman manner, we looked at this café and that café for a place to have a coffee. And then I saw “the place”. It was an ancient wine bar called La Tecia which was oozing: rounded brick ceilings, wooded arched supports and tiny tables crammed into dimly lit spaces. We ordered two local wines (Fantin Nodar Friulano Tocai - a white; and Lis Neris Bottigua - a cab) and a platter of salami, prosciutto and fresh ham and another of a variety of cheeses.
There we sat for a couple of hours thinking, “This is the best”. It was. I had another great food & wine moment and it was with my wife and good friends happened upon by accident and enjoyed feeling just a little bit like a local.
A bit of power shopping thereafter (always dangerous after drinking wine for two hours!) and it was time to return to the Seabourn Spirit to pack and for a final soak in the forward spa watching the world go by and talking about nothing.
A final excellent dinner with great service and wonderful food (duck breast), coupled with a nice Cote de Rhone and it was off to the Club as it was a bit too windy for the Sky Bar. David, a proper butler (and a quirky, but charming young man), prepared my final cigar – and he is magic with it – and it another memorable moment on deck, watching the seagulls and terns fishing in the water lit by the lights of the Seabourn Spirit as we sailed out of Treiste.
It was, alas, time for the 2009 Goldring Travel Food & Wine Cruise to come to an end.
I will provide some final thoughts separately.
Minggu, 04 Oktober 2009
Seabourn Spirit 2009 Food & Wine Cruise - Food, Wine and, ummm, Music
The second part of our day in Koper, Slovenia was the private Ensemble Experience which was a tour of Piran followed by a wine tasting at Santomas vineyards. The town tour was hampered by a guide that talked way, way, way too much. That, however, became a distant memory when we arrived at the winery. Santomas is breathtakingly beautiful and, remarkably, the present facility is only two years old (and a labor of love by its owner). Everything from the pressing area to the restaurant where we had our tasting was done first class.
Not expecting much, I was really blown away by the quality of these moderately priced wines. I won’t bore you with the varieties other than to note that each of the five wines (one white, three red, one dessert) were interesting in their own rights and were presented with a really nice offering of prosciutto, a variety of cheeses, olives, local bread and, for the dessert wine, pastries.
A first class experience.
There was one funny/frustrating aspect: The tour company provided us with a Slovenian folk music trio that sang and played a bit too loudly for the entire tasting. When the tasting was over they hopped in their car and headed to…the Seabourn Spirit for the barbeque. That resulted in our group listening to about three hours of Slovenian folk music…and a serious headache! But I digress.
We arrived back at the ship just in time to wash up and hit the deck for the always great Deck Barbeque albeit we were still at the dock. The highlight was the Fonda sea bass. It was so good (and I am a picky fish eater) I shunned most of the offerings and had two fish! Give credit to the fish and to the Seabourn galley staff. They could have easily ruined the fish by being fancy or not giving it enough respect. Instead, with Bjoern’s guidance, it was perfection!
After a bit of the Rock the Boat show on deck, I called it an early evening retreated to my suite for about 45 minutes just to have some quiet. Like I was being set up, at returned to the Sky Bar at 11:00 pm for the sailaway…and like a bad joke the Slovenian folk music started again. Fortunately, the ship was starting to move and the music faded away. A nightcap under the stars and all was right with the Seabourn world.
Between visiting the Fonda aquaculture farm, the Santomas wine tasting and the Deck Barbeque it was a truly fantastic day.
Not expecting much, I was really blown away by the quality of these moderately priced wines. I won’t bore you with the varieties other than to note that each of the five wines (one white, three red, one dessert) were interesting in their own rights and were presented with a really nice offering of prosciutto, a variety of cheeses, olives, local bread and, for the dessert wine, pastries.
A first class experience.
There was one funny/frustrating aspect: The tour company provided us with a Slovenian folk music trio that sang and played a bit too loudly for the entire tasting. When the tasting was over they hopped in their car and headed to…the Seabourn Spirit for the barbeque. That resulted in our group listening to about three hours of Slovenian folk music…and a serious headache! But I digress.
We arrived back at the ship just in time to wash up and hit the deck for the always great Deck Barbeque albeit we were still at the dock. The highlight was the Fonda sea bass. It was so good (and I am a picky fish eater) I shunned most of the offerings and had two fish! Give credit to the fish and to the Seabourn galley staff. They could have easily ruined the fish by being fancy or not giving it enough respect. Instead, with Bjoern’s guidance, it was perfection!
After a bit of the Rock the Boat show on deck, I called it an early evening retreated to my suite for about 45 minutes just to have some quiet. Like I was being set up, at returned to the Sky Bar at 11:00 pm for the sailaway…and like a bad joke the Slovenian folk music started again. Fortunately, the ship was starting to move and the music faded away. A nightcap under the stars and all was right with the Seabourn world.
Between visiting the Fonda aquaculture farm, the Santomas wine tasting and the Deck Barbeque it was a truly fantastic day.
Seabourn Spirit 2009 Food & Wine Cruise - Its About The Fish!
Chef Bjoern arranged for a private inspection of a aquaculture farm outside Koper, Slovenia. Having a background in marine biology and worked as a biological aid for the United States’ National Marine Fisheries Service I was quietly very excited for this. I think the others were more like, “OK. That’ll be ‘interesting’”.
Our “guide” for our journey to the Fonda aquaculture farm in Piran, Slovenia, Irena Fonda, was a bit quiet at first, but this charming woman with a doctorate in molecular biology, came alive when we reached what we would learn is her family business. We boarded an ordinary 10 passenger pontoon boat with a bag of fish food, some water and what I thought was three bottles of champagne improperly iced upside down in a bucket of ice along with a very nice blue shopping bag.
The process of raising the fish(sea bass or locally known as branzino), which takes five (5) years was explained and it was emphasized that the nets are free of all antibiological agents which would kill organisms trying to grow on the nets, that would also introduce poison to the fish. As such a very labor intensive process of net replacement and manual cleaning is required. Also, rather than the fish being fed lots of low quality feed and artificial colors which would cause them to get fat (and thus to market weight, but at low quality, quicker) and look pretty (think color added to farmed salmon), these fish are fed less more often and the amounts eaten are measured every day. (My wife now understands why I have always said do not purchase farm raised fish: It isn’t terribly healthy, it looks funny to me and it doesn’t taste that good either.)
After stopping at the large round nets (each of which were pristine) with increasing larger fish we had a surprise: a very rare sighting of a young sea turtle. They were more excited than we were as they had never seen a sea turtle in their waters. Just a little bonus and a harbinger of the magic that was about to happen.
Tied off to one of the nets a presentation was made. The bag contained a Styrofoam box with a nurtured five year old sea bass fish beautifully presented and protected all of which was explained as to everything from the wrapping to the date tagging (so you know the fish is fresh) to the frozen gel used (as ice would melt and injure the meat). While the fish was then being prepared for some sashimi tasting (which was incredible) we savored gently smoked sea bass.
Oh, yes, that upside down champagne was actually a great treat. It was a Refusco wine prepared in a champagne style. The cool thing about the wine is that it is not purged in the process as is done with champagne, so the sediment is allowed to settle in the neck of the bottle, which is then opened. underwater (quite a feat!). It was a delicious and paired, surprisingly, well with the fish. (Those of the “You don’t drink red wine with fish” really have it wrong!!)
Then as we started to have the sashimi it was explained that Fonda also presses its own olive oil from its private grove and it also uses salt from the salt farm right next door…and it was all being served to us.
After a tour of the salt farm, which still produces the salt by hand processes that date back hundreds of years, Bjoern, the Seabourn chef then arranged for some sea bass to be delivered to the ship for the Deck Barbeque that evening.
What an experience!
Our “guide” for our journey to the Fonda aquaculture farm in Piran, Slovenia, Irena Fonda, was a bit quiet at first, but this charming woman with a doctorate in molecular biology, came alive when we reached what we would learn is her family business. We boarded an ordinary 10 passenger pontoon boat with a bag of fish food, some water and what I thought was three bottles of champagne improperly iced upside down in a bucket of ice along with a very nice blue shopping bag.
The process of raising the fish(sea bass or locally known as branzino), which takes five (5) years was explained and it was emphasized that the nets are free of all antibiological agents which would kill organisms trying to grow on the nets, that would also introduce poison to the fish. As such a very labor intensive process of net replacement and manual cleaning is required. Also, rather than the fish being fed lots of low quality feed and artificial colors which would cause them to get fat (and thus to market weight, but at low quality, quicker) and look pretty (think color added to farmed salmon), these fish are fed less more often and the amounts eaten are measured every day. (My wife now understands why I have always said do not purchase farm raised fish: It isn’t terribly healthy, it looks funny to me and it doesn’t taste that good either.)
After stopping at the large round nets (each of which were pristine) with increasing larger fish we had a surprise: a very rare sighting of a young sea turtle. They were more excited than we were as they had never seen a sea turtle in their waters. Just a little bonus and a harbinger of the magic that was about to happen.
Tied off to one of the nets a presentation was made. The bag contained a Styrofoam box with a nurtured five year old sea bass fish beautifully presented and protected all of which was explained as to everything from the wrapping to the date tagging (so you know the fish is fresh) to the frozen gel used (as ice would melt and injure the meat). While the fish was then being prepared for some sashimi tasting (which was incredible) we savored gently smoked sea bass.
Oh, yes, that upside down champagne was actually a great treat. It was a Refusco wine prepared in a champagne style. The cool thing about the wine is that it is not purged in the process as is done with champagne, so the sediment is allowed to settle in the neck of the bottle, which is then opened. underwater (quite a feat!). It was a delicious and paired, surprisingly, well with the fish. (Those of the “You don’t drink red wine with fish” really have it wrong!!)
Then as we started to have the sashimi it was explained that Fonda also presses its own olive oil from its private grove and it also uses salt from the salt farm right next door…and it was all being served to us.
After a tour of the salt farm, which still produces the salt by hand processes that date back hundreds of years, Bjoern, the Seabourn chef then arranged for some sea bass to be delivered to the ship for the Deck Barbeque that evening.
What an experience!
Seabourn Spirit 2009 Food & Wine Cruise - Split, Croatia: Shopping With the Chef & Chilling Out Seabourn Style
Unfortunately there was a failure of the motherboard for the internet satellite system on board, so posting my blog as it was happening just wasn’t possible. Nonetheless, here it is…and know that it was, in the end, one of the best cruises I have ever taken.
We started our day in Split, Croatia, after a very pleasant breakfast at the Veranda, Shopping With the Chef. Because the interest was so great, Seabourn expanded the number that could go to about 30, which was a bit much, but which also had Seabourn arrange for a guide to give us a short walking tour. After a brief orientation it was off to the fish market.
It was a bit lean in the smallish fish market with clear signs of overfishing taking its toll. It was especially sad to see small soles that haven’t had even a chance to breed being offered for sale. The Chef purchased some sea bass and sardines as there wasn’t much else of interest. (The sardines wound up in the Veranda for lunch the next day and the sea bass became part of the Chef’s Tasting Menu.)
It was then a short walk through the really interesting and pretty walled city to the vegetable and fruit market. Things were much more robust there and it seemed that everyone was selling tiny Italian plums. (Local grapes were delivered to everyone’s suites later in the day.)
We thanked the Seabourn staff as it was time to explore more of Split, a town I would readily come back to. It really just felt like a very friendly place to be and it was just enjoyable. We stopped in a café and noticed that the food really wasn’t very exciting, consisting of some pretty standard fare…and pizza was offered everywhere. (I had given, as “pillow gifts”, a book on Croatian cooking, so I knew it was not going to be a world class experience, but rather more one of comfort foods.) We ordered some Croatian beer (I do not recall the brand) and, to be honest, it was awful. The aftertaste stayed with me literally for hours. That pretty much shot any chance at discovering the Croatian wines (and I heard from others on the tour I was originally going to take that the wines really were pretty ordinary).
After a very relaxing day in a beautiful place we headed up to the forward whirlpool – having joked with Jaco, the bar waiter, very early in the day that we would be there at 3:30 p.m. – and at precisely 3:30 p.m. he arrived with glasses and a bottle of champagne. A few of us spent the rest of the afternoon in the forward spa. This was followed by another bottle of champagne and the ever important supervision of the locals fishing (and watching one particularly curious cuttlefish who seemed interested in everything). And then it was time for the sailaway. It was, simply, a Seabourn afternoon.
I received a note when I returned to my suite that the ultra-luxury wine tasting and lunch at the best restaurant in Kotor, Montenegro has been cancelled due to lack of interest and, with virtually no time to arrange anything else, I was kind of stuck. But, alas, I had a plan…and would be very happy if it worked. It was then a wonderful dinner and an evening sitting under the stars enjoying it all with friends…a great Seabourn evening.
We started our day in Split, Croatia, after a very pleasant breakfast at the Veranda, Shopping With the Chef. Because the interest was so great, Seabourn expanded the number that could go to about 30, which was a bit much, but which also had Seabourn arrange for a guide to give us a short walking tour. After a brief orientation it was off to the fish market.
It was a bit lean in the smallish fish market with clear signs of overfishing taking its toll. It was especially sad to see small soles that haven’t had even a chance to breed being offered for sale. The Chef purchased some sea bass and sardines as there wasn’t much else of interest. (The sardines wound up in the Veranda for lunch the next day and the sea bass became part of the Chef’s Tasting Menu.)
It was then a short walk through the really interesting and pretty walled city to the vegetable and fruit market. Things were much more robust there and it seemed that everyone was selling tiny Italian plums. (Local grapes were delivered to everyone’s suites later in the day.)
We thanked the Seabourn staff as it was time to explore more of Split, a town I would readily come back to. It really just felt like a very friendly place to be and it was just enjoyable. We stopped in a café and noticed that the food really wasn’t very exciting, consisting of some pretty standard fare…and pizza was offered everywhere. (I had given, as “pillow gifts”, a book on Croatian cooking, so I knew it was not going to be a world class experience, but rather more one of comfort foods.) We ordered some Croatian beer (I do not recall the brand) and, to be honest, it was awful. The aftertaste stayed with me literally for hours. That pretty much shot any chance at discovering the Croatian wines (and I heard from others on the tour I was originally going to take that the wines really were pretty ordinary).
After a very relaxing day in a beautiful place we headed up to the forward whirlpool – having joked with Jaco, the bar waiter, very early in the day that we would be there at 3:30 p.m. – and at precisely 3:30 p.m. he arrived with glasses and a bottle of champagne. A few of us spent the rest of the afternoon in the forward spa. This was followed by another bottle of champagne and the ever important supervision of the locals fishing (and watching one particularly curious cuttlefish who seemed interested in everything). And then it was time for the sailaway. It was, simply, a Seabourn afternoon.
I received a note when I returned to my suite that the ultra-luxury wine tasting and lunch at the best restaurant in Kotor, Montenegro has been cancelled due to lack of interest and, with virtually no time to arrange anything else, I was kind of stuck. But, alas, I had a plan…and would be very happy if it worked. It was then a wonderful dinner and an evening sitting under the stars enjoying it all with friends…a great Seabourn evening.
Seabourn Spirit 2009 Food & Wine Cruise - Meeting Up With The Big Sister & Chef's Surprises
The next day in Kotor, Montenegro, started out with a bit of excitement. When I stepped into the Veranda for breakfast the Seabourn Odyssey was berthed right behind us. It was great to see her again and also to say hello to some of my clients who were enjoying a cruise on her.
An interesting note for those of you who think she is too large: I have two couples sailing with me who thought the same thing…until they saw her in person. They are now very excited to cruise with her on the 2010 Goldring Travel Food & Wine Cruise. And those on the Seabourn Odyssey concerned that their experience would be less personal came away with a very positive and personal experience.
It was then off to walk around the old city and, possibly, walk up the incredibly steep hillside to a church and fortress. My first impression while I was walking through the local market was one similar to that I had when visiting the Ukraine: It could be really nice, but there is just a sort of slightly not maintained, slightly dirty, less than energetic, feel about the place. There was not a restaurant or café that attracted me and the shops were very ordinary. Others complained about beggars, though I didn’t see any.
We did start the climb up the absurdly steep hill, but we knew starting out making it to the top is something you have to really want to do. When we reached the point where it said 2€ per person, we stopped and quickly retreated to level ground and a more comfortable walk.
Now for my plan: I decided to try to make my own wine tasting and gourmet lunch at the restaurant we were to visit. So we walked over to it and it was allegedly all booked out for a group that was not for the Seabourn Spirit or the Seabourn Odyssey. Curious...and I am looking into this.
At that point I didn’t want to further impact my day, so we returned to the Spirit for a nice lunch at the Sky Bar, a sleep and a soak in the forward spa. After beating my head against the wall, not knowing of the seriousness of the internet issue, it was time for a an exceptional Chef’s Tasting Menu for dinner.
The next day was a late rise as it was a Marina Day in Truike Bay, Croatia. After a dip in the marina’s pool, it was a banana ride followed by kayaking where a friend and I somehow wound up pulling our wives’ paddleboat around the bay. It was then a Sky Bar lunch.
My group was then given a private tour of the galley with Bjoern, the executive chef, and some very nice wine and caviar. Really having the time to understand all that goes on in the galley puts things into some perspectives you would never think of. I will write more about this another time, as it really is a topic unto itself, but just know that I will never arrive for dinner at 9:00 p.m. again as it really puts the galley into chaos. (It is not improper, but it just isn’t something I would do because I would feel guilty.)
After our tour it was a bit of relaxation and boy would we need it for our day in Koper, Slovenia was jam packed! Bjoern let us know we had another surprise in store: An early morning private experience before our afternoon Ensemble tour.
An interesting note for those of you who think she is too large: I have two couples sailing with me who thought the same thing…until they saw her in person. They are now very excited to cruise with her on the 2010 Goldring Travel Food & Wine Cruise. And those on the Seabourn Odyssey concerned that their experience would be less personal came away with a very positive and personal experience.
It was then off to walk around the old city and, possibly, walk up the incredibly steep hillside to a church and fortress. My first impression while I was walking through the local market was one similar to that I had when visiting the Ukraine: It could be really nice, but there is just a sort of slightly not maintained, slightly dirty, less than energetic, feel about the place. There was not a restaurant or café that attracted me and the shops were very ordinary. Others complained about beggars, though I didn’t see any.
We did start the climb up the absurdly steep hill, but we knew starting out making it to the top is something you have to really want to do. When we reached the point where it said 2€ per person, we stopped and quickly retreated to level ground and a more comfortable walk.
Now for my plan: I decided to try to make my own wine tasting and gourmet lunch at the restaurant we were to visit. So we walked over to it and it was allegedly all booked out for a group that was not for the Seabourn Spirit or the Seabourn Odyssey. Curious...and I am looking into this.
At that point I didn’t want to further impact my day, so we returned to the Spirit for a nice lunch at the Sky Bar, a sleep and a soak in the forward spa. After beating my head against the wall, not knowing of the seriousness of the internet issue, it was time for a an exceptional Chef’s Tasting Menu for dinner.
The next day was a late rise as it was a Marina Day in Truike Bay, Croatia. After a dip in the marina’s pool, it was a banana ride followed by kayaking where a friend and I somehow wound up pulling our wives’ paddleboat around the bay. It was then a Sky Bar lunch.
My group was then given a private tour of the galley with Bjoern, the executive chef, and some very nice wine and caviar. Really having the time to understand all that goes on in the galley puts things into some perspectives you would never think of. I will write more about this another time, as it really is a topic unto itself, but just know that I will never arrive for dinner at 9:00 p.m. again as it really puts the galley into chaos. (It is not improper, but it just isn’t something I would do because I would feel guilty.)
After our tour it was a bit of relaxation and boy would we need it for our day in Koper, Slovenia was jam packed! Bjoern let us know we had another surprise in store: An early morning private experience before our afternoon Ensemble tour.
Rabu, 30 September 2009
Seabourn Spirit 2009 Food & Wine Cruise - Finally Onboard...Err, I Mean, Home!
We boarded the Seabourn Spirit and it was, as it should be in our dreams, like coming home. Everything was as it was when we left months ago: Consistently exceptional.
As we boarded so late, after our walking wine tour, we had just enough time to go to our suite, see the incredible flower display Pam Conover had placed in our suite (when I die they should be so nice!), unpack (an unusual treat for us!) and head up for the muster drill. This was quickly followed by the sailaway – with champagne flowing…and there is no better sailaway than Venice.
We were invited to dine with the Rachael, Assistant Cruise Director, from South Wales, the first night. At that point I didn’t know if she could sing or dance, but what I did quickly learn was that she was absolutely charming. During dinner the chef, Bjoern Wassmuth, stopped by and let me know that he had arranged “Shopping With The Chef” in Split, Croatia and that we were already on the list. I figured that would be better than the Taste of Split tour I had signed up for, so my plans for a guided trip changed a bit.
Dinner was flawless, both in cuisine and conversation. After a nice tawny port with my favorite, the cheese platter, it was up to the Sky Bar for an evening whiskey, a nice cigar and some good conversation. It was as if I was…no I was…at home.
The next morning, in Optaija, Croatia, I was “blessed” with my tour of Krk Island and Nada Winery starting out at 8:15 a.m. I have Island. It was nice to see the Croatian countryside, and the excellent roads, but it wasn’t really what I was looking for as the ride was long. We stopped at the lovely little town of Omisalj which was very much asleep on the early Sunday morning. From there it was another 45 minutes to Vrbnik, a really charming town which towers over the sea complete with wonderful stone buildings, narrow streets and interesting architectural details.
We were let off at the Nada Winery…and I immediately knew that the winery was not what I thought it would be. We were served original, herb and fig grappa (komovica) before we were escorted into the building’s basement for a promotional video…all before our wine tasting. If you are even marginally interested in understanding a wine, drinking grappa beforehand pretty much assures it will not happen. So I soldiered on…I mean unless it is really bad wine I’ll drink it. Eventually we were seated in a very attractive restaurant where bottles of a white wine (Zlahtina), a red wine (forgot the name) and a dessert wine (Prosek) were set on the table with one glass per person with small plates of a cured ham and cheese. The wines were really nothing to speak of.and no one actually spoke of them. Not much of a wine tasting. It was a wander around town before heading back to the ship after another long drive.
It was, surprisingly,already formal night and we were invited to dine with the Captain, Magnus Bengtsson, which was enjoyable and a good bit of fun. We had a bit of a chat about his time as staff captain o f the Seabourn Odyssey during and after its construction as well as some of the plans for the Seabourn Sojourn.
A nightcap at the Sky Bar and looking forward to Split in the morning.
As we boarded so late, after our walking wine tour, we had just enough time to go to our suite, see the incredible flower display Pam Conover had placed in our suite (when I die they should be so nice!), unpack (an unusual treat for us!) and head up for the muster drill. This was quickly followed by the sailaway – with champagne flowing…and there is no better sailaway than Venice.
We were invited to dine with the Rachael, Assistant Cruise Director, from South Wales, the first night. At that point I didn’t know if she could sing or dance, but what I did quickly learn was that she was absolutely charming. During dinner the chef, Bjoern Wassmuth, stopped by and let me know that he had arranged “Shopping With The Chef” in Split, Croatia and that we were already on the list. I figured that would be better than the Taste of Split tour I had signed up for, so my plans for a guided trip changed a bit.
Dinner was flawless, both in cuisine and conversation. After a nice tawny port with my favorite, the cheese platter, it was up to the Sky Bar for an evening whiskey, a nice cigar and some good conversation. It was as if I was…no I was…at home.
The next morning, in Optaija, Croatia, I was “blessed” with my tour of Krk Island and Nada Winery starting out at 8:15 a.m. I have Island. It was nice to see the Croatian countryside, and the excellent roads, but it wasn’t really what I was looking for as the ride was long. We stopped at the lovely little town of Omisalj which was very much asleep on the early Sunday morning. From there it was another 45 minutes to Vrbnik, a really charming town which towers over the sea complete with wonderful stone buildings, narrow streets and interesting architectural details.
We were let off at the Nada Winery…and I immediately knew that the winery was not what I thought it would be. We were served original, herb and fig grappa (komovica) before we were escorted into the building’s basement for a promotional video…all before our wine tasting. If you are even marginally interested in understanding a wine, drinking grappa beforehand pretty much assures it will not happen. So I soldiered on…I mean unless it is really bad wine I’ll drink it. Eventually we were seated in a very attractive restaurant where bottles of a white wine (Zlahtina), a red wine (forgot the name) and a dessert wine (Prosek) were set on the table with one glass per person with small plates of a cured ham and cheese. The wines were really nothing to speak of.and no one actually spoke of them. Not much of a wine tasting. It was a wander around town before heading back to the ship after another long drive.
It was, surprisingly,already formal night and we were invited to dine with the Captain, Magnus Bengtsson, which was enjoyable and a good bit of fun. We had a bit of a chat about his time as staff captain o f the Seabourn Odyssey during and after its construction as well as some of the plans for the Seabourn Sojourn.
A nightcap at the Sky Bar and looking forward to Split in the morning.
Senin, 28 September 2009
Seabourn Spirit 2009 Food & Wine Cruise - Walking With Wine In Venice
Saturday started with our small group meeting up for a quick traghetto ride from Ca’ Sagredo Hotel to the Rialto market just on the other side of the Grand Canal. The variety of fresh fish, shellfish, vegetables and fruits were fantastic. It is not, however, anything like, say, La Boqueria in Barcelona. It is smaller, but more importantly, it is not nearly as busy. It is Venice and Venetians simply are not in a hurry…ever. It was a lovely way to slowly start our Food & Wine Cruise.
When we returned to the hotel our sommelier, Mario, was there waiting for us. With degrees not only for wine, but for cheese tasting, I knew things would be interesting, but wasn’t sure how it all would play out. (Lots of lecture and not enough enjoyment makes wine and food rather dull and unexciting.) I was also a bit concerned if we might find ourselves schlepping all over Venice.
Silly me! Mario gave us a true life memory as we did our walking tour the Venetian way: We walked only a little and relaxed, enjoyed some wonderful wines and learned not only about wines, but some of the wines really found only around Venice. But more importantly, we watched the world go by while soaking just being in Venice. The three and one half hours seemed like 10 minutes.
Our first ostaria (wine bar) was only a few minutes from the hotel. We sat outside and enjoyed a Bersi Serlini Franciacorta (2004) Brut Cuvee which is a sparkling wine, which was paired with a very fresh (made that day) mozzarella and tomato combination. This was followed by a Tenuta La Ponca Tocai Friulano paired with bacala and a spicy Asiago cheese that was amazing. (Learning about cheese tasting was really very interesting.) I will spare you the tasting notes, but do consider the wines…if you can find them.
After a leisurely 1 ½ hours tasting the two wines we were off for a ten minute walk to Ostaria al Ponte, which is the oldest ostaria in Venice. The place was jam packed with people and overflowed into the street. With us huddled in a corner with a great view of the place- which looked like it came right out of the movies (not fancy, but ordinary in an extraordinary way), we were served two large wooded platters of a variety of cheeses and two more with a variety of Italian hams. In other words, “the good stuff”. We first tasted a Refosco dal Peduncolo Rosso DOC Colli Orientali del Friuli (2005) which was thoroughly enjoyable and then had a wine that just stopped me.
It was Masi Serègo Alighieri Possessioni Rosso Veronese IGT (2006). I looked at Mario and said that the wine was meant to be drunk by itself. It was fine with the meats and cheeses, but to me they actually interfered with the wine. He smiled and said someone called it a “mediation wine”; one you have when you just want to relax and free your mind.
Just as a note, the wines we tasted were not expensive averaging only about 25 Euros each in the ostaria.
We all were up for tasting more, but the time flew and we needed to collect our bags and take a water taxi to the Seabourn Spirit.
When we returned to the hotel our sommelier, Mario, was there waiting for us. With degrees not only for wine, but for cheese tasting, I knew things would be interesting, but wasn’t sure how it all would play out. (Lots of lecture and not enough enjoyment makes wine and food rather dull and unexciting.) I was also a bit concerned if we might find ourselves schlepping all over Venice.
Silly me! Mario gave us a true life memory as we did our walking tour the Venetian way: We walked only a little and relaxed, enjoyed some wonderful wines and learned not only about wines, but some of the wines really found only around Venice. But more importantly, we watched the world go by while soaking just being in Venice. The three and one half hours seemed like 10 minutes.
Our first ostaria (wine bar) was only a few minutes from the hotel. We sat outside and enjoyed a Bersi Serlini Franciacorta (2004) Brut Cuvee which is a sparkling wine, which was paired with a very fresh (made that day) mozzarella and tomato combination. This was followed by a Tenuta La Ponca Tocai Friulano paired with bacala and a spicy Asiago cheese that was amazing. (Learning about cheese tasting was really very interesting.) I will spare you the tasting notes, but do consider the wines…if you can find them.
After a leisurely 1 ½ hours tasting the two wines we were off for a ten minute walk to Ostaria al Ponte, which is the oldest ostaria in Venice. The place was jam packed with people and overflowed into the street. With us huddled in a corner with a great view of the place- which looked like it came right out of the movies (not fancy, but ordinary in an extraordinary way), we were served two large wooded platters of a variety of cheeses and two more with a variety of Italian hams. In other words, “the good stuff”. We first tasted a Refosco dal Peduncolo Rosso DOC Colli Orientali del Friuli (2005) which was thoroughly enjoyable and then had a wine that just stopped me.
It was Masi Serègo Alighieri Possessioni Rosso Veronese IGT (2006). I looked at Mario and said that the wine was meant to be drunk by itself. It was fine with the meats and cheeses, but to me they actually interfered with the wine. He smiled and said someone called it a “mediation wine”; one you have when you just want to relax and free your mind.
Just as a note, the wines we tasted were not expensive averaging only about 25 Euros each in the ostaria.
We all were up for tasting more, but the time flew and we needed to collect our bags and take a water taxi to the Seabourn Spirit.
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