Just returned from a cruise through Alaska aboard the Regent Seven Seas Mariner. I was curious what goes on behind the scenes in terms of wine so I sought out Head Sommelier Arthur Singat to find out. He was gracious enough to sit down with me and provide insights on the wine program onboard.
Arthur Singat (Head Sommelier) is from the Philippines and is responsible for all wine operations. His assignment on the Regent Seven Seas Mariner involves six months cruising followed by two months off. When cruising in regions such as Europe, he takes advantage of opportunities to visit wineries when possible. Most recently, he visited Antinori while cruising in the Mediterranean. Antinori is the home of Tignanello, the highly regarded Super Tuscan that gets high marks year in and year out.
In addition to Arthur, their are five Sommeliers onboard. Together, the six of them are responsible for serving wine in the four restaurants onboard the Mariner. The wine lists at each restaurant vary and have been selected to pair with the cuisine associated with the restaurant.
Prime 7, the high end steak restaurant has a wine list that is decidedly California Cabernet Sauvignon. Whether you desire a $2,000 bottle of Screaming Eagle or a $200 bottle of Caymus, you can find what you are looking for. In addition to Cabernet Sauvignon there is a nice selection of California Chardonnays (e.g. Paul Hobbs Russian River Chardonnay, Far Niente Napa Valley Chardonnay).
If you are dining at Signatures, the exclusive French restaurant, you will find rare vintages such as first growth wines from Bordeaux and Grand Cru’s from Burgundy. In addition to various Pouilly Fuisse’s and Sancerre’s I found a rare bottle of Chateau “Y” Ygrec, d’Yquem, Bordeaux Semilion.
At Sette Mari at La Veranda, the Italian restaurant, the wine list includes Super Tuscan’s, Pinot Grigio’s, Chianti’s, Valpolicella’s, Amarone’s, Barolo’s, Brunello’s and Nebbiolo’s.
The wine list at Compass Rose, the American cuisine restaurant is more diverse than any of the other restaurants. In addition to varietals from California, Italy and France there are Australian Shiraz’s and South African Chenin Blanc’s and Pinotage’s. I was quite surprised to see a Penfolds Grange Shiraz on the menu as it expensive and difficult to find.
Approximately 250-300 bottles of wine are consumed a day during the cruise. In addition to wine storage in each restaurant there is a wine provision storage area. As wines are consumed in the various restaurants they are replaced from the larger provisions storage area. At the conclusion of each cruise, new shipments of wine are received. Arthur indicated the majority of the wine consumed during the cruise is red.
Overall, I was impressed with the wine selection onboard. It’s hard to complain about wine lists that include Opus One, Joseph Phelps “Insignia”, Verite la Jolie, Sassicaia as well as the wines mentioned previously!