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Grape Success – P&O Cruises’ Guests Pour into New Cellar Door

P&O Cruises is toasting the success of its new Cellar Door at sea, whichhas proved a winner with guests since it was unveiled onboard the cruise line’slatest ships, Pacific Aria and Pacific Eden. <?xml:namespace prefix="o" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office"?>

The Cellar Door at sea concept – an Australian first – has been developedin partnership with boutique Hunter Valley winery Glandore Estate Wines to provideP&O’s guests, and lovers of fine wine, with structured wine tastings in acomfortable and cosy setting.

Locatednear the ships’ central atrium, The Cellar Door showcases 12 New South WalesGlandore wines across two tasting menus.

Winetastings are conducted using tablets which feature video tasting notes about eachwine, as well an overview about Glandore Estate, while members of the Glandoreteam also host master classes and seminars at sea on select cruises.

Wineis available by the glass or bottle after the tasting is finished, with guestsalso able to select any of the wines they have tried to have with dinner orlunch in one of the ships’ many restaurants.

P&O Cruises Australia President Sture Myrmell said the cruise line’sfood and winecruises had proved popular with Australian travellers and the Cellar Door was anatural evolution of that product.

“Theconcept has proved to be a big hit with guests who enjoy the fact they can stopby at any time and taste some outstanding wines at their own pace, completewith detailed tasting notes,” Mr Myrmell said.

The Cellar Door partnership adds anextra dimension to Glandore Estate’s relationship with P&O, with the wineryset to supply morethan 30,000 bottles of wine a year to the cruise line. The cruise line nowfeatures 14 Glandore Estate wines on its ships.

“As Australia’s only home grown cruise line, we are passionate about supportingsmall businesses across Australia,” Mr Myrmell said. “As a boutique enterprisewith a focus on quality, Glandore Estate Wines is the perfect partner for ourCellar Door venture.”

P&OCruises partnered with Glandore Estate after a meeting at a local food and winefestival in 2009.

Establishedin 2005, Glandore Estate Wines produces wines of character and style from thetraditional varieties known in the Hunter Valley. Itswine making style is hands on, from hand picking right through to the hand-operatedbasket press, and the winery has been designed specifically for small batchproduction of the very best parcels of fruit. The estate has established areputation for innovative winemaking and best practice under winemaker DuaneRoy and was the first Australian cellar door to open in Shanghai in 2012.

P&O’s Cellar Door is open on sea days between 10am and 9pm.

For moreinformation about P&O Cruises visit www.pocruises.com.au, call 13 2494 or see a licensedtravel agent.

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