Hapag-Lloyd Cruises has introduced new wine and champagne menus aboard MS EUROPA and MS EUROPA 2, elevating the luxury cruise line’s choice of champagne selections to the widest on the seven seas. Additionally, Hapag-Lloyd Cruises is now offering its special wines and champagne by the glass.
The menu ranges from champagnes from well-established houses such as the Ruinart Rosé Brut to the elegant and golden-yellow shimmering Krug Grand Cuvée, to small winemakers such as Henri Giraud.
Despite the limited storage space on board the small luxury ships, Hapag-Lloyd Cruises presents an exquisite selection of wines and champagnes to meet the discerning demands of its guests. The aim was to create a map that preserves the past while still leaving room for the new. The result is a selection that includes a total of 550 fine and international wines, including 150 different sparkling wines and champagnes, both classic and innovative wines from the Old and New World and vintages from 1954 to 2022.
Subscribe to LATTE Cruise’s free eNewsletter to keep up to date with everything in the luxury cruise space.
What is new is that from now on rarities, including sparkling wines, will also be offered by the glass, ie Krug Grand Cuveé or Dom Pérignon Vintage will be served by the glass. This is something special at sea – and on the best cruise ships in the world, according to the Berlitz Cruise Guide, an offer that is enthusiastically accepted by the guests.
“The new wine and champagne menu on board the EUROPA and the EUROPA 2 is another example of our claim to combine maximum enjoyment and first-class quality,” said Julian Pfitzner, CEO of Hapag-Lloyd Cruises. The broad portfolio includes well-known names such as Krug Clos de Mesnil and exciting newcomers, such as Dhont-Grellet. Guests also have the opportunity to immerse themselves in the world of natural wine and to discover young Burgundy winemakers.
“The offer is as diverse as the wishes of our guests,” Pfitzener said.
“The menu on board is comparable to that of the best restaurants in Europe.”
“In my opinion, the diversity of products, the depth of vintage and the unique breadth of rarities make the new maps of EUROPA and EUROPA 2 the best on the seven seas,” remarked Max Weber, Corporate Sommelier Hapag-Lloyd Cruises. “We want to offer our guests something that they will only find with us at sea. And now we can proudly present this passionately curated wine list.”
When asked which champagnes people particularly like to drink, there is no clear answer for him: classics such as Ruinart, Pol Roger, Dom Pérignon and Bollinger are very popular and are appreciated by connoisseurs and lovers alike.
“Purchasing is a particular challenge, because the global route planning has to be taken into account. To ensure that there is always a large selection of unique wines on board the Hapag-Lloyd Cruises fleet, delivery is coordinated up to twelve months in advance. That requires a lot of logistics and experience.
“For example, it has to be forecast when and where certain wines could be consumed and accordingly the timely ordering and loading has to be considered.
“We can’t go shopping spontaneously in the South Seas. But on many trips, our selection experiences an attractive addition and we spoil our guests with local specialties that bring fun to the glass,” promises Weber. He emphasises: “It makes our maps very lively and change from destination to destination. Another point, which we focus on to underline our unique portfolio. If guests travel onboard with us four times a year, they will discover new wines, winemakers and locations on the map four times,” Weber explained.