Dennis and Linda Kottler, fellow passengers on the Silver Shadow, are avid wine enthusiasts from Southern California. They enjoy wine tasting, seminars on wine appreciation and take pride in their own well stocked wine cellar at home. Here they share some of their impressions on the wine cellar on board the Silver Shadow.

The Moet & Chandon Champagne offered at embarkation proved to be only the beginning of an incredible wine experience. On Silversea Cruises, beverages are included in the price of the cruise. In addition to unlimited Moet & Chandon Champagne, there is also a very impressive selection of fine, complimentary wines. These range from excellent whites, such as the Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio, to fine reds, such as the 1997 Haut Medoc Bordeaux. This latter wine, though still young, displayed the wonderful brick color and soft tannins we have come to associate with better Bordeaux wines.

Another memorable offering was a 1994 Sandeman late bottled port. This port was available not only in the dining room, but could also be requested at any of the several lounges on the ship.

During this twelve day South China Sea cruise, each lunch and dinner commenced with a brief chat with the sommelier. Invariably he would propose a fitting complement for each meal. In fact, he usually offered several alternative wines, all from the included wine list. On the one occasion that a wine was unexpectedly "over-oaked," he graciously provided a delicious substitute.

Although we felt no need to venture beyond the complimentary wines, there were also premium wines available for a very reasonable extra charge. In many cases, the listed prices were less than we had paid for the same wines at home. These were offered at retail rather than "restaurant" prices, something we found quite unusual.

A highlight of the cruise occurred about midway into the sailing when we were all invited to a wine tasting in the Champagne Bar. The head sommelier led us through the fundamentals of wine tasting, from appreciation of color to "nose" or bouquet of the wine and finally to the tasting itself. He also covered the essentials of wine and food pairing, remarking that, of course, the ultimate matchmaker is the consumer.

As avid collectors and drinkers of good wine, we had anticipated that the cruise might prove an unfortunate hiatus. To our pleasant surprise, we thoroughly enjoy the wines offered on the cruise and we made the acquaintance of several wines we had not tasted previously.