Hurtigruten introduces its own house wine on Norwegian coastal voyage sailings
Finding a house wine that best suits the “world’s most beautiful voyage,’ named such by Lonely Planet’s Blue List, is not a task left to chance – so Hurtigruten searched out a variety of vineyards and commissioned two popular Portuguese wines produced by Winery José Maria da Fonseca, a vineyard already well-known and popular in Norway. The Norwegian-Portuguese ties go back centuries as trading partners.
The two wines — a red and white – were chosen from more than 60 possibilities – and the wine maker agreed to some adjustments that would truly make them Hurtigruten wines. They will be offered as the house wine on all Hurtigruten ships making the daily sailing along Norway’s 1,250-mile fjord-filled west coast as well as aboard the MS Fram on its expedition cruises to Greenland, Antarctica and the Arctic island of Spitsbergen.
“Hurtigruten’s goal is to serve excellent food based on local ingredients. With our chosen wines, we feel we’re fully equipped to create the perfect meal for our guests,” comments Jennifer Rosen, marketing director for Hurtigruten, USA. The dark ruby red has been described by a group of connoisseurs as having a balanced flavour with soft tannins and a fruity aroma, while the white is a pale yellow with aromas of lychee and lime and a full fruity flavor with well-balanced acidity.
Like Hurtigruten, whose own history dates back to 1893, Winery José Maria da Fonseca also has a long history, producing remarkable wines including its landmark wine, Periquita, for more than 150 years. A family-owned concern, the vineyard estate is located in Portugal’s just outside Lisbon, on the Setúbal peninsula.
Hurtigruten sails along the Norwegian coast between the charming Hanseatic port of Bergen and Kirkenes, close to the Russian border, with daily departures. Besides the fjords, Hurtigruten guests get to visit an eclectic array of ports (34 in all), including Trondheim, one of the country’s oldest cities and a thriving university town; Tromso, Europe’s largest town above the Arctic circle; the Lofoten archipelago, with peaked mountains and villages filled with rust-red fishermen’s cabins; and Alesund, destroyed by fire in 1904 and completely rebuilt in the Art Nouveau style. Hurtigruten is also a world leader in expedition cruising, sailing to the most remote of destinations including Antarctica, Greenland and the Arctic’s Spitsbergen.
Information, brochures and reservations can be obtained from Hurtigruten Inc., (800) 323-7436; fax (954) 486-9340; for brochures (800) 582-0835, 24 hours a day; www.hurtigruten.us.
Source: Hurtigruten
