Princess Cruises bags 2019 Restaurant Awards with an Award of Excellence

Tuesday, July 23, 2019

The main dining rooms onboard Princess Cruises ships have been honored for their outstanding wine program in Wine Spectator’s 2019 Restaurant Awards with an Award of Excellence.

The Award of Excellence recognizes restaurants whose wine lists feature a well-chosen assortment of quality producers along with a thematic match to the menu in both price and style. Wine Spectator began its program to recognize the world’s best wine lists in 1981. There are three levels: the Award of Excellence, the Best of Award of Excellence and the Grand Award.

Princess Cruises set a new standard for the best wine list in the cruise industry recently introducing a newly reimagined wine menu, offering nearly 50 percent more selections for a total of 142 wines, the most extensive in the cruise line’s history, carefully selected in partnership with Master of Wine and Master Sommelier Doug Frost.

Frost is one of four individuals in the world to hold simultaneously the Master of Wine (MW) and Master Sommelier (MS) titles, achieving his MS in 1991 and MW in 1993. He was the second person in history to complete both exams and 25 years later his is still one of only four people in the world to have achieved both of these remarkable distinctions.

The Princess Cruises beverage team, along with Frost, established a new wine philosophy that centers on exploration, discovery and enrichment. With quality and global diversity in mind, the new wine menu, available in the main dining rooms fleet wide, is also approachable, with 30 percent of the list priced at $39 and under and 66 percent at $49 or less. Descriptions on the list also make it easy for occasional wine drinkers to select. For example, white wines are designated as “refreshing,” “light and mild,” “fruity and vibrant” and “rich and textured.”

“The esteemed recognition of ‘Award of Excellence’ from Wine Spectator underscores our efforts to create a memorable wine list for Princess guests who have a passion for culinary travel and enjoying fascinating wines from some of the memorable destinations our ships visit,” said Mario Siebaldi, Princess Cruises senior vice president guest operations. “We celebrate this honor with our guests who are enjoying these wines, shared with friends and loved ones on a cruise.”

The new wine list, available across the Princess Cruises fleet, has expanded regional representations from around the world by a staggering 56 percent and adding 42 percent more grape varietals than existed previously. Emerging gems, such as Ao Yun Cabernet Sauvignon from China, along with elites such as Lafite, Petrus, Grange, Masseto and others round out the offerings. The complete wine list can be found here.

“We’re pleased to shine a spotlight on the destinations around the world that show devotion to their wine program, while also creating a comprehensive global dining guide for our readers to enjoy,” said Marvin R. Shanken, Editor and Publisher, Wine Spectator. “Both novice wine lovers and seasoned sommeliers alike actively seek and frequent restaurants with exciting, well-curated wine lists. Bravo to all the 2019 recipients—we raise a glass to you.”

The complete list of award winners is available in print in Wine Spectator’s August issue and online at Restaurants where visitors can search and access exclusive content on the 3,800 restaurants. The full list is also available for free on iOS via the Restaurant Awards app, which allows users to look for dining spots in any location with maps, choosing by wine strengths, cuisine type, pricing and more.

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