By Morris Dye

Take a stroll on Deck 7 of the Crystal Serenity, a 1,080-passenger luxury liner launched last summer. On the port side just aft of the ship's library, you'll pass a room that might easily be mistaken for an elegant private wine cellar.

Inside, rows of cherry-wood wine racks surround a long table covered with fine white linen and a sparkling array of high-quality stemware. Yet unlike a typical wine cellar, this is a room with a remarkable view. Large windows frame an ever-changing maritime panorama.

A first for the modern cruise industry, the Serenity's Vintage Room serves as a venue for intimate wine-tasting dinners for groups of up to 14 guests. It epitomizes the commitment Los Angeles-based Crystal Cruises (www.crystalcruises. com) has made to pouring top-quality wines everywhere from the fjords of Alaska to the icy waters of Antarctica.
Ellen Walker is a 25-year cruise industry veteran and founder of California-based Fine Wine Travel (www.finewinetravel.com), which offers a range of wine-oriented tour programs. She says the Crystal line has a "great" wine list.

"They have the right wine glasses," Walker says, "they know exactly the amounts to pour, and their sommeliers have the knowledge and expertise to satisfy sophisticated wine enthusiasts."

"We buy about 350,000 to 400,000 bottles of wine every year," says Toni Neumeister, who is responsible for every glass of wine served aboard the Serenity and her 940-passenger sister ships, Crystal Harmony and Crystal Symphony.

As the line's vice president of food and beverage operations, Neumeister oversees stocking climate-controlled "cellars" aboard all three vessels with more the than 200 different wines. Depending on the port of departure and the length of the cruise, Neumeister says, the ships may begin each voyage with as many as 20,000 bottles onboard, including vintages that sell for hundreds of dollars per bottle.
While most of the wines selected for Crystal's wine list are purchased through normal wholesale distribution channels, Neumeister and his staff of sommeliers also take advantage of the fact that the ships regularly call at or near many of the world's top wine-producing regions.

"Occasionally when we are cruising in certain areas of the world, we find something unique, and we buy it," Neumeister says. "Like in South Africa, they have some great sauvignon blancs and a few interesting red wines that you don't get anywhere else. And every area where we are cruising in the world, we also try to promote the wines from that particular area."

Regional themes also come into play during Crystal's Wine & Food Festival sailings, an ongoing series of special departures featuring appearances by prominent guest chefs and wine experts. The 2004 program includes 16 itineraries ranging from 10 to 29 days, with complimentary wine tasting events conducted by the likes of Robin Kelly O'Conner, U.S. liaison for the Bordeaux Wine Bureau; David Gordon, wine director at New York's Tribeca Grill; and Leslie Sbrocco, author of "Wine for Women: A Guide to Buying, Pairing, and Sharing Wine."

Neumeister says the program allows passengers to gain a deeper understanding of the culinary traditions of the areas they visit. "You see a cooking demonstration in the morning, then in the afternoon you taste the wine, and in the evening you can enjoy everything together."

As for Serenity's exclusive Vintage Room, Neumeister says six- to eight-course wine-pairing dinners are offered on all cruises according to passenger demand. "Each course has its own glass of wine, and for each wine there's a little lecture by the head sommelier or a guest wine expert to explain the history of the winery, and how it was made, and how it marries together with the food."

Meals themselves are included in the cost of the cruise, so participants in Vintage Room dinners pay only for the wines they drink - typically a minimum of $100 per person.

"These dinners draw upon the rich tradition of winemakers to gather and showcase their most treasured vintages, where the wine is in the spotlight and the cuisine is the complement," Neumeister says.

The success of the Serenity's Vintage Room has prompted to line to retrofit a similar venue aboard the Crystal Symphony as part of a $12 million refurbishment this spring.