Overview: Illinois-based Cooper’s Hawk Winery & Restaurant marked its 20th anniversary with competitive blind-wine tastings and limited edition magnums last year. However, the most significant celebration occurred at sea when the company chartered Virgin Voyages’ vessel Valiant Lady for a four-night Caribbean cruise for wine club members. This initiative illustrates how cruise lines are increasingly positioning themselves as platforms for wineries to reach consumers in unique settings.
The Full Story
At a time when brands must fight to capture consumer attention, cruises offer wineries engaged, loyal audiences that are ready to become repeat customers. Virgin Voyages integrated Cooper’s Hawk wines through culinary pairings, custom menus, and cocktails, giving consumers new opportunities to engage with the brand. Members chose Cooper’s Hawk wines across a wide range of bars and restaurants—not just during scheduled activations. Charles Steadman, director of food and beverage experiences for Virgin Voyages, notes that cruise ships have the immense advantage of a captive and highly engaged audience. When a guest orders wine in a restaurant or attends a tasting in a hotel, the featured brand interacts with the consumer for no more than an hour or two. But on a cruise ship, we create the world a sailor lives in for several days.
Tim McEnery, founder and CEO of Cooper’s Hawk Winery & Restaurant, states that Virgin Voyages’ adults-only environment, hospitality-first culture, and focus on genuine connection made them a natural fit. The sailing sold out, with members immediately inquiring about a follow-up cruise; when Cooper’s Hawk announced their second wine club charter, set for February 2027, more than 30 percent signed up to cross the gangplank again. Other ways exist for wineries to get onboard. During an event hosted by the Washington State Wine Commission, Holland America’s director of food and beverage Drew Foulk visited Four Feathers Wine Services. After he saw their sparkling operations, the conversation evolved into developing a bubbly specifically for the cruise line.
Princess Cruises works with Caymus Vineyards, Silverado Vineyards, and Frescobaldi for producer-specific wine-pairing dinners. Sarah Hancock, director of beverage operations for Princess Cruises, notes that every element must remain true to the winery while working seamlessly aboard Princess. Boutique Napa winery Eleven Eleven Wines took its winery outside of the tasting room when they participated in a seven-day Mediterranean sailing aboard the 200-passenger Scenic Eclipse II. In addition to hosting tastings and a dinner, the wines were available at the ship’s bar and lounge, extending the experience to guests beyond its fan base.
Production & Profile
Four Feathers Wine Services developed a sparkling wine specifically for Holland America using Columbia Valley fruit, a nod to Holland America’s Pacific Northwest heritage. Launched fleetwide in 2024, the resulting brut uses Columbia Valley fruit and was an instant hit among guests. For HX Expeditions, Florian Kibgilka notes that since most wine is bundled into the all-inclusive fare, consumption patterns and guest feedback are used to determine what resonates. HX recently started working with Austria’s Weingut Regele on a wine pairing dinner for their Tide to Table culinary excursion in Greenland and on a fortified Zweigelt for the line’s 130th anniversary, which matures in barrels passed among HX vessels.
Brand & Industry History
Illinois-based Cooper’s Hawk Winery & Restaurant marked its 20th anniversary last year with competitive blind-wine tastings and limited edition magnums. Rebecca De Kleine, Four Feathers’ general manager and director of winemaking, says the project was especially enticing as it directly ties into their goal of furthering their investment into traditional-method sparkling wine production. Princess Cruises launched fleetwide partnerships in 2024 with producers like Caymus Vineyards, Silverado Vineyards, and Frescobaldi for producer-specific wine-pairing dinners.
What This Means
Ellie Anest, cofounder of Eleven Eleven Wines, believes a cruise partnership needs to be more than another distribution channel. She asks what can be created that they couldn’t experience ordering the bottle at a restaurant—and most importantly, what happens after the experience is over. Steadman has noticed a shift in consumer behavior, with a passive consumption mindset giving way to a more active one as people increasingly seek to learn about, participate in, and connect with a brand rather than simply purchase a product. Distribution puts a bottle in someone’s hand, but an experience gives them a reason to remember the bottle—and the people and story behind it.
Consumer Takeaway
The real measurement of success comes in the form of repeat purchases, wine club memberships, referrals, and winery visits. To date, Eleven Eleven has seen a 33 percent conversion rate among non-wine club passengers plus two referrals. While sales from tastings, dinners, glasses, and bottles are part of the equation, a successful cruise alliance ideally doesn’t end when the journey does.
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