AmaWaterways wine cruises add a unique epicurean dimension to a variety of itineraries at no additional cost. Join one of these wine cruises with a special wine host and be treated to a menu of exclusive wine and culinary experiences designed to delve deeper into the wonderful flavors and tastes of Europe.
European cities transform into majestic winter wonderlands for the holiday season – and we invite you to experience all their splendor with us. In addition to our variety of daily excursions, you will also have the opportunity to visit festive Christmas Markets in select destinations and participate in nostalgic traditions.
Maximize your Christmas experience by embarking at the height of the holiday market season with daily or near-daily visits to Christmas Markets.
Get "just a taste" of the holidays in mid-November or late December with visits to one or two Christmas Markets during your river cruise.
We are pleased to offer guests the opportunity to experience Floriade in 2022 while sailing along the Rhine River and Dutch and Belgian Waterways between April 14 and October 9. Right outside Amsterdam, this rare experience calls for its visitors to “explore, touch and change” as part of their journey into Floriade – which is set to feature stunning gardens, innovative sustainable gardening exhibits, live entertainment, talk shows, souvenirs and food stalls.
We invite you to join our incredible cruise on the Rhône with a Latin Touch, featuring bilingual cruise managers, daily tours with Spanish-speaking guides, Latin-inspired music nights and other distinctive elements.
Based on the overwhelmingly positive response received from the announcement of our first-ever “Soulful Experience” on the Rhône River in 2023, we are delighted to announce four new opportunities for guests to celebrate their heritage and discover Black history and culture along the rivers with us in 2024.
Join award-winning television host and travel expert, Samantha Brown, Godmother of AmaMagna, as we cruise through four countries along the Danube River. Special events and Travel Talks are included on this exclusive sailing.
Join Chef Joanne Weir, award-winning cookbook author, restaurant owner and host of PBS television series “Plates & Places” as she hosts a special 7-night Flavors of Burgundy river cruise.
We invite you to join our incredible cruise on the Danube with a Latin Touch, featuring bilingual cruise managers, daily tours with Spanish-speaking guides, Latin-inspired music nights and other distinctive elements.
Explore the rich history of classical music along the Danube River where famous composers lived, worked and performed. Plus, be treated to a variety of live performances on this melodious journey.
Based on the overwhelmingly positive response received from the announcement of our first-ever “Soulful Experience” on the Rhône River in 2023, we are delighted to announce four new opportunities for guests to celebrate their heritage and discover Black history and culture along the rivers with us in 2025
Join award-winning television host and travel expert, Samantha Brown, Godmother of AmaMagna, as we cruise through five countries along the Danube River. Special events and Travel Talks are included on this exclusive sailing.
We invite you to join our incredible cruise on the Douro with a Latin Touch, featuring bilingual cruise managers, daily tours with Spanish-speaking guides, Latin-inspired music nights and other distinctive elements.
We invite our loyal past guests to join us once again on these special Loyalty Cruises, offering unique experiences in multiple ports, commemorative gifts, and many more surprises and delights.
Imagine if there was a way to combine luxury river cruising on the iconic Danube with the opportunity to indulge your passion and play golf. We have created the perfect package to enable you to do just that with our Exclusive Concierge Golf Program. Discover Europe, complete with award winning cuisine, incredible service and a choice of excursions in every port, as well as up to 5 rounds of golf at some of the leading championship courses on the continent.
AmaWaterways’ Exclusive Concierge Golf Program is available on select Magna on the Danube cruises sailing aboard the AmaMagna.
Hello! "I'm Kristin Karst, Co-Founder and Executive Vice President of AmaWaterways and I'm passionate about river cruising. Each month, I love to share with you my thoughts, personal stories, travel tips and latest news on the people and places that help turn every mile of our guests' river cruise experience into one of their most cherished memories!"
The year was 1976. The event, organized by a Parisian wine shop owner, was a highly publicized blind tasting competition that pitted California wines against the very finest bottles in France. The air in the room was certain and somewhat cavalier—the unspoken prediction was that, of course, the French wine would come out on top. How could it not?
The Judges’ Table
Nine judges, the crème de la crème of French gastronomy, were in attendance, including Parisian sommeliers, the head of a renowned French vineyard and the editor of The French Wine Review. Though it may seem the judging table was unfairly biased, the reds and whites from the Napa Valley, Bordeaux and Burgundy were blindly poured, ensuring that no individual knew which glass was which.
So certain was judge Raymond Oliver of Le Grand Vefour restaurant that the white wine he tasted was French, he remarked after sampling it, “Ah, back to France!”
An Unexpected Revelation
However, much to everyone’s surprise, when the scores from all nine judges were tallied, it was not the French wine that the judges preferred—it was a 1973 Chardonnay from Chateau Montelena and a 1973 Cabernet Sauvignon from Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars, both of which are California vineyards.
This shocking result marked a turning point in the industry. If California wines could compete on an international scale, so could wines from Oregon, Washington, Argentina and Australia. Soon, vineyards were popping up all over the world.
The Smithsonian
The wineries responsible for the winning nectar at the Paris Tasting of 1976 never expected their bottles to become such significant pieces of American history. However, the Smithsonian Institution chose these bottles to display as part of their online exhibit, “101 Objects That Made America.” Alongside the bottles were such iconic items as Abraham Lincoln’s hat, Neil Armstrong’s spacesuit and Louis Armstrong’s trumpet.
Why California?
Perhaps it will no longer be a surprise to some, then, that a significant percentage of AmaWaterways’ Wine Cruises are hosted by California vintners, sommeliers, wine educators and the like. We have also expanded our program to include Wine Hosts from notable wine regions throughout North America.
We know, unlike the 1976 judges did before their scores were calculated, that North American wines are just as exquisite to sip as French wines and are determined to share both these and Europe’s finest with every wine connoisseur who sails with us.
Explore exquisite wines with a wine connoisseur on board our Impressions of the Seine & Paris wine cruise!