DAY 1 SAIL FROM SAN FRANCISCO Transfer from San Francisco Airport to Cruise West's Hospitality Suite at the Sheraton Fisherman's Wharf. Enjoy the delights of Fisherman's Wharf until boarding time. You will be welcomed onboard with a flute of Champagne or Champagne punch and a toast as you cruise by the San Francisco skyline. Following a delicious dinner, gather in the lounge for a short presentation and casual conversation getting acquainted with your fellow travelers. D

DAY 2 THE NAPA VALLEY EXPERIENCE Note: you may visit today's wineries in an alternate order. Winery selection is subject to change. Explore the rich Carneros growing region where vines are bathed in sunlight by day and cooled by ocean breezes by night. Your optional early morning tour is a Napa Valley Balloon Excursion.

• Stop in lovely St. Helena, where you can shop, stroll and savor an inclusive tasting at Merryvale Winery. Enjoy a three-course lunch in the cave theatre at Clos Pegase. This exclusive Cruise West luncheon includes a tour and wine tasting. As well as producing excellent wines, Clos Pegase is well known for their extensive art collection and the fluid architecture of Michael Graves.

• Next stop is at Clos Du Val, where you will enjoy a unique tour of a premium winery in the Stags Leap appellation. At Clos Du Val, you will delight in tasting several excellent wines, including the Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel, and Chardonnay that this winery is famous for.

DAY 3 SONOMA VALLEY Note: you may visit today's wineries in an alternate order. Winery selection is subject to change.

• Today you will meet with the winemakers at Benziger Winery before boarding a private tractor pulled tram for a ride through the vineyards and an up-close experience of the vines, later enjoying a little fruit of the vine.

• Lunch is served today at Viansa Winery & Italian Marketplace.

• You'll enjoy the superb views as well as browsing through the Tuscan marketplace after lunch and tasting.

• Your day will wind down with a reception at Domaine Carneros associated with the famous Tattinger family, the notable producers of impressive Carneros Champagnes. You will be treated to a tour followed by Champagne and relaxation on the beautiful outside terrace that overlooks the Carneros landscape.

Back onboard delight in the Captain's Farewell Dinner with evening San Francisco Bay cruising. BLD

DAY 4 RETURN TO SAN FRANCISCO You will appreciate the early morning views of the Golden Gate Bridge and San Francisco's waterfront before returning to the pier. A transfer is included to San Francisco's airport or The Sheraton Fisherman's Wharf. B

Request: 3 Night Culture of the Vine Availability.

In the Middle Ages, wine was used as currency.

• There was a time when wine was frequently prescribed in the treatment of bronchitis and influenza.

• It takes over 40 years before a Cork Oak produces cork suitable to use for wine stoppers.

• There are approximately 50 million bubbles in a bottle of Champagne.

• The pressure in a Champagne bottle is about 90 pounds per square inch - about three times that in a car tire.

• Whereas time improves many red wines, it ruins most white wines.

• Red wines usually become lighter in color as they age.

• A purple tint at the edge of a red wine may indicate youth, while orange to brown indicates maturity.

• The longest recorded Champagne cork flight was 177 feet and 9 inches.

• It takes about 600 to 800 grapes to produce a bottle of wine.

•  A healthy grapevine can produce about five bottles of wine per harvest.

• "Good legs" (the teardrops that form when you swish a glass), may indicate a thicker body and a higher alcohol content and/or sweetness.

• Tannins come from contact with grape skins during fermentation, and also from oak aging.

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Last modified: Sunday July 26, 2009