Domaine Carneros Chateau Society and Black River Caviar Invite you on a Silversea Wine Aficionado Cruise

Turkey ~ Ukraine ~ Bulgaria
June 19-26, 2010
Istanbul ~ Odessa ~ Sevastopol Yalta ~ Nesebur

Read about the Silversea experience

What is better than adventure, experience, new friendships, exclusive champagne and caviar events surrounded by indulgent luxury?  Our Beads and Bubbles Caviar cruise explores and savors deeply exotic locations while surrounded by opulence. Step aboard the immaculate Silver Spirit and explore the Bazaars of Istanbul, the sublime sea ports of the Ukraine and ancient Bulgaria. Your week will be partially filled with events and samplings featuring Black River's Ossetra Caviar and Taittinger of France's Domaine Carneros Champagne, wonderful timeless destinations, and of course, time to reconnect and regroup.

Eileen Crane, CEO and Winemaker for Domaine Carneros and I will be aboard the Silver Spirit on June 19-26, 2010. All inclusive fares are 55% off and begin at $4,902* per person. Price increases 5% after February 4, 2010.  Room Service, Black River Ossetra Caviar, Free-Flowing Champagne and Spirits, Butlers, Gourmand Dining, and Ocean Air. Is there anything more wonderful than the simple luxuries in life?

Graham Gaspard
CEO & President, Black River Caviar

Combine the prior voyage from 7 to 14 nights with added 5% savings!

Black River Caviar Company Biography

Esturiones del Rio Negro S.A., aka Black River Caviar the first and only sturgeon facility in the southern hemisphere, was founded by the Alcalde family in 1990, after Walter Alcalde discovered that Russian satellite studies had indicated that the Rio Negro of Uruguay is one of the two places in the world with the best ecological conditions for the production of sturgeon for caviar.

Mr. Alcalde studied the caviar market and discovered that there was a unique opportunity to develop a caviar facility due to the situation of the caviar world market where demand was soaring and production was diminishing as sturgeon were included on the endangered species list of CITES. In April 1994, impregnated sturgeon were imported from Russia and their first production of caviar occurred in 2001. This process may seem very long, but actually has been achieved in a very short time in caviar terms where a single sturgeon can take up to 20 years to mature and live to be more than 100 years old. (Praise for Black River).

Graham Gaspard, CEO

Graham Gaspard of Breckenridge, Colorado is the CEO of Black River Caviar. Having a background in the food distribution industry for 17 years, Graham developed a keen understanding for high quality foods and epicurean delicacies. After meeting the founder of Black River Sturgeon in Uruguay and getting an introduction to the company's Ossetra caviar, Graham instantly knew this was something that everybody in the U.S. had to taste and experience. In addition to the unique taste, the final caviar product is a result of a near-perfect ecosystem and masterful farming - qualities that make for the finest caviar.

Check out this link for an article on Black River Caviar.

Eileen Crane

It is no mere coincidence that Eileen Crane, President of Domaine Carneros, is equally at home in the separate, yet entwined worlds of wine and food.

Raised with a keen appreciation for rare wines and haute cuisine, Eileen prepared for a culinary career prior to entering the wine industry. A master’s degree in nutrition coupled with professional training at the prestigious Culinary Institute of America form the foundation of her intimate understanding of the interplay of wine and food.

After two years of teaching nutrition, for the University of Connecticut, Eileen turned a passion for wine into a profession, enrolling in the U.C. Davis Enology and Viticulture program. Upon completion of her studies, she was hired by Domaine Chandon where she progressed to the position of Assistant Winemaker.

Her next career move was to build a winery. As Winemaker and Vice President of Gloria Ferrer Caves sparkling wine facility, she oversaw the design and construction of the facility in addition to developing their line of sparkling wines.

In her position as President of Domaine Carneros, Eileen oversaw the planning and development of, and now directs, the operation of a beautiful Chateau facility. A joint venture of Champagne Taittinger and the Kobrand Corporation, Domaine Carneros is located in the heart of the Carneros region.

It is understandable that Taittinger and Eileen Crane have joined forces as they share a common winemaking style. The elegant, delicate, yet intense style for which Taittinger is well respected is what Eileen strives for. No less surprising is the fact that the joint venture is located in Carneros. Carneros and Eileen Crane go together, as do Carneros and sparkling wine.

Carneros is famous for production of chardonnay and pinot noir grapes, two key ingredients of a premium sparkling wine. An area blessed with a long, cool growing season, Carneros produces grapes which are particularly fine for sparkling wine as they have greater fruit maturity and produce wines with superb balance and a long finish.

At Domaine Carneros, Eileen produces méthode champenoise sparkling wine following a traditional French blend of chardonnay, pinot noir and pinot meunier grapes. Like Taittinger, Domaine Carneros’ wines possess a high percentage of chardonnay to give the desired lightness and delicacy. In 1992 Domaine Carneros began production of a superb estate-grown red Pinot Noir wine.

Eileen Crane is one of a handful of women who are now in the forefront of the wine industry in America. She is actively involved in numerous wine organizations and is a past President of the Carneros Quality Alliance and the California Classic Methods/Classic Varieties Society (CM/CV).