Although I’ve only been on three river cruises (or as I wrote once before, two and a half), I always know that I will have consistently superb food. Even breakfast and lunch, which can often be standard, are above average from anything on an ocean cruise or even what I have at home. With dinners, they are multi-course meals that are also an elevated in their quality – and I don’t have to do the dishes.

This cruise, the Romantic Danube with AmaWaterways, was a wine-themed itinerary. Linda and Mike McWilliams from San Pasqual Winery near San Diego led two tastings of the regional wines as well as their own. There were also wine-related activities from several tastings in the ports, wine paired dinners and a visit to a heuriger (an Austrian wine tavern). I did all except the last one, since RAS and I decided to explore Vienna on our own. Still, I somewhat wish I could have gone. When will get another chance to go to a heuriger?

But I truly enjoyed the food we had on AmaVerde. I had high expectations for it anyway, since Ama has a reputation for culinary excellence. However, since I’ve written about their dining before, I’ll simply focus on the three events that made the experience for me: the Chef’s Table, the wine pairing dinner and wine tastings.

The Chef’s Table

On the first evening on the ship, we secured a spot at the Chef’s Table, which was located aft and had about eight tables. Every guest is allowed to have a complimentary dinner here – only a reservation is required. We sat with two women from Quebec, one of who was a travel advisor. We learned that we would have a specially curated five course dinner with wine pairings, which was keeping with the theme of the cruise.

The first dish served was an amuse-bouche of goat cheese, tomato, crispy frisee and olive powder. It was paired with an Italian sparkling rose cuvee, a great fruity compliment to the tartness of this starter. This was followed by the first course: coconut lemongrass soup with chicken, a Thai-inspired concoction with just a hint of spiciness. The Gruner Veltliner, an Austrian white varietal with peppery notes and one we would have often the next week, was a wonderful accompaniment.  Black cod with citrus and saffron essence arrived next. It was marinated in miso and served with pearl caviar, giving it a salty counterbalance to the sweetness of the carrots. Another Gruner Veltliner was paired here, but this one was fruitier and spicier. As a palate cleanser, we had a lemon basil granita.

While I’m not a regular meat eater, I most enjoyed the black angus beef and forest essence, paired with a red Austrian Blauer Zweigelt, which had a mélange of berries and cherry. The meat was tender and enhanced by the porcini mushroom jus, glazed broccolini and buttery and smooth potato puree. Our finale was a wild berry and vanilla bean entremet - a mousse, berry confit and glaze topping an almond sponge cake. The wine accompaniment was a Heidenboden Reserve, smooth and slightly acidic with spice, vanilla and chocolate.

The wine pairing dinner

I enjoyed every meal aboard AmaVerde, but this was probably the most fun. Pairing the San Pasqual wines with a tasting menu from Ama’s culinary director, Chef Robert Kellerhals, this dinner was four courses – appetizer, soup, entrée and dessert. There were options for each, but certain dishes were recommended for each varietal.  I went with these, because I wanted to maximize the tasting as much as possible.

Starting with tataki de thon saku and the white Albarino, I almost thought this was too pretty to eat. It consisted of seared tuna, mango salsa, crispy rice, sesame yuzu and wasabi foam and was wonderfully bright and citrusy. The wine simply brought out all these flavors. Next was the carrot ginger cream soup and Chardonnay. The soup was simple in preparation, but the spice counterbalanced the cream and coconut nicely. Having the fruity and acidic wine brought it all together.

Hereford beef filet, paired with a full-bodied, berry forward Merlot. The accompaniments of black garlic puree, perignon black truffle shavings, glazed vegetables and creamy dauphinoise potatoes ideally matched the heartiness of the entrée. Finally, I indulged in the Valrhona chocolate tart, which consisted of dark chocolate on an almond crust, raspberry coulis and candied oranges. The most unusual wine, by far, was a passionfruit habanero, and I was almost reluctant to try it. But it worked well with the boldness of the dessert, and it wasn’t as spicy as I would have expected from having a habanero infusion.

Wine tastings

The McWilliams hosted two tastings while we were on sailing on the Danube. The first included wines from the region, mostly from Austria. These included the white varietals Gruner Veltliner and Riesling, and the reds Abendrot and Cuvee. What I most appreciated with these wines, especially the whites, was their full body and fruity character. That was something I learned during my last river cruise on the Rhine and tasting the Riesling.

The San Pasqual wines – a Riesling, a Chardonnay and two vintages of Cabernet Sauvignon – were not as full-bodied but still had some great characteristics, like some spiciness along with the expected fruit. These might have been more enjoyable with some food pairing, as we had at the dinner. But I was pleasantly surprised at how much I liked these wines from San Diego County. Another bonus: we cruised past some ancient castles during this time.