Riviera River Cruises has introduced exclusive wine-themed departures with special guests Susie Barrie and Peter Richards, award-winning Masters of Wine, television presenters, and published writers. Barrie and Richards will impart insight into the wine and spirits of the destinations to which Riviera River Cruises travel on the Rhine, Moselle, Rhône, and Danube rivers.

MS Robert Burns. Photo courtesy of Riveria River Cruises

Barrie and Richards are known for making wine entertaining and exciting, presenting wine segments on BBC One’s “Saturday Kitchen” for over a decade. Their broadcasting credits also include Sky One, BBC Two, ITV, Food Network, BBC Radio 2, and BBC Radio 4. Between them, they’ve also published four books and written for The Guardian, The Times Online, The Telegraph, Food & Wine, and Decanter.

The Masters of Wine will join departures for an after-dinner talk, then an informal Q&A with passengers the following morning.

Itineraries include:

• Rhine, Strasbourg & Heidelberg on the MS Emily Brontë, July 23 and Aug. 20, 2018
• Rhine & Moselle on the MS Jane Austen, July 25 and Aug. 22, 2018
• Burgundy, Rhône River & Provence on the MS Swiss Corona, Aug. 27, 2018
• Cruise the Heart of Europe on the new MS Robert Burns, Oct. 19, 2018

The Rhine, Strasbourg & Heidelberg, and Cruise the Heart of Europe cruises visit Rüdesheim, where Riesling is the specialty grape, and Mainz, renowned today as Germany’s wine capital. The Rhine & Moselle cruise visits Rüdesheim and Cochem, the center of the Moselle wine trade. The Burgundy, Rhône River & Provence cruise visits Beaune, center of the Burgundy wine region.