Top tip for wine loving river cruisers

Avalon Poetry ll

May is my absolute favourite time in Europe and this year we  cruised from Provence to Burgundy on the Rhone River. The weather was perfect and the long days made for some lovely sunrise and sunset hours on deck.  

We travelled on Avalon Waterways Poetry ll.  Think of river cruising like a bus tour where you unpack once and your hotel moves along with you.  There are daily bus tour options but you don't necessarily want to do those everyday.  Sometimes the ship is docked in the heart of town and wandering is a pleasure.  The rooms are small, even by European standards but well designed and in Avalon's case the panorama suites are among the very best.

Competition in the riverboat market means that the food and wine on board continues to get better as does service and pricing.  Even better, now you don't necessarily have to book years in advance and there are sometimes last minute deals.

We found the staff incredibly accommodating when they learned we were keen wine drinkers.  We like our white wine cold and an ice bucket was always brought to our table as soon as we were seated.  The sommelier checked every night to see if we were happy with the wine being offered.

My top tip for wine lovers on river cruises is that although the wine selection may change every night, if you've been served a wine that you really like there is probably more on board.  We've used this to our advantage several times on different cruise lines and it works like a charm. So when you have a wine you like, take a picture of it or note the name. 
Ask and you may receive.