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P&O Cruises chooses award-winning British sparkling wine for Britannia launch

P&O Cruises chooses award-winning British sparkling wine for Britannia launch
P&O Cruises has selected sparkling wine from the Wiston Estate Winery for Britannia’s naming ceremony next March.

Four nebuchadnezzars of the British winery’s Brut NV will be used for the naming itself while Brut NV and Rosé, Vintage 2011 will be enjoyed during the various inaugural events that are scheduled to take place around the launch.

P&O Cruises’ resident wine expert TV celebrity Olly Smith who chose the sparkling wine commented: ‘I selected Wiston Estate to launch Britannia thanks to its impeccable quality and for its poise between modernity and tradition. Wiston stands for passion and pride as a technically masterful English sparkling wine producer since 2006 with heritage as a farming estate stretching back to 1743.’

P&O Cruises marketing director Christopher Edgington added: ‘When it came to selecting a wine for Britannia's naming ceremony and inaugural season, we wanted to keep in with our British positioning and select an English sparkling wine. The Wiston Estate Winery immediately stood out as a British brand with a proud history, very much in our own mould.’

The Wiston Estate Brut NV is a dry, medium-bodied Chardonnay/Pinot blend combining delicate primary fruits, zest and a characterful richnes.

Britannia’s maiden season will see the ship sail from Southampton to the Mediterranean, Norwegian Fjords, Canary Islands and the Baltic Sea, as well as offering a range of short breaks and a round Britain cruise. The ship will then transfer to the Caribbean for the winter season sailing a range of 15 night fly/cruise itineraries from Barbados.