Originally, the design plans for the 164-foot Endless Summer called for a crew pantry abaft the bridge. The owner thought that space might instead be ideal for stowing some of his favorite wines — 440 regular-size bottles and 60 magnums, to be exact.
“As you come up the stairs from the main deck, the wine cellar is right in front of your face. It is amazing,” says chief stewardess Zayntana Jonsson. “I’ll catch the owner in there just going through the bottles and checking it out. It’s obviously his passion.”
Endless Summer, a 2017 launch, is entering the charter market after cruising throughout the South Pacific, and the owner wants to share his collection, which ranges in price from about $100 to $5,500 per bottle at auction, Jonsson says.
“His whole idea is to promote the wine on the boat for wine enthusiasts to enjoy,” she says. “He wants to offer his personal collection at a discounted rate to our charter guests. I think that’s pretty precious.”
A similarly mouthwatering experience can be had aboard the 146-foot Bacchus, where chief stewardess Stephanie Marsh has built out a collection of wines at varying price points.
“Our owner just loves California pinot noirs and cabernets; that was literally almost all that we had,” she says. “But after doing a Med season, I wanted a selection. I have at least four Bordeauxes, an Argentinian malbec, a Spanish Rioja, a variety of rosés and white wines as well. I like to have the options so we can say, ‘Oh, you don’t like pinot noir? Try this — it is more of a dark fruit.’”
Aboard both yachts, tastings can be organized, along with meals that showcase food-and-wine pairings. All types of taste buds are welcome, and guests may be surprised by all that’s possible. As Jonsson puts it: “We have quite a massive selection.”
Endless Summer is a 164-footer that is part of the Y.CO charter fleet. Her build was a collaboration by the Delta and Christensen shipyards in the Pacific Northwest, and she launched in 2017. Accommodations are for 12 guests in six staterooms, including a full-beam master on the main deck and a full-beam VIP belowdecks. Onboard amenities include a sun deck with a hot tub, wet bar and outdoor cinema. Charter itineraries are available year-round throughout the South Pacific, Indian Ocean and Southeast Asia. The lowest weekly base rate is $250,000.
The 146-foot Trinity Bacchus — named for the god of wine — is part of the Fraser charter fleet. She accommodates 10 to 12 guests in five staterooms at a lowest weekly base rate of $150,000. Built in 2005 and refitted in 2017, she charters with a 34-foot tender for water sports fun, a nearly 40-foot waterslide for adrenaline rushes and fishing equipment for pairing the fresh catch with the selecton of wine on board. Available charter itineraries typically alternate between New England in the summer and the Caribbean for the winter season.
What’s On Board
The sky lounge display cabinet on Bacchus holds 112 bottles, inaddition to wines the crew keeps in stowage. Two wine chillers on board are reserved for white, rosé and dessert wines, and Champagne.
The climate-controlled wine cellar on Endless Summer holds 440 regular-size bottles plus 60 magnums. A wine fridge in the crew’spantry stows another 96 bottles, and more than 500 additional bottles (mostly white and rosé) are in stowage throughout the yacht.
