Silversea launches new collection of SALT culinary voyages

WHY IT RATES: Silversea’s new S.A.L.T. Culinary Voyages take destination-focused travel to the next level, offering food lovers rare access to regional traditions, local experts and once-in-a-season harvest experiences that go far beyond the typical cruise dining experience.—Sarah Kuta, TravelPulse writer.

Silversea, the leading experiential luxury and expedition travel brand, has launched its inaugural collection of S.A.L.T. (Sea And Land Taste) Culinary Voyages, with itineraries built around experiencing each destination through food, flavors, and people. Each voyage is guided by four themes – Gather, Craft, Celebrate, and Indulge – that connect guests with regional ingredients, traditions, and culture through immersive experiences. The collection debuts with a series of seven sailings aboard Silver Dawn and Silver Spirit across Portugal, Spain, France and the United Kingdom, timed to Europe's autumn harvest season. Each voyage pairs an expanded slate of onboard culinary programming with S.A.L.T. Experiences ashore, including a private port-blending session in the Douro Valley, a Michelin-chef-led lunch at Château du Prince Noir in Bordeaux, a truffle hunt at the historic Château Royal de Cazeneuve, and more.

"With our new collection of dedicated S.A.L.T. Culinary Voyages, we're building on our position as the small-ship leader in culinary variety to give guests direct access to the people and places that define a region's food culture," said Bert Hernandez, president, Silversea. "That means a countess opening her kitchen in northern Portugal, or a chef teaching her own family recipes at home in Normandy. These are experiences guests couldn't arrange on their own, and that access is what sets this collection apart."

SEVEN SAILINGS TO FOUR COUNTRIES, WITH ENHANCED ONBOARD EXPERIENCES

S.A.L.T. Culinary Voyages will bring each destination to life through their cuisine, with itineraries shaped by the seasons and led by local experts, master chefs, sommeliers, and mixologists. Each Grape Harvest sailing is built to connect guests with regional culture, traditions, and ingredients through experiences offered only during a specific time of year. On board, all Grape Harvest voyages will carry an expanded slate of culinary programming, including:

• Iberia's Autumn Bounty: A chef-led, nine-course dinner at La Dame celebrating autumnal flavors from Portugal and Northern Spain, paired with wine.
• Regional Wine Tasting: A complimentary, sommelier-led tasting of wines from Europe's Atlantic Coast.
• Premium Bordeaux Wine Tasting: A guided tasting of premium Bordeaux wines, led by the ship's head sommelier.
• Premium Champagne Tasting: A guided comparison of Champagnes from lauded maisons and lesser-known producers.
• Cognac & Armagnac Tasting: A guided spirits tasting hosted by the S.A.L.T. Bar team, sampling Cognacs and Armagnacs.
• S.A.L.T. Bar Masterclass: A complimentary, hands-on mixology session in which guests craft signature cocktails inspired by the harvest season.
• Atlantic Coastal Catch: A live culinary masterclass with the ship's executive chef focused on the Atlantic Coast's finest seafood, followed by a six-course lunch paired with wine.
• French Cheese & Wine Tasting: A guided pairing of French cheeses and wines, hosted by the head sommelier.
• Autumn Forest Treasures: An exclusive six-course lunch at La Dame highlighting foraged fare, including wild mushrooms and fresh truffles, hosted by the executive chef and head sommelier.

Signature moments carry the season's theme throughout each voyage, from a Harvest Cruise Welcome featuring autumn-inspired cocktails and a caviar presentation on embarkation day, to an Autumn Harvest Grand Brunch and a Harvest Cruise Aperitivo.

EXCLUSIVE ACCESS TO EUROPE'S HARVEST TRADITIONS

Grape Harvest voyages extend into the destinations themselves through S.A.L.T. Experiences, Silversea's culinary-focused shore excursions. Highlights include:

• Private Port Blending & Live-Fire Cooking on a Historic Douro Wine Estate: Guests blend their own port with an oenologist and share a live-fire lunch at a UNESCO-listed estate in Portugal's Douro Valley.
• Michelin-Renowned Chef at Château du Prince Noir: A behind-the-scenes visit to a working kitchen with Michelin-renowned Chef Vivien Durand, followed by a private three-course lunch paired with regional wines.
• Michelin-Star Basque Culinary Adventure: A txakoli winery tasting followed by a wood-fired feast at the Michelin-starred restaurant Garena in Basque Country.
• Cooking with Chef Brigitte: A cooking lesson with Chef Brigitte Dumant at her home in Saint Étienne la Thillaye, Normandy, followed by a garden lunch.
• Rural Portuguese Cuisine: A hands-on cooking session with a countess at a historic estate in northern Portugal, paired with regional wines.
• Refined Lalique & Sauternes Wine: A visit to Château Lafaurie-Peyraguey, a Premier Grand Cru Classé estate in France's Sauternes region, including a guided wine tasting.
• Truffle Hunt & Gourmet Lunch at Royal Château Cazeneuve: A traditional black truffle hunt in Sainte-Croix-du-Mont followed by a private tour and three-course truffle lunch at the historic château.
• Terroir-to-Table Flavors in Portugal: A foraging session with chef, forager and fisherman José Velhinho in Sintra, followed by a four-course lunch paired with wine and locally made kombucha.

Each of the Grape Harvest voyages traces its own path across Portugal, Spain, France, and the United Kingdom, offering a glimpse into the range of the collection:

• SOUTHAMPTON TO LISBON – August 27 - September 8, 2026: This 12-day sailing on Silver Spirit opens the Grape Harvest season with a three-day call in Bordeaux at the height of the harvest, before continuing south to Bilbao and Santander, both known for their Rioja wine scenes. The voyage then traces the Iberian coastline through Vigo, home to the Albariño wines of Galicia, and Porto, before concluding in Lisbon.
• LISBON TO LISBON – September 8 - 18, 2026: This 10-day roundtrip sailing on Silver Spirit departs Lisbon for Porto and the vineyards of the Douro Valley, continuing to an overnight stay in Bordeaux. The journey then calls at Bilbao, known for its architecture, and the coastal seafood towns of Santander and Gijón, before returning to Lisbon.
• SOUTHAMPTON TO LISBON – September 19 - October 1, 2026: On this 12-day sailing on Silver Dawn, guests depart England for the Channel Islands and Brittany before anchoring in Bordeaux for three days during peak grape harvest. The journey continues to Bilbao, Santander, and Vigo before concluding with a Portuguese pairing of Porto and Lisbon.
• LISBON TO SOUTHAMPTON – October 1 - 13, 2026: This 12-day sailing on Silver Dawn moves north from the Iberian Peninsula through Vigo, La Coruña, Santander, and Bilbao before an extended three-day stay in Bordeaux, timed to the exact moment the region's grapes are harvested. From there, the voyage traces Western Europe's coastline north, concluding in Southampton.
• SOUTHAMPTON TO LISBON – October 13 - 25, 2026: Guests departing on this 12-day sailing on Silver Dawn will head to England for the Channel Islands and the fortified port of Saint Malo in Brittany, before an extended three-day stay in Bordeaux's vineyards during peak harvest. The voyage continues to Bilbao, known for its architecture, and the coastal towns of Santander and Vigo, before concluding with Porto and Lisbon.

Grape Harvest is the first chapter of Silversea’s S.A.L.T. Culinary Voyages, a collection the brand will continue to build around the world's most distinctive culinary moments. Discover more about S.A.L.T. Culinary Voyages at https://www.silversea.com/introducing-silversea-salt/culinary-voyages.

SOURCE: Silversea press release.