Silversea Cruises Announces Expanded Collection of Cuisine, Wine Cruises for 2006

Ultra-luxury Silversea Cruises is rolling out an expanded collection of 15 Culinary Arts Cruises and 12 Wine Series Voyages in 2006. It´s the biggest program the line has ever offered and will feature, for the first time, award-winning authors in addition to a stellar lineup of international wine experts, winemakers, and acclaimed chefs from the world´s top restaurants.

Among the talented food and wine writers set to join the program is the culinary power couple of Jill Van Cleave and William Rice, scheduled to jointly host Silver Wind´s Voyage 2610, sailing April 8 from Lisbon to Barcelona. Van Cleave is a renowned author, food stylist and chef and Rice is the food and wine columnist for the "Chicago Tribune," former editor-in-chief of "Food and Wine," and winner of the Who´s Who award for "Best Food Journalism."

Other acclaimed writers tapped to host a culinary or wine cruise include Eunice Fried, author of numerous books, including "Burgundy: The Country, The Wines, The People"; writer-photographer Gerry Dawes, author of "Spain: An Insider´s Guide to Food, Wine and Travel in Spain"; Joyce Jue, food consultant and award-winning author of "Savoring Southeast Asia"; and Sarah Edington, whose book "The Captain´s Table: Life and Dining on the Great Ocean Liners" offers a fascinating exploration of shipboard life and dining from the golden age of liners to the present.

"Our smaller, more intimate ships provide the perfect atmosphere for enriching learning experiences that appeal to our guests´ sense of discovery and interest in fine food and wine," said David Morris, Silversea´s senior vice president of North America sales.