SPRING-SUMMER 2012I sea&iI73specifically on wine at sea. Managing director Stephen Williamsconfirms, "Wines that perform on land do not always work wellon the ocean. One major issue with great red wines is their ten-dency to throw a natural deposit as they age." On terra firma thisis not a problem because as long as there is no vibration in yourcellar, the wine can easily be separated from the deposit bydecanting it. However, as a yacht is in a perpetual state ofmotion, sediment quickly becomes suspended in the wine. "Asa result," Williams continues, "We would strongly recommendagainst serving something like a treasured 1982 Petrus onboard. It would be cloudy and unsightly and rather than tast-ing of liquid nectar, it would be unpalatably harsh and bitter."Williams goes on to say that even great Champagne andwhite Burgundy will experience premature ageing if stored onboard a yacht for too long - anything more than a year will doyou no favours when you come to pull the cork. Ideally, wineshould be kept on board for a maximum of two to three months,and always in a temperature-controlled cellar." Williams' tipwith regards to red wine, in particular, is to opt for lighter,younger and more forward vintages. In other words, you needto select wines that have not thrown a deposit but that are drinkingwell now. That rules out certain years, such as 2005 forBordeaux, however it brings into the frame other, more acces-siblevintages, such as 2001, 2002 and some 2003 wines. "Iwould suggest the exquisitely elegant Château Lafite 2002,the exceptional Cheval Blanc 2003, or the quintessential clas-sic L'Evangile 2003," enthuses Williams. "All of these are superbwines that can be enjoyed now and are perfect for fine diningon board. If a great Burgundy is your preference, then aDomaine Ponsot Clos de la Roche, or a sublime 1999 PremierCru Puligny-Montrachet from Sauzet would be ideal." Wines and other beverages can be delivered direct to youryacht in the quantities you require, but should, sacré bleu, yourun out mid cruise, your charter broker can arrange to wing outa few more cases to your yacht - a service that is also offeredby the Antique Wine Company, which has a private plane inthe south of France that can deliver wine to any Mediterraneanport within 48 hours.Creating an on-board cellarInstalling a wine cellar on board a yacht does not come cheap,but with great wines being a precious commodity the need toprotect them correctly makes commercial sense, and increasinglyowners are having cellars incorporated on new builds and existingyachts, although with the latter scenario options can be morelimited depending on the existing layout of the yacht. In recognition of the growing trend to take premier wines tosea, leading wine-storage manufacturer Vinotemp Internationalrecently added to its impressive list of wine cellar offerings customluxury yacht wine cellars, starting at around $25,000.Vinotemp creates yacht storage systems from scratch, includ-ing all cooling components, at its manufacturing headquartersin Southern California. India Hynes, president of Vinotemp,assures that, "Yacht commissions are custom-manufacturedbased on the requests of the client, using the finest materialsto meet the builder's and owner's specifications."What's more, all types of materials are available to match eachyacht's decor, from stainless steel to exotic woods and veneers.The need to compliment the yacht's operating systems is alsoparamount, and for this reason Vinotemp manufactures all itsown cooling systems for its cellars. This is crucial to enable thecompany to design around a yacht's individual drainage, air-flow and power systems, ensuring that each cellar not onlydrains but also vents properly, thus working alongsideeach yacht's individual on-board systems.A bespoke wine cellar is generally a focal design feature anda sure talking-point among guests, but it can be subtly con-cealed if an owner prefers more discretion. Cellars are com-monly situated in the main saloon, or the area between a loungeand dining area, but some owners prefer to situate them nearthe galley, or to optimise space by incorporating them on stair-ways. Size varies depending on need. Hynes says, "The largestsingle wine cellar we created for a yacht had a 240-bottlecapac-ity, but we have supplied four or five of our smaller customwinecabinets that are spread throughout a yacht to make the mostof space and create attractive wine-storage areas." This is just one example of how cellars are now being customisedto compliment the design quirks of individual superyachts andallow owners to enjoy their favourite wines on board - adevelopment that is sure to be vigorously toasted.nFor information regarding wine options on board, speak to your Camper &Nicholsons charter broker, see page 6, and visit The Antique Wine Companyat www.antique-wine.com, Vinotemp at www.vinotemp.com, and Vins SansFrontières at www.vsfgroup.com specialinterestMAKING WINE AT HOME ON BOARDThe wine-storage area on any superyacht should ideally be:. Cool, with a constant temperature between 10 and 15°C(12 or 13°C being ideal). Between 60 to 80% humidity, and not higher than 95% (this canbe ensured by a fridge or temperature-controlled storage area). Free of vibrations. A securely attached wine rack is essential,allowing bottles to lie on their side with no risk of movement.Dark, with no direct sunlight. Free from chemical odours, such as fuel.

The last few years have seen a shift in the charter market, which has gone from being a booming industry to a sector where supply exceeds demand. But how is the market faring now, and what's in store for the future? The Camper & Nicholsons charter team offers its expert opinionByMiriam CainThe economic downturn of the last few years has hadan extremely significant impact on the yacht chartermarket, albeit somewhat delayed due to advancedbookings that temporarily distorted figures. But fol-lowing summer 2008, no one could ignore the facts. Charterfigures were down and booking habits were changing. Forexample, many regular charterers who would normally haveimmediately rebooked shelved their plans to do so. In a fewcases during summer 2008, charters were cancelled and depositslost, and yachts left empty as a consequence. This caused a sudden surplus of supply, in addition to whichmany yachts that had previously been reserved for private usewere made available for charter as owners attempted to offsetrunning costs. The combination of these scenarios meantthat a buoyant market was suddenly struggling. It became socritical at one point that some of the best-known, strictly com-mercial charter yachts were withdrawn from the charter marketaltogether and sold in an equally challenging sales market.Business became much more speculative, with last-minutebooking becoming the norm. Charterers expected huge dis-counts, and both the retail charter and charter managementsectors were affected and had to manage clients, often unre-alistic, expectations. In 2010, the market began to stabilise, with 2011 going a stepfurther and seeing many of the more active charter yachtssecuring a healthy eight to ten weeks of bookings. Fast-forwardto 2012 and there's a healthier forecast, with the summer sea-son already shaping up to be strong. Tandy Demarchelier, headof Retail Charter for Camper & Nicholsons Europe says. "Thecharter market for the forthcoming season is already in muchbetter shape than it was in 2011, and we still have time on ourside in terms of taking bookings. Confirmed charters are defi-nitely on the rise, and we have received a considerable volumeof enquiries." Barbara Dawson, head of Camper & Nicholsons Retail Charterin the US, reports similar news. "We are seeing a significantincrease in the number of bookings for this summer, comparedto this time last year. The summer season has certainly startedwell for Camper & Nicholsons." On the charter management side, DJ Kiernan, who heads upCamper & Nicholsons' Charter Marketing Division, says thecompany's mantra with regards to recovery is 'slow and steady'."Given the current level of bookings, we expect the summer2012 charter season to be better than last year," he confirms. BOOKING TRENDS Pre credit-crunch, charter clients would often book a year inadvance, particularly those wanting peak-season charters fora period of two-weeks or more, or aboard a particular yacht.The economic downturn has altered the way clients operate and74Isea&iISPRING-SUMMER 2012TIDES OF CHANGE IN THE CHARTER SECTOR industry report