Romantic Danube River Cruise, March 25-April 1, 2028, with Roland & Lucinda Morel of Morel Vin

ROLAND & LUCINDA MOREL

As a young boy in Hungary, young Roland Morel grew up helping his winemaking family in Hungary during harvest season.While child labor wasn’t exactly wine making, the seeds were planted. Roland brought Lucinda to Hungary during their dating years to do the same, helping with picking, crushing, pressing, and enjoying the Morel family vineyard and the wines it produced.

Winemaking for us actually started in Palos Verdes, near where the day jobs were, in aerospace.However the climate proved to be difficult for vine growing.In 2020, we embarked on a new adventure in Temecula Wine Country. Our three boys were still young (ages 12, 10 and 7) and their childhood was flying by. We wanted to capture this chapter of our family’s history in a unique and beneficial way. A vineyard was the perfect solution.We found a site in Temecula CA with great terroir. Morel Vin was founded, and 800 vines were planted, bringing the estate total to over 2500.Our sons quickly became involved.

The property in Temecula came with Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Grenache vines already planted.To bring a more European flair to the property everything we planted was white: Chenin Blanc, Roussanne and Viognier.Since then we have also made award winning rosé out of the Grenache, and a Pet-Nat sparkling wine as well.Branching out further, we have sourced two Italian red varieties Montepulciano and Primitivo, and have a naturally fermented port in development.Our small-scale production allows for experimentation, and so far very happy customers!

At Morel Vin, our vines are part of our family. We nurture and care for them, watching them mature and change, just like our boys. Our wines hold family memories forever recorded in each special vintage. It is our hope that our cherished memories become yours.

You’re invited! Join us aboard AmaLea, one of Europe’s grandest river ships. On board we will share with you our prized wines during two special tasting events and a paired dinner. The wines of Morel Vin will be contrasted with the wines of Germany, the Czech Republic, Austria’s Wachau Valley and Hungary.

This is a special river cruise down the Blue Danube, from Vilshofen Bavaria to Budapest Hungary, with all meals, sites and “must do” tours and activities included. There’s also a special 3-night pre-cruise tour of delightful Prague, capital of the Czech Republic, a beautiful city never destroyed during WWII, and 4-night post-cruise tour of Hungary’s Tarcal wine region and the best of Budapest.

Join us!
Roland & Lucinda Morel
Owners & Winemakers