P&O Pacific: A Gender Agenda (PNG)

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Magic in a Bottle The annual harvest in the Champagne region of France is always cause for celebration, particularly at Moët & Chandon.

Moët & Chandon harvest is an

unforgettable experience that usually takes place over a period of almost two weeks in September every year, depending on the growing season. A celebration in itself, Moët’s viticulture and viniculture methods and savoirfaire have stood the test of time, from the grape picking to the Chef de Cave’s declaration of a Grand Vintage year for the most exceptional seasons. With no machinery used, the skilled Champenois grape pickers ensure that the fruits of each Moët ‘vendange’ are handled with utmost care, in nearly the same manner as centuries before. Moët & Chandon creates bespoke harvest experiences for wine specialists and lifestyle journalists, giving aficionados and wine novices alike the ultimate opportunity to truly understand the magic behind the world’s most loved champagne.

A TIMELESS EXPERIENCE Following the timeless methods of centuries past, each September Moët & Chandon welcomes up to 3,000 men and women to the Maison’s vineyards to hand pick the grapes from its extensive vineyards in Champagne.

While the pressing and production involves the latest state-of-the-art machinery, the handpicked harvesting methods in the Moët fields are nearly identical to the traditional methods illustrated by some of the Maison’s earliest drawings and records. Each Moët & Chandon harvest celebrates the connection between nature and man; the fusion of Champagne’s unique terroir with the Champenois’ practiced harvesting skill and the shared anticipation in the exceptional champagnes to be enjoyed years and even generations later.

THE EXCLUSIVE REGION OF CHAMPAGNE Situated approximately 160 km (100 miles)

east of Paris, Champagne is a French province that comprises 25,000 km2, (approx 9,650 miles2) divided into 5 wine-producing districts, including the historical cities of Reims and Epernay. Since the early Middle Ages, the Champagne region had developed a reputation for producing quality still wines. By the 17th & 18th centuries the region was renowned by royals, aristocrats and wine connoisseurs for its incomparable sparkling wines, known simply as champagne. Champagne wines can only be produced from the unique “terroir” (a combination of soil, climate and geographical characteristics, as well as the passion, soul, and heart of the region) in Champagne and produced according to the champagne production method, or the “méthode champenoise”, which today is referred to as the “méthode traditionelle.” This notion of terroir plays a large role in French culture, as it denotes a quality of excellence from a unique region that cannot be reproduced anywhere else. Moët & Chandon abides to strict viticulture and viniculture regulations, to ensure the excellence of their product, for which they are fiercely proud.

• Viticulture: champagne is produced from varying blends, according to the House style, of only 3 grape varietals grown within the Champagne region: chardonnay, pinot meunier and pinot noir.

• Viniculture: champagne must be produced according to the “méthode traditionelle”, a complex method in which effervescence is produced by a process of secondary fermentation in the bottle.

CHEF DE CAVE: MAKING HISTORY For Moët & Chandon’s winemakers, the harvest is a time of anticipation and revelation, as its fruits will result in the exceptional wines

to be enjoyed years and even generations later. The Chef de Cave reveals the potential of each harvest, first by tasting the juice as it arrives in Epernay, then a few months later by his assessment and assemblage of the wines produced by the first fermentation.

For nearly three centuries, generations of Moët & Chandon Chefs de Cave have passed down their oenological savoirfaire and deeply rooted philosophy of respect, simplicity and innovation of their craft, upholding strict standards of excellence for the production of Moët Impérial, the Maison’s flagship style.

EXCEPTIONAL HARVESTS: GRAND VINTAGES The Chef de Cave’s initial assessment of the juice is the deciding factor on how he will blend according to the Moët Impérial House style, or whether he will declare a year of exception, to produce a Moët & Chandon Grand Vintage blend.

Declaring a Moët Grand Vintage is both a challenge and an honor for any Chef de Cave, as it is a decision that captures the history of a memorable year, and will create fantastic celebrations years or even decades later at the pop of a cork.

Ask for some onboard and experience the Moët & Chandon magic for yourself

Cultural insight

Images: David Kirkland, Papua New Guinea Tourism

A Gender

Ag enda Papua New Guinea has long

In Papua New Guinea’s Milne Bay region, you’ll find an intriguing culture where women traditionally rule.

been a place of mystery and magic and there is perhaps no better place to experience both than in Milne Bay Province.

While some tribes of the interior and highlands had no contact with Europeans until the mid-20th century, communities around Milne Bay have been in contact with Westerners for at least 400 years. Researchers and adventurous visitors have long been drawn to the region by its remarkable culture and customs, which an outsider might regard as somewhat unusual.

Located in Papua New Guinea’s southeast, Milne Bay is the only part of the country where bloodlines and land titles are determined through female descent.

Kula for you

Because kula owners believe the ornaments possess magic and power, you won’t find any for sale.

But you will find similar souvenirs that you can take home (above).

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Elaborate kula jewellery is everything a father can provide to strengthen his children’s path through life.

While men still hold administrative authority as chiefs in the villages, in this matrilineal system women have just as much control as men when it comes to choosing a partner and biological fathers have little or no responsibility for their offspring.

In fact, when it comes to conception, islanders hold a resilient belief that a woman can only become pregnant when an ancestral spirit (baloma) from her lineage enters her body, a belief that further perpetuates the strength of the female’s heritage.

convert the tribes to Christianity. Ethnographers and anthropologists, however, were, and remain, fascinated by the customs of the Solomon Sea, in particular the importance of kinship and gift-giving.

Perhaps the leading anthropologist working in the field today is Madang-based Nancy Sullivan. To understand even a fragment of Milne Bay’s ways, you must speak to someone with her experience.

The region around Milne Bay, including the Trobriand Islands, is part of a ‘kula trading ring’. Incomprehensible to most outsiders, it is a ceremonial exchange society that encompasses at least 18 communities, thousands of individuals and three distinct languages.

It is also believed that spirits called masalai inhabit forests, caves and rivers, each with their own specific disguise, power or curse. Villagers will often dress up or paint themselves to resemble the masalai and these dances can be very energetic, and even a bit scary for the humble onlooker.

Kula is a subtle but powerful game of persuasion and influence for males in society, Sullivan says. “Just as women will achieve reputations for being alluring and influential, men gain renown for their skill at kula,” she says. “They gain status in life and live through history by their achievements at kula. And with the valuables they have worked so hard to win—but which must eventually be traded away—men will decorate their sons and daughters for ceremonial occasions.”

When missionaries arrived in the 19th century, most were appalled by these ‘unholy’ rituals and sought to

The gift of beauty gives a competitive edge, and elaborate kula jewellery is everything a father can

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Smiles all round

The people of Milne Bay love to dress up and celebrate their customs with visitors.

Cultural insight

Experience PNG

Discover Papua New Guinea’s history, culture and nature on these exciting new itineraries

Papua New Guinea

Trobriand Islands

(Kiriwina or Kitava)

Alotau Doini Island Kawanasausau Strait & Milne Bay (scenic cruising)

PNG PARADISE Departs 31 Oct 13

NIGHTS 9

Cruise W343 Townsville

DEPARTure port Brisbane

Departs 16 Nov 13 2 Apr 14

NIGHTS 10 10

Cruise W345 W414

DEPARTure port Brisbane Brisbane

1 Sep 14 10 Sep 14

11 10

P437 W435

Sydney Brisbane

PNG DISCOVERY

provide to strengthen his children’s path through life.

Subtle kula customs are mostly unseen and unknown to outsiders, but they manifest at spectacular displays of dance and adornment featuring lavish and priceless shell jewellery, carved totems and canoes.

Celebrating the canoe

Every year in the first week of November, the National Canoe and Kundu Festival is held in Alotau, the chief port and trading centre of Milne Bay Province. First held in 2003, it celebrates the region’s maritime and cultural heritage and is a perfect opportunity to see arts, crafts, music, culture and celebration in true Papua New Guinea style. The people of Milne Bay love nothing more than to get dressed up, sing and dance. This will create memories to last forever, so bring your camera!

Shopping tips

When buying souvenirs on shore, avoid anything with seeds, especially banana seeds, as Australian Customs will confiscate these. It’s also wise to inspect softwood items for tiny borer holes. Hardwood, especially dark ebony, is much better and more valuable. Items decorated with mother-of-pearl are the real deal.

See daff.gov.au/aqis for information about bringing souvenirs into Australia.

BRISBANE

PORTS OF CALL

Please visit the Future Cruise Sales desk to find out more about the ports visited on each itinerary.

WHICH SHIPS

SYDNEY

W = Pacific Dawn P = Pacific Pearl shore tours

Shore Tours^ are the best way to explore our Papua New Guinea ports and we have options to satisfy a range of interests! Please visit the Shore Tours desk onboard for more information and to book. how much?

Papua New Guinea cruises start from as little as $999* per person, quad share for PNG Paradise.

Visit the Future Cruise Sales desk onboard or pocruises.com.au for current pricing. Be quick, our Papua New Guinea cruises sell out quickly. ˆCharges apply. *All prices correct at time of printing.

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