Ceja Vineyards

Ceja Vineyards Flavors of Portugal & Spain River Cruise

We’re thrilled to announce our upcoming AmaWaterways Portugal to Spain Douro River Cruise for Wine Lovers from April 5th -12th, 2025. Join us!

Save $500 per stateroom and receive an additional 5% early booking reward when reservations are made by December 31st, 2023.

Set sail in Porto, the beautiful “City of Bridges” and gateway to the Douro River Valley, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with rambling vineyards and charming quintas, which cling to the steep sides of the river. Taste wines from these vineyards and discover the timeless traditions of Portuguese winemaking throughout your journey before visiting some of Spain’s glorious cities. Enjoy onboard award-winning cuisine pairings with stellar Ceja Vineyards wines plus much more.  

To book, contact:
Yankee Clipper Travel
Patty Hoey
(707) 365-4402
patty.hoey0505@gmail.com 

Cities & Sights
Porto → Entre-os-Rios → Régua → Lamego → Pinhão → Barca d’Alva → Vega de Terrón

Included With Your Fare
• 7-night cruise in elegantly appointed accommodations
• Unlimited wine, beer and soft drinks with lunch and dinner on board
• Regionally inspired cuisine made with locally sourced ingredients
• Sip & Sail Cocktail Hour with complimentary wine, beer, spirits and soft drinks
• Captain’s Cocktail and Gala Dinner
• Exclusive Wine Cruise features including tastings, tours and discussions
• Complimentary Wi-Fi access on board
• Small group guided shore excursions with a variety of choices and activity levels

Extra Included Features Only On Wine Cruises
• Special tours and tastings at local wineries and private cellars
• Learn about winemaking in renowned vineyards
• Onboard wine pairings with award-winning cuisine
• A wine expert who leads tastings and discussions

Wine Host Bio
Amelia Morán Ceja – Ceja Vineyards, President & Cofounder

Vineyard Worker to Award Winning Vintner Amelia Morán Ceja was born in Las Flores, Jalisco, Mexico. She immigrated to the United States in 1967 to join her father, a farmworker in Rutherford in the Napa Valley. On her first weekend, Amelia was in the vineyard, harvesting grapes alongside her family where she met her future husband Pedro Ceja. Amelia fell in love with grape growing, and throughout her teenage and college years during school vacations, she continued working in the vineyards gaining deeper understanding on viticulture and winemaking.

Amelia studied history and literature at UC San Diego, and in 1980, Amelia and Pedro were married. In 1983 Amelia with Pedro, his brother and his parents purchased their first property in Carneros in the Napa Valley. They planted their first grapes in the Carneros AVA in 1986, and Amelia, Pedro, her brother-in-law and his wife cofounded Ceja Vineyards in 1999. Today the family owns 115 acres in the Napa and Sonoma Valleys.

Her leadership of Ceja Vineyards is groundbreaking, as she became the first Mexican-American woman ever to be elected president of a winery in 1999, and in 2005, the California Legislature recognized Amelia as “Woman of the Year” for “breaking the glass ceiling in a very competitive business.”

A strong matriarchal tradition in her family fostered Amelia’s independent spirit, but more than anything, Amelia feels it is flavors and her experience with food that have shaped her life choices. The dynamo behind more than 150 video blogs since 2009 on preparing Mexican cuisine and pairing it with wine, has introduced thousands to new and exciting wine and food flavor combinations that are shaping and diversifying the traditional male-dominated wine industry landscape.

Under her leadership, Harvard Business School published Ceja Vineyards: Marketing to the Hispanic Wine Consumer case study, and IPADE Business School, Mexico, published Desde la adversidad: el caso de Ceja Vineyards. Both case studies are offered to executive MBA university students in the United States, Mexico and in many European countries. Additionally, Ceja Vineyards has received numerous awards including: The California Latino Legislative Caucus Latino Spirit Award.