Santa Rosa’s HMS Travel, acquired by Adelman Travel, brings Sonoma wineries into specialized cruises

"You have the whole 10 days to get to know these people and build a relationship," McCutchan said.

For Martin, the wine cruises are the result of ties he has built over the decades.

Back in the 1970s, he spent seven years going on annual three-week wine tours around the U.S. with the former Sonoma County Wineries Association.

HMS takes credit for launching the nation's first wine cruise in 1989 with Bon Appétit magazine. The tour featured five Napa and Sonoma wineries.

When the wine cruise business began to grow, Martin and his wife, Laura, decided to add shore excursions that would give guests a chance to visit international wine regions.

In this effort, Martin had an edge. He then held the title of governor for the Slow Foods organization in California. It helped to build his network of sommeliers, wine writers and other experts to lead the excursions, which this year will serve about 3,000 of both the wineries' guests and regular cruise passengers.

The results attracted Adelman, which since 2012 has purchased two other consumer travel companies. Adelman CEO Bob Chaiken said what's particularly striking about Food & Wine Trails is its unique network of wine experts and onshore excursions.

"That's the big difference," he said.

Martin said he chose to sell now because the business with 16 staff members has reached a point where it requires a significant investment to reach the next level of growth. Adelman has the resources to accomplish such goals, he said, and he will remain here as president doing the work he loves.

Before the acquisition, Chaiken spent some days at the HMS office on Fourth Street in Santa Rosa.

The business may sit on one of the downtown's major retail streets, but Chaiken noticed that it draws almost no walk-in traffic. The reason is that Food & Wine Trails connects with prospective clients mostly through its website, its marketing lists and the various wine clubs.

"I think a lot of people wouldn't know what it is," Chaiken observed.

While the packages may appear pricey to many, Martin maintained that his wine cruises are virtually equal to the cost to travel as a regular passenger on the same ship. The wine cruise costs about $300 more per person, he said, but that amount is basically offset by shipboard credits and other benefits.

Similarly, he maintained his cruises offers significant benefits to wineries.

Roughly 20 to 30 percent of his wine cruise slots come from his marketing efforts and website rather than from the wine clubs. That gives the wineries another chance to add to their fan base.

Also, the wineries generally receive $5,000 to $30,000 per cruise in revenue sharing from Food & Wine Trails, he said.

Among the first-time wine cruises this June will be Calistoga's Schramsberg & Davies Vineyards, led by vintners Hugh and Monique Davies. Their cruise from Monte Carlo to Barcelona is already sold out.

The cruise will feature 40 cases of wine for 120 guests, but Schramsberg & Davies marketing manager Matthew Levy quickly noted that those bottles will be shared over seven days.

Over the years, wine club members have asked when the winery would sponsor a cruise, Levy said. Schramsberg & Davies turned to Food & Wine Trails due to its "great reputation" and has been pleased by the response of wine lovers.

Source: Santa Rosa's HMS Travel, acquired by Adelman Travel, brings Sonoma wineries into specialized cruises