Only Australian (and the odd Kiwi) wine will grace P&O wine lists, writes Mike Heard.

P&O Cruises may be testing the patriotism of its Australian customers. The line has decided it will no longer sell foreign wines (apart from some Kiwi labels) on its two ships, the Sydney-based Pacific Dawn and the Brisbane-based Pacific Sun.

The line says there's now so much variety and quality in Australian wines that foreign varieties are no longer needed to achieve an "interesting and balanced" wine list.

"We prefer to focus on the growing number of exciting quality wines being produced across Australia and New Zealand, and support our local winemakers," says P&O Cruises executive Sture Myrmell.

He says the move is in part a response to consumer demand. Passengers are now more discerning in their wine selections.

The company visited 39 vineyards in Australia and New Zealand to compile its new list of 64 wines. They include the brands of what it calls emerging boutique wineries, such as Glandore Estate in the Hunter Valley and Lake George Winery in the ACT.

A P&O spokesman said passengers will pay slightly more on average with the new wine list because it contains more premium wines.

The cheapest is selling at $22 a bottle and the most expensive about $140.

The wine revamp, part of an extensive dining upgrade, is being accompanied on selected cruises by wine-tasting sessions and lectures.

Soap and water

Celebrity Cruises is living up to its name, announcing plans for a soapies cruise with TV celebrities to the Caribbean in January.

Among the passengers will be stars of daytime TV soaps such as Days Of Our Lives, The Bold And The Beautiful and The Young And The Restless.

In all, 15 actors from eight series will be aboard and passengers will be able to mix with them during photo sessions, trivia games and other activities. The four-night cruise, on the liner Celebrity Century, departs from Miami on January 22, with fares starting at $US899 ($950).

It can be booked only via a US website, soapcruise.com.

Auction caution

A recent item in this column about the pitfalls of buying art at cruise-ship auctions has hit a raw nerve with Sydney art consultant and valuer David Hulme.

He says he has dealt with a procession of people over the years who have paid high prices at sea, only to find later that the works were worth far less than claimed.

A Sydney cruise passenger who paid a 10 per cent deposit on a painting that the shipboard auctioneer valued at $22,000 has since asked for Hulme's valuation. He told her the work wasn't worth much more than the deposit.

The woman has refused to pay the balance and is still trying to recover her deposit.

Hulme says that almost every time he has valued art bought at sea, he has found the price paid is far higher than the market value.

"I don't have a problem with sellers putting whatever price they want to on a work," he says. "What I object to is when there are false claims made about the real value of that work, particularly when buyers don't have the means to undertake an appraisal, or have someone undertake it on their behalf."

Antiques sideshow

The Brits have unveiled plans for a similar but more sedate venture.

Saga Cruises will host an "Antiques Seashow" program of activities during a 16-night cruise to the Mediterranean in October, giving passengers the chance to meet some of the experts who have appeared on the high-rating BBC TV program Antiques Roadshow, now screening in Australia.

Passengers are being invited to bring along heirlooms and other items for valuation.

Fares for the Saga Ruby sailing, leaving Southampton on October 17, start at £1884 ($3960) a person twin share.

See www.saga.co.uk/travel-shop.