“Are you ready to drink some wine? I am. And I’m gonna drink all the leftovers, too!” With that whimsical proclamation, “dirt road soul” singer Kristy Lee kicked off the “Drink Your Wine with Kristy Lee” wine tasting event during the inaugural sailing of the Live Loud Fest cruise. The latest in the vast offering of sailings from music cruise specialists Sixthman, the Live Loud Fest played out November 4-8, 2025 aboard the Norwegian Cruise Line ship Jewel as she sailed from Miami to Puerto Plata in the Dominican Republic.
Entertainment during the cruise was provided by a diverse and eclectic mix of artists that included 311, Bombargo, Liz Vice, Ethan Tucker, the New Respects, Soja, the Wheeland Brothers, and many others. In addition to music the Live Loud Fest had a wellness angle with daily yoga sessions being led by folks like Kate Mak and Gina Caputo who also gave a talk entitled “Level Up: Empowered Aging for Rebels.” Of the dozen or so special events that occurred during the cruise, it was really no surprise that one of the most popular was the wine tasting with Kristy Lee, due both to Lee’s music and her down-to-earth personality.
Like most of the artists aboard the cruise, Lee played a couple of shows, once in the ship’s large Stardust Theater and once in the smaller, nightclub-like Bliss Lounge. The wine tasting was held in the ship’s Spinnaker Lounge where every table was taken by enthusiastic fans of wine. Lee also performed one song at the wine tasting, appropriately enough her original cut “Let Me Drink Your Wine.” Lee’s band, cellist Trace Johnson and violinist Sahada Buckley, played a few instrumental songs while the audience got settled and then joined Lee for her one song before the tasting began in earnest.
The event was emceed by “Sixthman Annie” and she and Kristy were joined by the ship’s sommelier, identified simply as Ronnie. The tasting featured six wines, half of which were Old World wines, or wines from Europe with the other half being New World wines, wines from places other than Europe. Ronnie explained the major differences in the two types and then led tasters in how to properly evaluate a wine through sight, smell, and sip.
Annie, Kristy, and many audience members offered their summaries of each wine but clearly most of the audience was there for the overall experience and not really concerned with tannins or whether the wine was oak aged or had a citrus aftertaste. They were just having a ball enjoying the drinks and commentary from Annie and Kristy.
Between sips of cabernet, shiraz, and sauvignon blanc with guidance from Ronnie, Annie asked Kristy a series of questions about wine and her musical career, often tying the two together. After Ronnie mentioned that aerating wine with a decanter will enhance its flavor, Annie asked Kristy if she and her wife use them. “We’ve had several but they don’t survive in our household too long,” Lee said.
“My wife is working on 10-years sober, so having a decanter just for myself would be trouble. I do believe they make a difference though, making for a richer experience.”
When Annie asked Lee about any other practices in her life that enhance her music, inquiring also as to whether she writes every day or not, Lee responded, “I pretty much do write every day but sometimes it takes me years to finish an actual song. I don’t know, I’m a little bit random.” To which Annie quipped, “It just has to hit you, just like your wine,” drawing the humorous response from Lee, “It’s gotta slap me in the face!” The wine tasting wasn’t a slap in the face; more like a gentle caress leaving everyone with smiles and anticipation of the day’s concerts yet to come. And while Lee was joking about drinking the leftovers, well, there weren’t any.
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