MARCH 2019 businesstraveller.comCELLARS IN THE SKY AWARDS
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true this time – when I arrive on the final day of
tasting, the judges are full of enthusiasm for the
quality of the white wines in first class.
Chardonnay – so often an object of ridicule – is
the star here, resplendent in its diversity, the only
uniform aspect of the bottles being their quality. “I
don’t remember such a high standard ever before,”
Metcalfe says. “The rest of the world is beginning to
catch up with white burgundy.”
Because of how altitude affects our sense of taste,
white wines with gentler acidity and red wines with
lower tannins work best. All the same, buyers also
have to meet the expectations of first and business
class passengers – a discerning bunch, often with
predilection for the superstars of the wine world. So
it’s a fine balance.
Bordeaux reds aren’t generally the best choice;
softer, fruitier reds usually work better in the air.
Airline buyers compromise by choosing riper vintages
that cater to passengers’ demands while still pleasing
the palate at 35,000 feet. A producer’s second
Bordeaux might actually work better in the air than
its number one offering.
The first-class reds are brought into the room, and
the judges begin the tasting process again. Although
little is said and faces remain fairly inscrutable, one
can’t help but get the impression that the tasting of
these wines isn’t quite as enjoyable an experience
as the whites. “Red is harder to taste than white,”
explains Caporn. In fact, the judges say that they
preferred the red wine offering in business class.
It’s when the champagnes make their entrance that
the air really electrifies; like the wines themselves,
the judges become positively effervescent. It’s a tight
field, and the group admits to having more difficulty
spitting them out: “They’re all really nice,” is the
plaintive cry.HOW AIRLINES CHOOSE THEIR WINES
Rossen Dimitrov, chief operating officer of first-time
entrant Air Italy, says: “In general, we assign more
value to wines that can be easy to appreciate and
pleasant to most people, even to those who don’t
know anything in particular about wine quality.”
And that’s the point: the wines should be easily
drunk. On an aircraft, it’s unlikely that a bottle will
be decanted before serving to allow it to breathe, so if
that’s a requirement for a wine to taste good, then it’s
probably best enjoyed at ground level.
What you don’t tend to get in the air are the
fine, fine wines. The most expensive wines served
rarely top the £200 mark, and those are generally
the champagnes. Which is not a surprise – as
passengers don’t pay for the bottle directly, it would
be somewhat foolish to offer eye-wateringly expensive
bottles for which no mark-up can be charged.
McCombie says: “Some airlines can be
ambassadors for their country, and as such will offerAWARDS CEREMONY
Head judge Charles Metcalfe presented
the awards at a well-attended reception
on February 18 at the Langham London
(pictured) – our thanks to the hotel for
providing the perfect venue. We also
held tastings of the Gold Medal winning
labels at the Business Travel Show at
Kensington’s Olympia on February 20-21.READER EVENING
For your chance to taste some of the
winning wines at our Cellars in the Sky
readers’ event in London on April 8, please
email [email protected]
stating your name and company.some local wines. The skies can be the
showcase for some of the best wines, with
fine examples from airlines such as Qantas,
who very much see wine as part of what
their country can offer.”
Dimitrov confirms this: “Key criteria
are to select the types of wines that our
customers expect, wines that come from a
good or famous wine area, and wines that have specific
quality accolades – for example, AOC,
DOCG, DOC, IGT. As an airline that is
proudly Italian, with a high proportion of
Italian passengers, it is important that we
feature Italian wines where possible.”
Mariya Stoyanova, head of product
development for Jetblue, agrees. “Jetblue’s
wine expert, Jon Bonné, selects wines throughout the
world yet makes Californian offerings a focus owing
to their enormous diversity – they are wines with
nuance and complexity.” Turn the page to discover our
worthy winners...A producer’s second
Bordeaux might
work better at 35,000
feet than its number
one offering→