How Airlines Choose Wine To Serve Onboard Flights

25.05.2024 - 09:57 / forbes.com

When a passenger sips a glass of wine or champagne at 36,000 ft, little do they know the amount of effort that goes into selecting drinks for an airline. Not only does the airline have to select wines that passengers will be familiar with and enjoy, but they have multiple factors to consider, such as the volume available, how the altitude will affect the bouquet and taste, and what the current trends are.

One of the first things a wine buyer will look at is the volume available. It is hard to appreciate the sheer volume of wine that passengers will go through even with a slightly smaller airline such as Virgin Atlantic, which operates solely long-haul flights. They serve an average of 9-12 bottles of each of their wines per flight in Upper Class.

Larger airlines will require huge volumes of wine particularly for the economy cabins, and even long haul business class often have at least four wines and two champagnes or sparkling wines to choose from. The volume needed can rule out a large section of wines from smaller producers as they simply won’t be able to supply the needed quantity or in some cases, will not want to.

Price is obviously an influence, too, as the quality of the wine has to be balanced with the price and other factors. With airlines buying large quantities, they will usually expect a good deal, but some vineyards may decide they would rather sell for more in smaller quantities on the open market.

How wines will taste in the air is also important as the effects of altitude and pressure in the cabin can make white wine and champagne taste more acidic and make the tannins seem more harsh in red wine. The main issue with your tastebuds on flights is down to the dryness of the atmosphere which can affect how you perceive flavors. If your nose and palette are dry, it can make wines taste dull. Keeping yourself hydrated with plenty of water and a saline spray for your nose can help counteract the effects. The good news is that modern aircraft such as the Airbus 350 have more humid conditions onboard than older aircraft and no doubt this will further improve as aircraft evolve.

Virgin Atlantic chose their wines in conjuncftion with their partners, Jeroboams Trade wine merchants. The wine merchant will source a short list of wines after an evaluation by Peter Mitchell MW and their own Jeroboams team which is then put to a panel of the Virgin WSET-qualified in-house Food and Beverage management team. This happens twice a year and allows them to factor in a range of opinions to choose the best wines for their customers. The wines then change on board in April and October in line with the food menu changes.

The airline recently changed its champagne to the ever-popular Laurent Perrier and will