Wine in the Sky: best inflight wine lists

by Panos Kakaviatos

Aboard a 90-minute Air France flight in June this year from Paris to Ljubljana proved especially enjoyable with copious pourings of NV Pommery Brut Royal in the small business class cabin. Bordeaux enologist Nicolas Vivas invited me to Vina Koper along the Istrian coast, where he is crafting gorgeous red wines with recently planted Bordeaux and indigenous grapes.

Whether a wine consultant or a hack like me, people who work in wine often fly to wine regions. And while much is said about how flavours are more muted when compared to sensory perceptions on the ground – dry cabin air and reduced air pressure decrease taste bud sensitivity by up to 30%, with sugars and alcohol perceived less intensely – we could have cared less. Hurtling 550 miles per hour 33,000 feet high in a steel tube feels better when a cheerful flight attendant pours you Champagne. And it paired nicely with a smoked salmon and capers lunch.

Despite recent reports warning of health risks linked to alcohol consumption on airplanes – see below – inflight wine service has again become the “biggest restaurant in the world,” says Frédéric Casteja of Bordeaux negociant Borie-Manoux, which sells wines to multiple airlines worldwide, targeting economy, business and first-class sections.

While global wine consumption at ground level is decreasing, the opposite is true in the sky. Passengers are consuming wine like they did in the pre-COVID era, with data released in May this year by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) indicating that total flying demand was up 11% compared to April 2023. Total capacity, measured in available seat kilometres, was up 9.6% year-on-year. International demand rose 15.8% compared to April 2023 and domestic demand rose 4% compared to April 2023.

“Before COVID struck, we were making brisk sales on Korean Air, Lufthansa, Air France, Cathay Pacific, Emirates, and others,” Casteja says. “Now we see things returning to pre-Covid numbers.”

The French daily Le Monde recently published an investigative report indicating that inflight wine consumption is on the rise: “With 4.7 billion passengers anticipated worldwide in 2024, 400 million more than last year, the quantities of wine ready for boarding are dizzying,” according to the report.

Figures from individual airlines reflect high demand. A representative for Korean Airlines wrote in an email that “given the nature of airline services, our wine consumption is substantial, with an annual requirement exceeding one million bottles.” Air France serves over one million bottles of Champagne and over eight million bottles to customers annually, according to company figures released this year, including wines served at airport lounges (which include St Emilion’s Château Tour de Capet 2016).

Getting a slice of the airline wine pie is “a coup for wine producers, especially for business and first-class flights,” says Claire Wright, manager at the large French wine conglomerate Grands Chais de France. If affluent consumers like what they taste on board, they can spread word of that experience, which can lead to on-ground purchases of wines discovered in flight.

Serious selection
During my Air France hop to Slovenia, the flight attendant confirmed that some passengers drink alcohol to allay anxiety, especially when turbulence hits. “I have had passengers request whiskey during a 6am flight,” she said. Nervous flyers aside, others indulge because the wine is “free,” even in economy class, for carriers like Air France.

For discerning wine drinkers, however, cheap mini bottles opened into plastic cups are hardly memorable. Wright, who often flies between Europe and Australia for her work notes that “economy class wines are generally not that good (even aboard Emirates, which she chooses), while in business things get good and you are at a whole new level in first class, where you must crack open the Champagne.”

Flying on Emirates first class means uncorking Dom Perignon Plenitude 2 2004, which is exclusive to the airline in the sky, says Emirates wine buyer Oliver Dixon. In addition to such top bubbly, the airline proposes Burgundy Grand Cru Clos de Tart 2011 on European flights in first as well as Chevalier-Montrachet 2011 from Bouchard Père et Fils on flights to Asia. “We bought those back on release around 10 years ago,” he explains.

Recent initiatives to improve wine choices onboard means that inflight experience matters more than ever. When I flew United Airlines business class to Cancun Mexico from Washington Dulles in 2017, the flight attended suggested “Champagne”, but it turned out to be a cheap American bubbly. The food was hardly memorable. But the major American carrier, which is part of the Star Alliance group, has revamped its selection this year for long haul flights. Eclectic choices include not only the excellent Greek Alpha Estate Xinomavro Syrah but also solid French and California wines such as Paul Jaboulet Crozes Hermitage 2011, Whispering Angel Rosé 2022, Chalk Hill Estate Bottled Sauvignon Blanc and Justin Cabernet Sauvignon Paso Robles 2019. And yes, they do serve actual Champagne: the Beaumont de Crayere NV.

Airlines across the world take wine selection seriously. Korean Air recently hired Marc Almert, named world’s best sommelier in 2019, to select wines via blind tastings. Earlier this year, Air France hired Xavier Thuizat, head sommelier at the world famous Hôtel de Crillon in Paris to oversee wine purchases. The Burgundy-born sommelier was named top sommelier in France in 2022 and this year earned the Grand Prix de la Sommellerie in the Michelin Guide. Wine selections must “clear a number of hurdles,” says Lufthansa media relations representative Sandra Kraft:

We run around 30 calls for tender each year. All the wines submitted are tasted blind, and our experts are not aware of neither the label nor the vineyard. Our team of experienced and prestigious tasters, including three Masters of Wine, along with in-house experts, assess the wines for their appearance, aroma, and taste. Only if a wine is rated very good in accordance with international standards it is shortlisted. The team, of course, also takes into consideration the fact that sensory perception changes at altitude.

Emirates’ wine buyer Dixon appreciates the “availability and prestige” of Bordeaux on board business and first class, recognising that it would be a mistake to serve tannic Bordeaux too young. “Volume produced in Bordeaux allows brand recognition by customers and also allows Emirates to buy parcels big enough to serve efficiently without needing to change the list too frequently,” Dixon says. But not only do flavours taste different high on the plane, he explains, tannic structure also is more noticeable, and Bordeaux wines especially need to age to soften that expression. Emirates currently has over 5.5M bottles ageing in France, Dixon explains, with vintages ranging from 2009 to 2012 currently on-board business class and 2006 to 2009 on first class. In early 2024, Emirates introduced Château Mouton Rothschild, Château Margaux, Château Haut-Brion, Château Cheval Blanc, and Château d’Yquem to their First Class list.

Hunting upscale flight deals
Lara Spencer, co-host of ABC News’ morning program Good Morning America, once said “It’s not a bargain if it has bedbugs.” Similarly, you do not have to fly comfort-sacrificing economy to get a bargain. For example, I will not soon forget the economy seat booked for a 12-hour China Eastern Airlines flight sandwiched between two strangers from Frankfurt to Shanghai to judge at the 2011 Shanghai International Wine Challenge. The food and wine were hardly memorable, so I took a sedative to sleep through the trip, and that worked, although I felt groggy my first day in Shanghai.

Flying Premium Economy is a mid-way solution: With Emirates from Frankfurt to Dubai several years ago, for example, to co-host a tasting dinner with Philippe Dhalluin, then director of Château Mouton Rothschild. The wine choices were excellent. Customers who opt for Premium Economy on Emirates today can enjoy fine Pessac-Léognan Château La Garde 2011, a more recent vintage of Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc, and Domaine Chandon 2016, a decent sparkler that is also exclusive in the sky to Emirates Premium Economy. But Premium Economy has its limits: you would not get a seat that is fully reclinable to a flatbed configuration. But even so, not all airlines are equal.

If you purchase an upscale seat for long haul, consider seat configuration. Based near Frankfurt, Germany, I often fly with Lufthansa, but its business class seating is hardly the best. Compare for example with SAS – Scandinavian Airlines – which is not only less expensive, but proposes a one-two-one seat configuration on its Airbus A340, which for single flyers proves more comfortable. Lufthansa has been advertising a change for several years, but the transatlantic business class I took this past April on Lufthansa still meant that you are next to someone else in a two-two-two seat configuration on its A340 (or previously on its Boeing 747-8). On SAS, you can book a single seat that is both window and aisle at the same time. To get that single style seat on Lufthansa, you pay nearly double the price for first class. A couple of other details: Wi-Fi is free on SAS business and staff serve pre meal nuts warm, but on Lufthansa business, you pay for Wi-Fi – and the nuts come in a small bag.

A casual search on the internet means that you can find upscale bargains. Sure, you can enjoy NV Krug Champagne and Château Lynch Bages 2008, if you purchase a US$12,000 nonstop first class ticket for a Paris-to-Tokyo roundtrip flight with Cathay Pacific, which, like Emirates, has a strong reputation for luxurious service and top wine and food selections, but a flight for the same dates (21 August to 10 September), also nonstop in first class, costs about US$8,000 on Air France Premier with Piper-Heidsieck 2006 Rare Champagne. Lufthansa offers a comparable price, from Frankfurt, Germany, with Lanson 2012 Champagne and the excellent Champagne Laurent-Perrier Grande Cuvée Rosé Alexandra 2007. Most first-class tickets come with luxury frills that are not necessary.

I flew Lufthansa first class two years ago, and it comes with a chauffeur-driven ride to the airplane in a Mercedes Benz, from a first-class dedicated terminal complete with private restaurant, cigar lounge and bathtub. Yes, I took a bath before my transatlantic flight. And first-class wine service includes better stemware. On Korean Airlines for example, first class passengers enjoy wine from Riedel glasses, while business class features decent (glass) stems. In economy class, plastic… But one tip for readers who would land in Frankfurt, Germany: no need to book first class to benefit from the Star Alliance welcome lounge at that airport. If you land in the early morning after flying overnight from the United States, for example, you could take a shower in the clean and excellent welcome lounge in Frankfurt, which is the same for both first and business class passengers.

What matters most for me in long haul flights is having a comfortable full-bed conversion, along with enough space between passengers to avoid having to almost climb over a neighbour (that SAS to Lufthansa comparison). Comfort-minded consumers can find bedbug-free deals with business class, which often costs about half the price of first class. The wines may not be as good as in first, but when I fly business, I make it a point to request “a taste” of wines from first class, and I usually get a positive answer. Before you purchase a ticket, do some research: many airlines advertise what they serve on which flight paths.

Have fun on board
Above all, drinking fine wine on board can be a fun experience, and one should not be afraid to ask for an inflight wine tasting. One of my best experiences on board was a flight on the upper deck (business class) of a Lufthansa 747-8, when a flight attendant brought several wines, including some from first class, for a wine tasting when most passengers were asleep. She even lit a candle while pouring the wines on a rear platform meant for staff, covered with a white tablecloth. I am hardly alone with such requests. A passenger flying in Korean Air business class once requested an in-flight blind tasting and was offered a selection of five wines, Champagne included: “We were impressed by the passenger’s deep interest in our newly selected wines,” says wine buyer Marc Almert.

Depending on the staff, you can develop a rapport with the personnel. One highlight came aboard a 12-hour long nonstop flight from Frankfurt to San Diego, en route to judge at the Critics Wine Challenge. On board a Boeing 767 business class section of the lower cost Condor Airlines flight in May 2017, the flight attendant spoke at length about wine and food on board, as she poured a tasty NV Duval Leroy Champagne. At the end of the flight, appreciating my enthusiasm for her service, she gave me a full bottle as a souvenir.

Health concerns
As tempting and pleasurable as it can be to consume wine in flight, the Institute of Aerospace Medicine, German Aerospace Centre, Cologne, Germany published a study in June this year indicating that drinking wine in flight can be particularly dangerous for people with cardiac or pulmonary problems.

The study found that combining alcohol and inflight hypobaric hypoxia – a condition of low oxygen concentration at high altitudes – not only reduces sleep quality, but also strains the cardiovascular system and leads to an extended period of low blood oxygen levels, which can cause not only headaches but also high blood pressure.

Even healthy individuals in the study experienced cardiac strain and lengthy hypoxia. Being mindful of health, my suggestion would be to indulge in only the best possible wines on long-haul flights, but only so much. On short hops – despite the recent fun of having Champagne on that Paris- Ljubljana flight, for example, it may be better – and less expensive – to opt for economy class and to forego any alcohol.