The dry cabin air can change the way that people taste and experience wine on an airplane. Red wines are often more delicate and sensitive to flight, while whites don't have some of the same tannins and bitter tones.
I read an interview with Doug Frost, an American Master of Wine, Master Sommelier and longtime consultant for United Airlines, which sells 7M bottles each year. The process he outlined is roughly as follows:
- United sends an RFP to all major importers and wineries that contains:
- Price range
- Obviously higher for First Class, but Business Class wines are typically just as expensive, but with more "adventurous" varietals
- Grapes
- Country / region of origin
- United typically serves one New Word red and one Old World Red, one New World white and one Old World white
- Vintage range
- Style of wine
- Balance of medium-bodied and old-bodied
- Doug reviews the written wine offerings based on:
- Balance in style (no excessive alcohols, tannins, etc.)
- His best guess as the likelihood of a wine's success upon taste
- Doug conducts a preliminary (non-blind) tasting of a few hundred wines (up to 600)
- Doug narrows it down to about 100 wines
- United's tasting group (purchasing, beverage, culinary, logistics management, Global Services representatives) do a blind tasting
Random tidbits about wine on planes that I found interesting:
- Airlines spend a lot of money on wines, but are willing to do it because it's such an important brand differentiator
- There are rules for service and handling of wines, which can explain why some red wines are so cold on flights. All airline food and drink must be kept at 40 degrees F for at least 12 hours before being loaded onto a plane, and all bottles opened while in flight must be emptied by landing time (for tax purposes). This means that the Dom Perignon not finished in first class must be dumped!
- Singapore Airlines is the only airline to have its own warehouse for aging wines instead of just storing it. Most other airlines just serve it immediately
Sources:
http://www.vinography.com/archives/2011/04/airline_wine_nearly_everything.html
http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748703882304575465880902787128
Super interesting post Nisha! I'm particularly surprised at the lack of necessity of airlines to set preference to promote wines from their country of headquarters (ie-- United choosing between various New World wines rather than a selection of US wines from California, Oregon, Virginia, etc.)
ReplyDeleteOn a separate note, a good friend of mine works for Emirates and mentioned that Emirates is the world's largest buyer of Dom Perignon Champagne and as such as been able to offer exclusive vintages in their onboard tasting menu. I'm curious which other luxury branded airlines will follow suit and if Etihad's recent purchase of Alitalia will compel them to create a similar partnership arrangement.
Great post! It made me think of Tito's vodka. Tito's was able to secure itself as the exclusive vodka on United flights in May 2013, when they were still a relatively small manufacturer. For context (at the time of deal), Absolut sold about 4.7mm cases in the US in 2012 vs. Tito's ~850,000 cases. Also of note, vodka is the number one-selling spirit served on United flights... So while apparently margins are quite low in selling to airlines, it was an incredible way for Tito's to increase its brand recognition and global reach.
ReplyDeleteA year later, in honor of the anniversary, customers in United’s premium cabins were able toy order the “Pie in the Sky” cocktail: Tito's Handmade Vodka, ginger ale and a splash of cranberry apple.
Tito’s has been one of the fastest growing micro distilleries in the US over the past few years. It earned earned a unanimous Double Gold Medal at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition, and it was awarded a score of 95 by Wine Enthusiast for its impeccable purity and clean taste.