Singapore Airlines goes big on Burgundy and boutique Grand Cru wines
By David Flynn, March 21 2019
Looking for something different to sip while you soar above the clouds? Singapore Airlines is adding an extensive selection of artisanal wine labels to its already well-regarded cellar.
The result will be the widest selection of Burgundy wines in the skies, with 47 labels from small-batch French wineries.
Just don't expect to sample them all at once, turning your business class trip into a Burgundy flight.
Singapore Airlines says the wines will be changed every two months across a period of 18 months, giving passengers plenty of opportunity to sample different drops from one journey to the next. And after all, shouldn't that be part of the appeal?
The airline's wine experts visited vineyards and wineries across different wine regions to taste and source quality small-batch wines. The final list includes exclusive Grand Cru and Premier Cru labels from Faiveley, Benjamin Leroux, Domaine D’Ardhuy and Domaine de Montille.
“During our wine consultants’ visits to the vineyards, we also actively sought out smaller maisons and domaines to bring them into the Singapore Airlines family," explains Betty Wong, who heads the airline's Inflight Services and Design team, "allowing us to expand the depth and range of our offerings, and satisfy the rising demand for more exclusive Burgundy labels.”
Singapore Airlines serves approximately two million bottles of wine on board every year, with its expert wine panel consisting of three world-renowned wine experts: Michael Hill-Smith, Australia's first Master of Wine; Jeannie Cho Lee, the first Asian Master of Wine; and Oz Clarke, one of the world’s most celebrated and colourful wine authorities.
David Flynn is the Editor-in-Chief of Executive Traveller and a bit of a travel tragic with a weakness for good coffee, shopping and lychee martinis.
01 Sep 2018
Total posts 25
"Small-batch" wine? Enough with the marketing spin.. it needn't apply to wine. Any decent red Burgundy, whether from a big or small producer, will undergo a secondary fermentation in a 228L barrique, so you could argue the entire production of the region is "small-batch" if you wanted to do that.
23 May 2014
Total posts 118
Great initiative - love trying wines from smaller, lesser known producers
11 Mar 2019
Total posts 5
As a non-drinker booked on several midyear SQ Business class flights, I do wish mention could be made of any whizzbang non-alcoholic offerings by the major airlines. Not everyone flying J is tempted by fancy booze.
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