Originally Posted by
Robert Leach
As one that many would consider a wine "snob" I personally don't get all bent out of shape when a sparkling wine from anywhere is served casually on the plane as "Champagne." I know that it's not technically Champagne, but I understand when any sparkling wine is referred to in that manner.
Of all of the problems with the Delta wine program, on my list this issue is a bit low.
I am more concerned with the quality of the wines served overall than the finer points such as the one you raise, even though your points are certainly valid. It is abundantly clear that the focus is on the procurement price of the wines rather than the quality of the wines, and it has not always been that way in the international front cabin on Delta.
I don't think DL has a wine list that is any worse than most other J wine lists out there. Heck, I struggle to think of a better J wine than the Paul Hobbs DL was serving a few months back. I don't have the same love of torrontes that DL does, but you get the same $20-ish wines that most carriers serve in J. Some are excellent, some are bad, and most are steady.
As to the champagne controversy... I think DL should serve the wines on their list in J. That includes the champagne. My experience is that that most of the FAs simply know nothing about wine and don't care, either. I also think that making a big deal out of this (such as sending a written complaint) is silly.