Originally Posted by
ACYYZ/SD
Bear in mind that by all measures NZ is a small airline. Less than 30 long haul aircraft with are provisioned with wine, and a large number of their domestic services feature all Y service and no alcohol provided depending on the time of day. AY is absolutely correct when he states that volume is a factor. A CDN boutique winery would basically have to offer AC sole/preferred supplier status thereby limiting it's exposure. And yes, price point is a factor.
NZ is one of the few airlines that does an excellent job showcasting local wines, though I agree with you it's somewhat easier for them to do so since they're a fairly small airline. With two dozen longhaul flights a day (plus possibly a handful of trans-tasman flights) it's definitely possible to feature some wines from smaller winery.
AC operates at least 100 flights a day with Signature service, so at least 1000 cases of a particular wine would be needed even if AC switched the menu every month. If it were a nice wine pax actually enjoyed (or that AC prominently displayed on the menu), that number could easily double or triple.
I still think it's a shame AC doesn't make an effort to offer at least 1-2 decent local wines (and maybe some Cdn ice wine for those who are interested in sampling it), but AC would have to increase its budget quite a bit to do so.