The 2015 BA Champagne and Wine Thread
Feb 12, 2015, 9:19 am
#31
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: SFO
Programs: UA 1K, BAEC Gold
Posts: 98
More Fernet is consumed in the SF Bay Area than the rest of the USA combined. It was a restaurant / wine industry thing. Now it's a hipster thing.
Mar 2, 2015, 4:47 am
#32
Join Date: Oct 2012
Posts: 25
Cellars in the Sky Awards 2014
Well this will have SFO 777 choking on his taco......
The winners of Business Traveller's Cellars in the Sky Awards 2014 have been announced, with British Airways scooping four Gold Medals.
The annual awards, which recognise the best business and first class wines served by airlines worldwide, were presented this evening at the Hilton London Paddington by Charles Metcalfe, co-chairman of the International Wine Challenge.
British Airways was the biggest winner, taking the coveted Gold Medal for Best Overall Wine Cellar. It was also placed first in the Best Business Class Cellar, Best First Class Red and Best Business Class White categories.
http://www.businesstraveller.com/cellars-2014
The winners of Business Traveller's Cellars in the Sky Awards 2014 have been announced, with British Airways scooping four Gold Medals.
The annual awards, which recognise the best business and first class wines served by airlines worldwide, were presented this evening at the Hilton London Paddington by Charles Metcalfe, co-chairman of the International Wine Challenge.
British Airways was the biggest winner, taking the coveted Gold Medal for Best Overall Wine Cellar. It was also placed first in the Best Business Class Cellar, Best First Class Red and Best Business Class White categories.
http://www.businesstraveller.com/cellars-2014
Mar 2, 2015, 7:42 pm
#33
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: YVR - Vancouver, with most winter weekends in Whistler.
Programs: Aeroplan 35K, Alaska MVP, Marriott Titanium / Lifetime Platinum, Hertz President's Circle
Posts: 4,609
British Airways was the biggest winner, taking the coveted Gold Medal for Best Overall Wine Cellar. It was also placed first in the Best Business Class Cellar, Best First Class Red and Best Business Class White categories.
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http://www.businesstraveller.com/cellars-2014
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http://www.businesstraveller.com/cellars-2014
With these offerings?
Mar 6, 2015, 12:01 pm
#34
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: in a cabin
Posts: 6,515
And not to mention the wine on offer in Galleries First. PATHETIC.
The only quaffable libation is the Prelude. Such a shame.
The only quaffable libation is the Prelude. Such a shame.
Mar 6, 2015, 12:07 pm
#35
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: Provincie Antwerpen, Vlaanderen, België
Programs: MUCCI Gold
Posts: 2,512
You should try the white they're serving in ET at the moment. It's easily the most revolting thing I've drunk in a long time, 11.5% ABV of odd-coloured crapness that tastes like it owes its existence more to an ICI factory than a vineyard.
It makes Monopole look good in comparison.
It makes Monopole look good in comparison.
Mar 6, 2015, 12:43 pm
#36
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: in a cabin
Posts: 6,515
Well don't we all love a little bit of acidic sulfur in the morning!
Mar 6, 2015, 4:28 pm
#37
FlyerTalk Evangelist, Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Somewhere between 0 and 13,000 metres high
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Posts: 30,499
By the way, one thing puzzles me on the Business traveller awards thinggie. They give an award to BA for J white on a bottle of Condrieu. Do they really offer that?? I have certainly never had the pleasure of being offered Condrieu by BA in CW (ever). If it is true, I shall of course live in hope...
Mar 6, 2015, 4:30 pm
#38
FlyerTalk Evangelist, Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club
Join Date: Jun 2008
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Mar 6, 2015, 4:43 pm
#39
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: London
Programs: BA - Gold for Life, CCR & GGL; IC Spire Elite Ambassador; Diamond Hilton Honors; Hyatt Discoverist
Posts: 6,720
Sad but true regarding short haul wines.
Mar 6, 2015, 5:29 pm
#40
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: In the air
Programs: Hyatt Globalist, Bonvoy LT Plat, Hilton Gold, GHA Tit, BA Gold, Turkish Elite
Posts: 8,712
Is that a new thing? I've never come across this before, but I've only had the occasional trip to CE ever since they brought in Monopole.
Mar 6, 2015, 6:12 pm
#41
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: MAN and LON
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Posts: 13,768
I have just come off a CWLCY flight. 3 out of 4 wines on the menu were unavailable and replaced by a selection which might appear in the bargain bin at Lidl. Pouilly fume was replaced by a cheap French SB, there was a cheap Californian Chardonnay and rather than the menu St Emililion there was a cooking Bordeaux. Only the Chianti was the wine on the menu.
This leads me to wonder whether the award given to BA recently was for wine they actually serve or the better promised menu selection.
This leads me to wonder whether the award given to BA recently was for wine they actually serve or the better promised menu selection.
Mar 6, 2015, 11:33 pm
#42
FlyerTalk Evangelist, Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club
Join Date: Jun 2008
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Not really, apart from the Champagne I think the regular wine has been the same as economy on short haul for years (and vile it is too!!)
Mar 7, 2015, 1:18 am
#43
Join Date: Dec 2013
Location: Glasgow
Programs: BAEC Silver, Sixt Platinum, HHons Diamond
Posts: 927
I'm a fellow IWC judge so if people are interested I can ask Charles when I next see him about these awards. Are people saying that the winning wines never actually turn up on flights?
Mar 7, 2015, 2:02 am
#44
FlyerTalk Evangelist, Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club
Join Date: Jun 2008
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Posts: 30,499
If you are referring to my post about the Condrieu, I genuinely meant it as a question. I certainly never had it in CW (of which I take at least 20 flights a year if not more) but I do realise that menus may vary by route and there are multiple menu rotations each month too (I think two menus per month per city pair) so I was genuinely curious whether I had just been unlucky (I love a good Condrieu and still think of it as the quintessential example of subliming viognier) or if indeed, it was if not a ghost wine (I can't imagine them completely lying about it), at least an anecdotal wine that merely turned up on a number of flights.
If you meant Land-of-Miles's comments, I can confirm that it is frequent that some wines on the menu are not available on board although I would say that 3 out of 4 is actually really unusual in my experience. I hope it was a pure unlucky coincidence rather than a trend.
I presume each airline chooses which of the wines it offers in a given travel class it enters in the competition? If so, I suppose it might be worth asking them to specify what proportion of flights it was actually available on for the judges' information?
Mar 7, 2015, 2:51 am
#45
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: Provincie Antwerpen, Vlaanderen, België
Programs: MUCCI Gold
Posts: 2,512
If I'm in CE it's either the monopole (yes, I know...) or a G&T.
I will be avoiding the white in future as I can see no other justification for it being offered other than being the lowest cost item in the supplier's catalogue.