"champagne" in delta one between jfk and zrh
Jun 4, 2019, 1:45 pm
#16
Join Date: Apr 2016
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True for us all. I have had some amazing wines that I have bought on closeout for under $5 and I am usually very receptive to cheap wines at home so long as it does not taste too terrible. Although, price and taste are not causal, there is correlation in that generally higher priced wines are of higher quality (although that is definitely not guaranteed). DL's wine buying has seemed to follow that correlation in that as the spending has decreased, so has the taste. I have bought some really awful wines in my life, but probably the worst wines I have ever had have been on DL flights (the white they served out of the box on intl flights in Y circa 2012, one of the dessert wines (not the port) from last summer in D1, and a few wines in domestic F in the last 12 months).
Jun 4, 2019, 1:58 pm
#17
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Over a 50 year period I've visited Reims and Epernay many times and visited many of the "big" champagne producers, at the end of the tour you get to sample (for a fee) some nice champagne--I'm certain none of these had apple under/over tones.
Yes, what I was served in flight was (as noted in 8 ) Gardet.
What is most annoying (to me) is that AA in their Flagship lounge and DL in the SC serves some nice champagne, yet on the plane they serve stuff of lesser quality.
Yes, what I was served in flight was (as noted in 8 ) Gardet.
What is most annoying (to me) is that AA in their Flagship lounge and DL in the SC serves some nice champagne, yet on the plane they serve stuff of lesser quality.
Jun 4, 2019, 2:11 pm
#18
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As one rough guide, restaurants often charge the wholesale price they paid for one bottle for one glass (so if you pay $15 for a glass, that's what they paid for whole bottle). Delta sells wine in coach for $9 per glass, so this should be about the wholesale price per bottle of that wine.
Jun 4, 2019, 2:19 pm
#19
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Yes, but not as "strong" as what DL served on my most recent flight.
Jun 4, 2019, 2:54 pm
#20
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Jun 4, 2019, 3:18 pm
#21
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I think this is low. D1 seats sell for thousands of dollars and the wine quality should reflect that. While I agree that price is not always linked to quality, it often is. I would say that D1 wines should be more in the $30-$50 range, domestic F, which is increasingly paid for rather than given away, should be in the $20 range, and coach should be more in the $10 range.
As one rough guide, restaurants often charge the wholesale price they paid for one bottle for one glass (so if you pay $15 for a glass, that's what they paid for whole bottle). Delta sells wine in coach for $9 per glass, so this should be about the wholesale price per bottle of that wine.
As one rough guide, restaurants often charge the wholesale price they paid for one bottle for one glass (so if you pay $15 for a glass, that's what they paid for whole bottle). Delta sells wine in coach for $9 per glass, so this should be about the wholesale price per bottle of that wine.
And while I totally agree that D1 wines should be in the $30-$50 range, I don't expect them to be.
Jun 4, 2019, 6:43 pm
#22
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Keep in mind that DL has enormous buying power. They should be able to source wines that retail in the $20 range for much less. I think the markup is usually about 30%, so they can get that bottle for $14. At 4 glasses a bottle thats $3.50 per glass. I don't think that's an unreasonable cost for domestic F, and DL may be able to do better (maybe much better) than a 30% discount from the retail price, driving that cost down further.
Jun 4, 2019, 11:11 pm
#23
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I think the OP is saying the menu describes the champagne on offer as having notes of apple. That is different from having a flavored sparkling beverage (or the cheap PDB stuff).
To the OP: lots of fancy wines and champagnes are described by wine enthusiasts of "having notes of" or "tastes of" various things -- different fruits, spices, even things like smoke or leather. These are all natural byproducts of the winemaking process and don't mean anything has been added or flavored in the wine. Delta's D1 international champagne -- once up at altitude, not the cheaper stuff served pre-departure -- is a perfectly respectable champagne offering for international business class.
To the OP: lots of fancy wines and champagnes are described by wine enthusiasts of "having notes of" or "tastes of" various things -- different fruits, spices, even things like smoke or leather. These are all natural byproducts of the winemaking process and don't mean anything has been added or flavored in the wine. Delta's D1 international champagne -- once up at altitude, not the cheaper stuff served pre-departure -- is a perfectly respectable champagne offering for international business class.
Wet tennis balls,
Jun 5, 2019, 9:07 am
#24
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OP, respectfully, your post makes no sense to me. There is no artificial flavoring added. Some of the best Champagnes, such as Krug, are often described by sommeliers as having apple notes on the nose and palate.
Jun 5, 2019, 12:44 pm
#25
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As I noted (upthread) I've visited lots of Champagne houses in France and drunk many "upscale" champagnes at "upscale" brunches as well as lounges (AA, BA, DL) and in general none of these had OVERPOWERING apple flavoring like the stuff DL served on my recent flts between JFK and ZRH.
I never implied that there was apple flavoring added to what I was served.
Jun 5, 2019, 1:28 pm
#26
Join Date: May 2010
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This entire thread reminds me of a man I once knew who was a "wine expert'. So we poured 3 buck chuck into an expensive bottle and let him spend the next half an hour extolling it's virtues.
(And by the way ANY champagne or wine is going to taste different at 30,000 LOL! )
It's an airplane not a Michelin restaurant!
(And by the way ANY champagne or wine is going to taste different at 30,000 LOL! )
It's an airplane not a Michelin restaurant!
Jun 5, 2019, 2:25 pm
#27
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I'm not a fan of this sentiment which is repeated in various forms ad nauseam on FT. While air travel certainly does pose certain challenges to food service, experiences tells us that it is certainly possible to serve excellent food & drink in-flight. Whether or not DL's various food programs qualify as excellent, or whether or not they should be that way is a matter of debate, but it really has nothing to do with it being an airplane.
Jun 5, 2019, 11:17 pm
#28
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I'm not a fan of this sentiment which is repeated in various forms ad nauseam on FT. While air travel certainly does pose certain challenges to food service, experiences tells us that it is certainly possible to serve excellent food & drink in-flight. Whether or not DL's various food programs qualify as excellent, or whether or not they should be that way is a matter of debate, but it really has nothing to do with it being an airplane.
Jun 5, 2019, 11:52 pm
#29
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I'm not a fan of this sentiment which is repeated in various forms ad nauseam on FT. While air travel certainly does pose certain challenges to food service, experiences tells us that it is certainly possible to serve excellent food & drink in-flight. Whether or not DL's various food programs qualify as excellent, or whether or not they should be that way is a matter of debate, but it really has nothing to do with it being an airplane.
Jun 6, 2019, 11:57 am
#30
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Right, I said that air travel poses challenges. But take a look at the trip reports forum and you will see that it is certainly possible to do much, much better than the typical Delta meal. And I'm not speaking about IFC, I'm talking about other J products.