. I mean, we haven’t even taken off yet, and I’m already feeling slightly squiffy.
Neil Perry, left, and Qantas CEO Alan Joyce, right, raise a glass of Taittinger to toast the maiden flight of the airline’s first Boeing 787 Dreamliner in October 2017.A few years ago, Qantas engaged celebrity chef Neil Perry’s team of crack sommeliers from the Rockpool Group to help select the wines offered on its flights. And since 1989 Singapore Airlines has employed a panel of international wine identities.
To provide some focus – to perhaps emphasise the gastronomic over the pragmatic – we’ve restricted the critique to the pointy end of the plane, where the wines are being matched to high-end dishes, and to the wine offerings in First and Business lounges. It was a fascinating exercise, and yielded a few surprises – not all good.
But the highlight is the 2005 Montrose, a classic claret from Saint Estèphe, offered as part of the Emirates Vintage Collection, a range of heavy hitters from Bordeaux such as 2004 Mouton Rothschild, 2005 Château Cos d’Estournel and 1998 Léoville Las Cases that the airline has cellared itself.