Since 1985, the Cellars in the Sky awards have been celebrating the best inflight wines in first and business class.
The competition is open to all airlines who think their bins can tantalise the tastebuds of the judging panel, which this year comprised Charles Metcalfe (Head Judge), Masters of Wine Peter McCombie and Sam Caporn, and winemaker John Worontschak.
There are 16 categories, ranging from Best Business Class Sparkling wine to the coveted Best Overall Cellar.
This year, 30 airlines entered the awards, in up to seven categories each, and the awards were sponsored by Château d'Esclans, Bottega, Pimentae, The Pickle House and The Uncommon.
A total of 280 bottles of wine were blind-tasted by the four-person judging panel over two days. To ensure anonymity and impartiality, all bottles were concealed under black bags and hidden until the judging process had been completed.
[https://cdn.magzter.com/1450191940/1708709818/articles/g7iu3KFF01709041384757/7071011117.jpg]
WHAT IS BLIND TASTING?
"Tasting blind is a really fun exercise for us because you're not being swayed by the label," says Sam Caporn. "You can't even be swayed by what it is or where it's from. Sometimes you taste a wine and you go: 'Oh, I know this is an Australian Shiraz, but a couple of times we've had no idea. It takes away all those preconceptions, and you're basically saying: Does it taste nice? Is it balanced? What's its inherent quality? Is it a delicious glass of wine?"
John Worontschak adds: "When we read the label, we might think 'Oh, that's high quality, that's expensive, that has a famous reputation... and therefore it's good wine. We're taking that out of the equation by doing this blind and just focusing on 'How does it taste?"
Eliminating label bias is one thing - but how do the judges mitigate against personal preference?
"Everyone has a slight palate bias," admits Caporn. "So even though you try to be objective, everyone will have one style of wine they like more than others, but as a team we combine the scores and knock that bias out."
However, bar a few disagreements, the judges found the process fairly harmonious. "There have been some real wow wines in each flight that we are all unanimous over - they are the ones that really shine and rise to the top," Caporn says.
[https://cdn.magzter.com/1450191940/1708709818/articles/g7iu3KFF01709041384757/1070708101.jpg]
ALTITUDE ADJUSTMENTS
One of the key differentiators for these industry wine awards is the consideration that must be made for the cabin environment.
"We're all aware of the parameters for drinking in the air," says Peter McCombie. "You're in a pressurised tube, the humidity's low, your mucus dries out, there's constant white noise, vibrations, stress... As a result, the taste of things is more angular and in your face. Things...
The competition is open to all airlines who think their bins can tantalise the tastebuds of the judging panel, which this year comprised Charles Metcalfe (Head Judge), Masters of Wine Peter McCombie and Sam Caporn, and winemaker John Worontschak.
There are 16 categories, ranging from Best Business Class Sparkling wine to the coveted Best Overall Cellar.
This year, 30 airlines entered the awards, in up to seven categories each, and the awards were sponsored by Château d'Esclans, Bottega, Pimentae, The Pickle House and The Uncommon.
A total of 280 bottles of wine were blind-tasted by the four-person judging panel over two days. To ensure anonymity and impartiality, all bottles were concealed under black bags and hidden until the judging process had been completed.
[https://cdn.magzter.com/1450191940/1708709818/articles/g7iu3KFF01709041384757/7071011117.jpg]
WHAT IS BLIND TASTING?
"Tasting blind is a really fun exercise for us because you're not being swayed by the label," says Sam Caporn. "You can't even be swayed by what it is or where it's from. Sometimes you taste a wine and you go: 'Oh, I know this is an Australian Shiraz, but a couple of times we've had no idea. It takes away all those preconceptions, and you're basically saying: Does it taste nice? Is it balanced? What's its inherent quality? Is it a delicious glass of wine?"
John Worontschak adds: "When we read the label, we might think 'Oh, that's high quality, that's expensive, that has a famous reputation... and therefore it's good wine. We're taking that out of the equation by doing this blind and just focusing on 'How does it taste?"
Eliminating label bias is one thing - but how do the judges mitigate against personal preference?
"Everyone has a slight palate bias," admits Caporn. "So even though you try to be objective, everyone will have one style of wine they like more than others, but as a team we combine the scores and knock that bias out."
However, bar a few disagreements, the judges found the process fairly harmonious. "There have been some real wow wines in each flight that we are all unanimous over - they are the ones that really shine and rise to the top," Caporn says.
[https://cdn.magzter.com/1450191940/1708709818/articles/g7iu3KFF01709041384757/1070708101.jpg]
ALTITUDE ADJUSTMENTS
One of the key differentiators for these industry wine awards is the consideration that must be made for the cabin environment.
"We're all aware of the parameters for drinking in the air," says Peter McCombie. "You're in a pressurised tube, the humidity's low, your mucus dries out, there's constant white noise, vibrations, stress... As a result, the taste of things is more angular and in your face. Things...
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Business Traveller Uk (Digital) - 1 Issue, March 2024