Emirates is expanding its wine selection with new premium bottles, including Dom Pérignon Vintage 2017, Château Mouton Rothschild 2003, and the first English sparkling wine ever to feature on the airline’s menu. Some of these wines are aged for years before they even make it on board.
A billion-dollar wine programme
For Emirates, wine is much more than just an accompaniment to the in-flight menu. Since 2006, the airline has invested more than a billion dollars in its wine programme and currently stores approximately five million bottles in its warehouses in France. It purchases many of these wines several years in advance and allows them to age until, according to its experts, they reach the ideal condition for serving. This means that even rarer vintages, which are normally available only in limited quantities, can be served on board.
The most notable new additions await passengers in First Class. The range will gradually be expanded to include, for example, Dom Pérignon Vintage 2017, the Burgundian Chevalier-Montrachet Grand Cru 2015, the white Le Petit Cheval Blanc 2023, the Chilean Seña 2016, and the Australian Penfolds RWT Shiraz 2015. From October, Château Mouton Rothschild 2003—a Bordeaux vintage that has been ageing for more than two decades—will also be available on routes to the UK. From December, the South African Vilafonté Series C 2016 will be added to the selection on selected routes.
Business Class will also be getting new bottles. On routes to the USA, the 2014 La Dame de Montrose from Saint-Estèphe is currently available, while on routes to East Asia, the 2024 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc from Domaine des Sénéchaux will be introduced from the end of September.
Wine must hold up at altitude
Selecting wines for the cabin has its own specific requirements. Emirates takes into account, for example, acidity, tannins, the method of ageing in oak barrels, and the overall maturity of the wine. This is because taste perception changes at altitude, and certain characteristics of food and drink can come across differently than they do on the ground. This is one of the reasons why the airline plans its wine selection several years in advance and does not rely solely on current offerings from winegrowers.
Bordeaux wines intended for Business Class are usually aged for eight to ten years, while selections for First Class may be stored for at least 12 to 15 years. This enables Emirates to plan its wine selection well in advance while also purchasing vintages that might not be available in sufficient quantities at a later date.
New additions are also on the way for Premium Economy and Economy Class. From September, Premium Economy will feature the Chablis Premier Cru Jean-Marc Brocard 2024, followed in October by La Parde de Haut-Bailly 2014 from Bordeaux. An interesting new addition will be Wiston Estate Brut NV—the first English sparkling wine on Emirates’ menu—which will be available exclusively on flights to the UK. In Economy Class, the selection will be expanded to include, for example, Domaine de la Baume Tautavel 2023, Château Pech-Latt Corbières 2024, Cuvée Sabourin Picpoul de Pinet 2024, and the South African Journey’s End Weather Station Sauvignon Blanc 2025.
This expansion of the wine programme demonstrates that Emirates does not base its in-flight selection solely on well-known names and current trends. Time also plays a significant role—some bottles only make it onto the menu after years of ageing, at a stage when, according to the airline, they can offer the best possible expression even under the conditions of air travel.
