A number of people pm'd me and e-mailed me asking for my "professional" thoughts on this since I do make a living selling wine. These are only my opinions....which of course doesn't make them right, just my thoughts....
And I'll start at the lowest common denominator and work up...there might even be some information for people to learn from here....
COACH CLASS DOMESTIC - Stone Cellars by Beringer
My opinion is this is the ONLY thing that got upgraded here....these wines are not only fine for coach, but better then nearly any wine put into a 187mL from my vantage point. That being said....I would have opted for box wine in coach. Don't laugh, there are LOTS of EXCELLENT box wines available these days. And I have a friend who is doing box wines from France (Bordeaux and The Languedoc) and they are fantastic.
FIRST CLASS DOMESTIC - Redwood Creek Cab & Crooked Limb Chard
This is abysmal....I've never heard of either wine but after looking at the labels, I understand them. These are wines that are made in the EXACT context of "Two Buch Chuck." And all you airline jockeys out there will understand part of this....
With any product, be it wine or airline seats, there is often "excess inventory" sold of in bulk to consolidators who then package it an move it. These wines are bulk wine, bought as bulk, finished and then a label slapped on them. the first clue you are buying bulk wine is on the label: "Produced and bottled by" means the wine was produced by the vintner every step of the way, from grape to bottle. "Cellared & Bottle By, Bottled By or Vinted & Bottled By" means you are buying wine that was made and sold off in bulk and then package.
The secret to "Two Buck Chuck" was that, after 9/11 and the recession, there was LOADS of excess inventory...and it had to be sold. Fred Franzia was that outlet. There were some batches of "Two Buck Chuck" that were, quite literally, Far Niente (a VERY high cost, highly sought after Napa property) and then there were other batches of "Two Buck Chuck" that were plonk...disgusting dredge. I've NEVER seen more variation in any wine product.
Redwood Creek is the exact same thing...only worse. They aren't buying from the likes of Far Niente, EVER....I have however tasted this wine (outside an airliner) and found it decent...and other times I've tasted it and spit it out...it was AWFUL.
Bottom line: If you are trying to set up an image, there are MUCH better ways to do it...this wine is awful...and it's a perverse joke in a First Class Cabin.
HOWEVER.....I can't say I'm that thrilled about ANY wine in domestic F Class. De Bortoli (Australia) has been on CO and UA and that's the best I've tasted. If you are going drink domestic offerings, stick to whites. The reason? They are in less demand, therefore less money...and they tend be better wines. It's easier to find good Chardonnay.
A ton of TOP QUALITY Napa Cabernet STARTS at $4,000 per ton. A ton of grapes is 60 cases....720 bottles...the math is simple. For Chardonnay, top quality Napa Chard is much less....maybe $2,000 or $2,500 a ton. Incidentally, for trivia freaks, there are grapes in Napa, Cabernet grapes that are sold for as much as $37,000 a ton.
ENVOY WINES - This is also a nearly COMPLETE embarrasment. How on EARTH can these guys be proud of these wines???
Now, the two best wines of the bunch are the Beringer Chard and the Gallo Chard, Frei Ranch. In fact, I'd dare say I'd drink the Gallo many times over the Beringer.
But the reds? Good LORD!!!
ENVOY should be, at a MINIMUM some investment put into these wines....the Frei Ranch, at MOST is a $7 bottle wholesale....the Beringer is probably a little more....but not much.
In short....if I were paying the kind of money to fly in Envoy it costs, I would be shocked, saddened and scratching my head, "why the hell can't they put some decent wine on the airplane?" UA has 2004 Amiral de Beychevelle on board...that is a GREAT wine! Now, granted, US want "uniquely American wines." Great...then for God's sake, put at least Mondavi Cab or something respectable on.
As a side note, I've sold NWA wine before....I sold them Napa Red from a Napa Property that had an extra 600 cases to rid itself of. I sold the wine for about $8 per bottle...it was from the 1998 vintage and was used Trans Pacific Business.
Domestic Coach = B
Domestic First = D-/F
ENVOY = F - - -
