"New Premium Wine" Listed on the website

[FutureUScapt]

Wine Listings

On a side note, they seem to be slowly freshening up the website particularly the sub-sections, giving it a cleaner look, much like the new International sites, which IMO looks better than the regular site.

 

[DrBeth]

Wine Listings

On a side note, they seem to be slowly freshening up the website particularly the sub-sections, giving it a cleaner look, much like the new International sites, which IMO looks better than the regular site.

They can clean a website up, why can't they clean the planes?

And I will defer to one of our wine experts on the forum to explain these new "premium" wines! But I will say that I can go down to a grocery store and check on the "premium-ness!"

 

[Art at ISP]

Premium Wines? Does that mean they're from a better week?

 

[PHLfa88]

They can clean a website up, why can't they clean the planes?

And I will defer to one of our wine experts on the forum to explain these new "premium" wines! But I will say that I can go down to a grocery store and check on the "premium-ness!"

I Have Done That..At Least The New Wine Is Now In The $15-25 Range Instead Of $4-10 Range! They Still Don't Get It Though...We Need A Cab and a Merlot instead Of two Merlots and Two Chardonays..But They Are Very Good Choices Though!

FFOCUS= Fear Focus!

 

[Travelpro72]

They should go with boxed wines. It's easier to carry.

 

[DrBeth]

I thought the Berengers on the list were under $10, or is it just that I can get them in my area for under $10? I do live in an area where the cost of living (and drinking!) is lower!

I do understand that price is not everything, either. However, the list seems rather ordinary.

 

[Travelpro72]

I don't understand how they find Redwood Creek acceptable. Even if you weren't that much of a wine snob you'd wanna spit back into your party cup. It's disgusting. It's a little odd when coach wine is better than the domestic first offering. Unreal. That Redwood Creek smells like playdough.

 

[Coffee_Tea_Or_Me]

Still so ghetto. The Envoy wines sound more like a "real" airline's first class wines. They should up the ante on their quote/unquote business class product.

 

[sfb]

I Have Done That..At Least The New Wine Is Now In The $15-25 Range Instead Of $4-10 Range! They Still Don't Get It Though...We Need A Cab and a Merlot instead Of two Merlots and Two Chardonays..But They Are Very Good Choices Though!

FFOCUS= Fear Focus!

Mmmmm not quite. One review of the Beringer Stone Cellar Chardonnay said:

A little contrived (think petri dish) but for $4--that's right, I paid $12 for three bottles, it is a drinkable wine. For that price, raise a couple glasses!

The coach class cabernet can be found for $7/bottle. The first class cab is a whopping $8/bottle.

Why not just go into a marketing partnership with Trader Joe's and offer Charles Shaw (a.k.a. three-buck-Chuck)?

 

[Travelpro72]

I say we offer Mad Dog 20/20. Hell throw an ice cube in that party cup and your good to go. It's even available in a multitude of flavors.

 

[signals]

Are they screw-top or corked or boxed?

I gotta tell ya, some of the discriptions sound like wine coolers. So the premium is the price! You're getting premium wine coolers.

 

[FlyGuyBWI]

I don't know about the new Envoy wines, but F/C is screw-top. I'm sure Tempe tried to find an acceptable boxed wine, but since they've removed all the galleys and closets in the east Airbus', there is just no place to store the boxes -- unless you scarifice space for ice, and ... well, really, what is boxed wine without the ice?!

 

[Travelpro72]

Domestic wine in coach is screw cap bottles except for the chenin blanc which is corked. We had to continue serving it until the supply was used and the contract was finished. Transatlantic is corked bottles only. As for the boxed wines there are a few that are surprisingly tolerable such as the Hardy's brand and Black Box brand. I'm no box wine advocate but considering what we offer NOW it wouldn't be a step back but a step forward. I will say that one problem we really have is multiple bottles of screw cap wine open at once. Corked or screw capped, once the air hits it it's three days max to serve. God only knows how long we have wine flying around.

 

[vantheman63]

I Have Done That..At Least The New Wine Is Now In The $15-25 Range Instead Of $4-10 Range! They Still Don't Get It Though...We Need A Cab and a Merlot instead Of two Merlots and Two Chardonays..But They Are Very Good Choices Though!

At the risk of breaking my arm patting myself on the back....I'm in the wine business....with all due respect and at the risk of sounding condescending....you could not be more incorrect.

$15 - $25 is WAY, WAY, WAY off....you can buy Bohemian whatever at The Wine Library in New Jersey for $5.99 a bottle....making it plonk jug wine.

I'd actually never heard of the stuff before....I had to Google it to gather any info.

Beringer and the other schlock I've heard of....

 

[vantheman63]

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 - - -