Qantas has the best selection of business and first class wines, according to the results of a wine awards organised by ABTN’s sister publication Business Traveller.
The Australian airline beat 35 other airlines to win top honours for Best First Class White, First Class Red and First Class Sparkling, as well as Best Business Class Cellar, Best First Class Cellar and Consistency of Wines Across Business and First Class.
The awards were judged by a team of professional wine tasters, and presented by Charles Metcalfe, TV wine presenter and co-chairman of the International Wine Challenge.
Qatar Airways also ranked well, receiving awards for Best Business Class Sparkling, Business Class Fortified/Sweet (jointly with All Nippon Airways) and First Class Fortified, while Kiwi carrier Air New Zealand won two awards, for Best Business Class Red and Best-presented Wine List.
The prize for the Airline with the Most Improved Business Class Cellar went to Lufthansa, while the award for Airline with the Most Improved First Class Cellar went to All Nippon Airways, and that for Best Alliance went to Oneworld.
The airlines that took part were: Aer Lingus, Aegean Airlines, Air Astana, Air Canada, Air New Zealand, Alitalia, American Airlines, All Nippon Airlines, Austrian Airlines, British Airways, Brussels Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Delta Air Lines, El Al, Etihad, Emirates, Finnair, Gulf Air, Iberia, Jet Airways, Kenya Airways, Kingfisher Airlines, Korean Air, LAN, Lufthansa, Malaysia Airlines, Oman Air, Qantas, Qatar Airways, Scandinavian Airlines, Singapore Airlines, Swiss, South African Airways, TAM, Thai Airways and United Airlines.
For a full list of winners and shortlisted airlines click here.