The long-haul airline is making a surprising investment in the best vintages of the classics.
© Emirates | Only the best French wines will do for these first class passengers on Emirates.
It’s always nice to see people spending their money on good wine, but the announcement of a half-billion-dollar investment in Emirates Airline’s wine program is mind-boggling.
The airline announced this week that it had spent $500 million on “a long-term investment, with the aim of sourcing the best vintages up to a decade before they are ready for consumption.” The wine program has enabled Emirates to accumulate more than 1.2 million bottles in its Burgundy cellar, some of which will not be ready for a decade.
The airline serves mouth-watering wines to its first class passengers, like the 2003 Dom Pérignon Rosé on its A380 service between San Francisco and Houston, but the core of its collection is geared towards Bordeaux.
It features different vintages of heavyweight châteaux such as Margaux, LafiteTower, Rothschild sheep and Haut-Brion.
“Our wine lists consistently highlight classic French wines, particularly those intended to accompany food,” said airline chairman Sir Tim Clark.
“Most of these vintages come from renowned châteaux that resonate with our customers. French reds provide an anchor for our wine lists, around which we build a balanced selection of regions and styles, so our customers always have wine options they would choose. to enjoy with a meal, alone and/or as an accompaniment to a dessert.
Rather than relying on intermediary buyers, Emirates’ own team of experts traveled directly to some of the world’s best wineries to select and secure the wines served on board.
“For us, wine is an experience,” Clark said. “Our customers want to taste wine on board as if they were in a gourmet restaurant. It’s not just about red, white or rosé. They are interested in the origin of the grape, the vintage, the heritage of the vineyard, etc. That’s why, more than ten years ago, we moved away from the usual corporate procurement process and decided to take control of our own destiny.”
He said simply going out to tender would have been an easy way out.
“Given the scale of our operations, this would limit our choices, as few producers are able to offer the quantities we would need, with the quality standards we desire. We prefer to buy the best possible wines in smaller batches. , and offer our customers more opportunities to taste the best vintages.”
This kind of attitude should be well appreciated in Bordeaux during the primeur season.
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