United Built The Best Business Class Wine Program—But Delta And American Are Escalating A Champagne War With Taittinger And Bollinger

United Airlines invests a shockingly lot in its business class wine program. That was a change about a year ago, and their onboard wines are much nicer than what Delta and American service – and frankly even nicer than Air France and other European competitors, too.

Here’s a current transatlantic wine list.

Polaris wine
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Most flyers find this to be unusually strong for a plane in business class, and it’s certainly better than what United used to sreve and what competitors offer.

Folks generally enjoy the Catena Zapata “Argentino” Malbec. The Domaine Serene gets real respect, and for what it’s worth United previously poured Domaine Serene Pinot as well. The only downside is that it’s tough to pair nicer wines with United’s mediocre onboard food.

I don’t why they allow the Whispering Angel Rosé into this grouping, it brings everything down by association, even the Aperture which is certainly a prestige bottle even if it wouldn’t be my top pick.

Of course, customers will be disappointed when the onboard catering doesn’t match the menu. That’s true of every airline. A reader shared on Friday that her Los Angeles – New York JFK flight in American’s Flagship First advertised Boizel Brut Reserve Champagne, a very respectable bottle, but what was catered was actually Paul Chennau Cava (which I see on sale online for under $4 at the moment).

Flight attendants also aren’t going to be knowledgeable about what they’re serving. There was a time airlines invested in wine education for crew but that’s not something any U.S. carriers are really currently doing that I’m aware of.

One thing I do miss is United’s Polaris “wine flights” when the new business class soft product launched nearly a decade ago. That led to too much consumption and going way over budget. It invited indulgence! You can still sample if you wish, but there were custom glasses for the presentation and it was something you were invited to do.

Overall the United wine list is deliberate and conservative, leaning into recognizable brands, technically correct wines, presenting minimal risk. It’s designed to work at altitude and be recognizable as an investment – safe, premium-adjacent producers (Laurent-Perrier, Domaine Serene, Trimbach, Catena Zapata) with styles that skew ripe, polished, and smooth.

There is nothing bad here but I’m also not sure I’d characterize anything as an ‘interesting bottle’ either. Still, that that’s the margin of criticism is incredibly impressive for the evolution of what United is doing.

If I were presented with this list, here’s how I’d think about the choices:

• Trimbach “Réserve Personnelle” Pinot Gris. Not by any means the most expensive, but the best choice on the list. Dry, structured, with enough acidity to survive airplane food at altitude.

• Catena Zapata “Argentino” Malbec. Ripe fruit with density to stand up to beef short ribs or over-sauced Polaris mains.

• Domaine Serene “Evenstad Reserve” Chardonnay 2023, Polished, oak-influenced Chardonnay with good balance. Generic and unmemorable but certainly drinkable.

• Richard G. Peterson Pinot Noir. This is a safe California Pinot. Nothing memorable here either but perfectly acceptable.

• Aperture Cabernet Sauvignon 2022. This may be the priciest bottle on the list. It’s a big, plush California cab albeit tannin-soft and predictable.

• Taylor Fladgate “Late Bottled Vintage” Porto 2019. This is a classic sweet, rich port that works as a dessert wine. Not bad at all.

Right now the airlne competition is in business class champagnes among U.S. carriers. Delta and American do not currently come close to United in wines. Here’s what each are doing:

• United: Laurent-Perrier, crisp, citrusy, refreshing
• Delta: Taittinger, bright, elegant, Chardonnay-leaning
  
• American: Bollinger, bigger, Pinot-driven,toasty.

The funny thing here is that, though American came last among these three (and so had fewer partner choices) I actually think Bollinger Special Cuvée works best at altitude. It has more depth than the others and also works with food. It can feel a bit like a light white Burgundy with bubbles. It can taste like something at altitude, when your palate is dulled. Taittinger is the most elegant, but I think a bit too light in-flight versus on the ground.

Bollinger will work with creamy sauces, chicken, and pork dishes as well as salty snacks. Laurent-Perrier is probably best with seafood-ish items, salads, and lighter starters. It would also work as a reset between courses. Taittinger isn’t going to hold up to most food at altitude.

The interesting thing, to me, is that champagne was where American needed the least work. Over the summer my Dallas – Venice flight served Nicolas Feuillatte which is fine. Bollinger is better! But the wines they serve are genuinely atrocious. They’re going to get more of a “luxury signal” with a name champagne, and Bollinger may have the strongest signal (and is often perceived as “more serious”) than the others. Taittinger is going to be ‘tastefulness and restraint’.

If forced to rank these, I’d say:

1. Bollinger (most robust, works best in the air)
   
2. Laurent-Perrier (cleanest, most consistently pleasant)
   
3. Taittinger (best finesse, but a bit underwhelming at altitude)

I’m curious to hear your impressions of the wine and champagne competition across U.S. carriers, how they compare globally, and whether you think my picks are off. That’s part of the fun in this is that so much is subjective taste. Regardless, we’re a long way from the days of Delta serving $4 Andre is business class!

No U.S. airline is going to compete with the sheer wine investment Emirates makes in its most premium cabin (“why yes, please do leave that bottle of Yquem at my seat, thank you!”) or the thoughtful choices that follow Singapore Airlines having a pressurized tasting room on the ground to simulate the effects at altitude (or offering a choice of three premium champagnes from selections like NV Krug Grande Cuvée; Taittinger Comtes de Champagne; Louis Roederer Cristal; Charles Heidsieck Blanc des Millénaires and Bollinger La Grande Année).

Still, the U.S. carriers are moving decidedly up-market at they chase an increasingly premium business. And wine and champagne can both deliver a premium experience and signal one as well.