Qantas wins top wine cellar award
QANTAS’ commitment to showcasing the diversity and quality of the Australian wine industry has resulted in the airline taking home six gold awards at the annual Cellars in the Sky Awards in London on Feb 18, the most of any airline group.
Qantas’ gold medals include best overall wine cellar, best first class wine cellar, best presented first class wine list, best first class champagne, best first class white wine and best business class fortified/dessert wine.
The airline also received one silver and one bronze, while its airline alliance OneWorld won the Best Airline Alliance for Wine.
Qantas creative director for Food, Beverage and Service Neil Perry said: “We’re really proud to once again be awarded for our wine. Together with the Qantas Rockpool Sommeliers, the Qantas beverage team work hard to select the finest Australian wines and champagnes and it shows.
“Qantas is renowned for bringing the best of Australian wine to the world and we pride ourselves
Qantas is renowned for bringing the best of Australian wine to the world and we pride ourselves on offering blends that celebrate both boutique and classic wine styles, grape varieties and regions. Neil Perry
on offering blends that celebrate both boutique and classic wine styles, grape varieties and regions,” he added.
Qantas invests A$35mil (RM100mil) in the Australian wine industry and is one of the largest purchasers of wine in Australia. On board Qantas aircraft, about five million bottles of wine and champagne are consumed each year.
Qantas’ wines are selected by the Qantas Rockpool Sommeliers, which comprises 16 highly experienced sommeliers and mixologists led by Perry. Among the group are master sommeliers Sebastian Crowther and Jonathan Ross, who are among only six in Australia.
Over four days each year, sommeliers blind taste and review 1,600 Australian wines, selecting only about 250 different wines that eventually gets served on board and in the Qantas lounges.
Great wines and good food on board
Beyond selecting great Australian wines for Qantas customers, Rockpool and Perry also work with Qantas to design in-flight and lounge menus.
In Business and First Class, Qantas offers a menu of small and large plates, allowing customers to design their own dining experience depending on how little, or how much, they want to partake in. Menus are rotated every three months to offer a variety.
The menu planning that goes into deciding what is served on board is an eleven-month process, that begins with brainstorming by Perry and his team of Rockpool consultants.
The recipes are then tested in controlled environments to ensure they can be served on board at its best quality.