Behind the scenes with Singapore Airlines’ champagne buyers

Behind the scenes with Singapore Airlines’ wine experts in Champagne

We had the opportunity to accompany Singapore Airlines’ wine buyers on a trip to Champagne this past summer to taste through what is being served on board (both in first class and other cabins), or might be soon, and to hear firsthand how the airline approaches its wine selection from two of Singapore Airlines’ wine experts, Master of Wine Jeannie Cho Lee and wine writer and television presenter Oz Clarke.

“When we choose wines,” said Clarke as we embarked upon our two-day tasting itinerary, “we try to make sure the core flavor and balance — the acidity and alcohol — tastes fresh and stands up to different cuisines and flavors on board.”

“The main thing for us is to find wines with enough expression that their character doesn’t get lost in the air,” said Lee.

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That’s a tall order when you consider the desiccated, low-pressure atmosphere of an airplane cabin. But wines with a blend of fruit and aging notes plus the zing of acidity to keep the palate enlivened even on a long flight in such an environment were exactly what we were on our way to taste.

A first taste of first-class Champagnes

Our first stop was at the headquarters of Charles Heidsieck, which was founded in 1851 by its namesake, who became known as “Champagne Charlie” after a whistle-stop tour through the United States during the early 1850s during which he popularized the sparkling style of wine on this side of the Atlantic.

We descended 106 steps into the “crayeres,” or cellars carved out of ancient chalk pits, which comprise 47 different chambers and around 2 1/2 miles of paths. During our tour, we learned that Singapore Airlines’ wine experts routinely perform individual blind tastings of prospective Champagnes to serve on board and then compare notes to determine which ones make the cut.

“Charles Heidsieck is always a top selection,” Lee told us. “The cuvee has an incredible depth from the reserve wines and a complexity you don’t get from a simple blend.”

We later experienced that complexity firsthand during a dinner with winemaker Elise Losfelt, who talked us through a tasting of the house’s Blanc de Blancs paired with a tarragon pesto vegetable tartlet, a vertical tasting of its 1995 and 2007 Blanc des Millenaires paired with sea bream and asparagus in creamy burrata and the 1983 Millesime rose accompanying a spring hen with market vegetables and new potatoes to give us a sense of the house’s historic style and the pairing possibilities.

Those on upcoming Singapore Airlines flights in first class should find the 2007 Blanc des Millenaires on board. Made from Chardonnay grapes grown in some of the best sites along the Cote des Blancs, the wine has both a complexity and nuance thanks to its long aging, but also bursts of freshness and acidity that keep your palate sharp at high altitude, according to Clarke.

Let’s not forget about business class

The following day, we rolled into the vineyards of Piper-Heidsieck just as the early morning mist rolled back from the vines. Piper-Heidsieck’s lead winemaker, Émilien Boutillat, who hails from a family with a long winemaking past in the region, talked us through some of the winery’s sustainability measures, including carbon footprint monitoring, biodiversity enhancement and organic composting.

The current release, which Boutillat described as “a balance of power and expression with fruitiness, minerality and a freshness from the citrus notes,” is being served in Singapore Airlines business class across its network (though you might also find Charles Heidsieck Brut Reserve on some flights).

“Piper-Heidsieck goes with about 90% of the food we have on board,” Lee said during a formal tasting later that day at the winery, whose architecture is stunning thanks to a metal sheath made to look like the bubbles rising through a glass of champagne.

“It can cut through the spices of various dishes with a midbody weight from the Pinot Noir to stand up to the flavors and give you that freshness to prepare your palate for the next bite,” said Lee.

Krug and Taittinger wines coming to a plane near you

Later that afternoon, we ambled through the streets of Reims to the headquarters of Krug for our final tasting of the day (and yes, we were still upright since we were just tasting, not drinking!).

Singapore Airlines and Krug have had a partnership spanning over 40 years, so first-class flyers can always find the latest release on board. After a tour of the cellars, which span over 3 kilometers (nearly 2 miles) under the city, we adjourned to the winery’s colorful tasting room.

What distinguishes Krug from many other historic champagne houses is that its releases are sort of like a hybrid of house blends, or cuvees, and vintages. Each year, Krug releases a specific assemblage that incorporates both older and younger wines made from grapes sourced from vineyards in some of the most prestigious appellations in Champagne, some of which have been under contract with Krug since 1876.

“There is a consistency of vision and quality,” said Clarke, “but not flavor. It tugs at your heartstrings each year, and that is probably why it is the wine that most passengers are loyal to — they always want to be sure it is on their flight.”

Edition 171, for instance, which is currently being served in Singapore Airlines first class, is a blend of 131 wines from 12 vintages between 2000-2015. “It’s like a high-thread-count linen,” said Lee. “It has lots of layers — it’s silky, but substantial.”

We also got a first taste of Edition 172, whose base wine was from the 2016 vintage, but which incorporates a total of 146 wines from 146 different plots made in years ranging from 2000-2016. Lee noted a bouquet of orange fruits including apricot, mango and satsuma as well as white flowers and marzipan. See if you can pick out the same notes if and when the airline begins serving it on board.

Perhaps more important to first-class passengers than complex tasting notes, Lee said, Krug makes versatile wines able to stand up to the bold flavors of the Singaporean, Chinese and Indian dishes served aboard the airline, as well as Western options.

Our final day with the Singapore Airlines wine team commenced at the historic Demeure des Comtes in the heart of Reims, whose history dates to the 13th century (though the current Gothic-style building is much newer).

There, at a long table illuminated by angular lancet windows, we tasted three versions of Taittinger’s top release, Comtes de Champagne, with the winery’s cellar master, Alexandre Ponnavoy.

This special wine, which has been produced since 1952, is only made from single, exceptional vintages with grapes from select villages and aged in bottle for a minimum of 10 years. We started with the 2012 version, in which Clarke noted hints of green apple, lemon curd and hay, all balanced with a precision of blending to produce a freshness and salinity on the tongue that would make it taste extra-fresh up in the air.

Even brighter and more acidic, the 2013 had just been released and so might not appear on board anytime soon, though we also got to try the 2012 rose produced from a handful of grand cru vineyards.

Singapore Airlines first-class passengers will find the predecessor to this particular wine, the 2009 rose, currently being served on board, and though it’s a different release, it should still exhibit similar aromas of strawberry, blackberry, rose petals and a hint of cigar box. If we had to bet, though, we suspect you’ll be seeing the 2012 release on board sometime soon.

Later that day, we drove to Taittinger’s Chateau de la Marquetterie, an aristocratic mansion originally constructed in 1734 outside the famous Champagne-producing city of Epernay, to taste through even more vintages, including a mouthwatering 2002, accompanying dishes such as langoustine and scallop ceviche in yuzu sauce with rice paper and duck breast with fleur de sel, soy-marinated beets and black garlic jus … all of which were perhaps more complex than the dishes Singapore Suites passengers will likely encounter in flight, but still demonstrated the versatility of champagne’s pairing abilities with so many diverse flavors.

Many travelers might assume that airlines with the flashiest first-class cabins simply throw cash at their onboard wine selections, choosing Champagnes with the biggest name recognition or highest price tags.

By the end of our two days with Singapore Airlines’ wine crew, however, it was clear just how much more thought goes into the selections than that. Of course, partnering with brands whose names the airline’s highest-paying customers will recognize is important. But equally important seemed to be the choice of wines that would taste excellent on board as well as pair well with Singapore Airlines’ diverse menus, which comprise dishes from many different regions.

How to book Singapore Airlines first class using miles

Of course, some people may be reading this thinking, “All these Champagnes sound great, but when am I ever going to get the chance to try them?” After all, a first-class ticket on Singapore Airlines can range up to nearly $20,000.