Air New Zealand toasts to New Zealand's finest wines onboard
The airline has invited 125 New Zealand wineries to bring their best drops for consideration onboard the airline's Business Premier cabins and in its Tier One Lounges. Next month, some of New Zealand's most respected and discerning wine connoisseurs will come together to choose their much-awaited list of the country's finest wines for 2024.
Air New Zealand Chief Customer and Sales Officer Leanne Geraghty says more than 500 wines will go through a rigorous blind taste testing where wine experts will uncork bottles and sip, swirl and savour wines from across New Zealand vineyards.
"The challenge will be to whittle down the more than 500 wines to a small selection to feature onboard Air New Zealand's premium cabins and lounges.
"Our wine experts are like treasure hunters, seeking the perfect balance of richness, elegance, and complexity in each bottle they discover. They understand the unique personality of every varietal and region, piecing together a dazzling collection that's both impressive and representative of New Zealand's fantastic wine industry. The result is a fantastic array of New Zealand wines onboard that that showcase to customers the best of New Zealand's wine to destinations like New York, Tokyo and Shanghai."
The selection of wines, carefully curated by a Master of Wine and a Wine Consultant is a celebration of New Zealand's diverse and exceptional winemaking and Air New Zealand's commitment to serving and sharing the best of New Zealand wine onboard.
"Showcasing the best of New Zealand's wine industry onboard is a win-win for both our customers and our local wineries. It's a delicious way to support our economy and promote our country's world-class wines in places we fly to.
"It's a toast to our national wine growers and our unwavering dedication to delivering the best flying experience."
For the current 2023 offering, the selection panel chose 56 wines, spanning eight varietals, that demonstrate exceptional quality, consistency, and distinctiveness, as well as capturing the essence of New Zealand's diverse wine regions.
"We're delighted to offer our premium customers a taste of New Zealand's finest wines, showcasing the quality and diversity of our country's wine regions."
Among the varietals selected are Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Syrah, Riesling, Pinot Gris, Rosé, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, each demonstrating the unique character and excellence that has become synonymous with New Zealand wine.
Across all its flights and lounges, Air New Zealand serves up roughly 62,000 litres of Sauvignon Blanc, 53,000 Litres of Chardonnay and 59,000 litres of Pinot Noir of wine each year – all of which is New Zealand grown and made.
"Here's to the best of New Zealand, celebrated with every sip, on board Air New Zealand!"
Images of Air New Zealand's wines can be found here.
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Issued by Air New Zealand Communications.
Email: media@airnz.co.nz │Twitter: @AirNZMedia
About Air New Zealand
Air New Zealand's story started in 1940, first taking to the skies between Auckland and Sydney on a flying boat - a Short S30. Known for its warm Kiwi hospitality, today, the airline has 104 operating aircraft ranging from Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners and Airbus A320s to ATRs and Q300s, offering customers comfort in the latest most efficient jets and turboprops. It's a modern fuel-efficient fleet with an average age of 7.3 years. Air New Zealand's global network of passenger and cargo services centres around New Zealand. Pre-Covid, the airline flew more than 17 million passengers every year, with 3,400 flights per week. Air New Zealand was recently named the World's Safest Airline by the Australian rating service AirlineRatings.com, highlighting the airline's laser-focus on safety. Last year, Air New Zealand won Best Corporate Reputation in New Zealand – 8th year in a row.
Air New Zealand has a well-connected domestic business, connecting customers and cargo to 20 different regions around New Zealand. Internationally, the airline has direct flights to major cities across Australia, Asia, the Pacific Islands and the US, and through its strong relationships with alliance partners, offers customers more choice and convenience to connect further afield to hundreds of destinations. Air New Zealand has a particular focus on sustainability and its Sustainability Framework helps guide the airline's efforts in tackling some of New Zealand's and the world's most complex challenges. Air New Zealand aircraft are proudly identified by its distinct tail livery of the Mangōpare, the Māori symbol of the hammerhead shark which represents strength, tenacity, and resilience.
About Star Alliance
Air New Zealand is proud to be a member of Star Alliance. The Star Alliance network was established in 1997 as the first truly global airline alliance to offer worldwide reach, recognition and seamless service to the international traveller. Its acceptance by the market has been recognized by numerous awards, including the Air Transport World Market Leadership Award and Best Airline Alliance by both Business Traveller Magazine and Skytrax. The member airlines are: Aegean Airlines, Air Canada, Air China, Air India, Air New Zealand, ANA, Asiana Airlines, Austrian, Avianca, Brussels Airlines, Copa Airlines, Croatia Airlines, EGYPTAIR, Ethiopian Airlines, EVA Air, LOT Polish Airlines, Lufthansa, Scandinavian Airlines, Shenzhen Airlines, Singapore Airlines, South African Airways, SWISS, TAP Portugal, Turkish Airlines, THAI and United. Overall, the Star Alliance network currently offers more than 18,500 daily flights to 1,321 airports in 193 countries.