There’s an urban myth about the flavour and complexity of wine being altered if you open a bottle and drink it at 30,000 feet. Frankly, I’m not buying it.
For starters there’s the whole issue about cabin pressure, and the percentage mixture of oxygen in the cabin which alters on different flights. The accompanying airline food is also unpredictable, although if you’re travelling in business class you can expect the wine to be matched to the menu.
But at the end of the day, the flavour of the wine on a plane is going to be altered by these factors:
- Is the hostess pouring your wine hot?
- Are you with someone you can enjoy talking about the wine to?
- Are you sitting next to a European model who speaks very little English, or are you sitting next to a fat guy?
Statz
Flew home business class recently. Drank the wine not because it was awesome…but because I’d paid a sh%tload for my airfare!