Tasting the Leeuwin Estate Art Series Chardonnay 2008 is a bit like stepping off the plane into bright sunshine after leaving gloomy Gatwick behind, so I wasn’t surprised to learn that Qantas pours it in First Class. Even with both feet firmly on the ground, it feels like a journey of its own.
This is a big, complex wine, bright and juicy, with crystallised ginger and honey washing over your tongue like warm tropical waves. That intensity is exactly what you need on a plane, particularly on the 24-hour flight to Australia, because at 36,000 feet the cabin pressure and dry air dull your sense of taste, as I discovered when tasting airline wines for Skyscanner.
You also know exactly where you stand with this wine, as it tastes unmistakably of Margaret River and makes no attempt whatsoever to pass itself off as Corton-Charlemagne. Back on the ground, at home, it’s very dense and compact, almost monolithic, and yet it’s a real joy to drink, the kind of wine that has you holding your glass up to the light just to admire it. If anything, it’s closer to a great Champagne than to your average Chardonnay, and it has a way of taking up all of your attention.
My drinking companion let out a whistle and declared it “an experience,” and I’d certainly be happy drinking it in First Class, though in fairness I’d be happy just to be in First Class. At least they pour it from a proper glass bottle, and on a 24-hour flight, the wine is what makes the journey for me.
Rather less salubrious tasting conditions
(My thanks to Qantas for the wine sample. At Business Traveller’s Cellars in the Sky awards, which judge the wine lists of the major airlines, Qantas won five of the 13 gold medals, including Best Overall Cellar and Best First Class White.)
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