With most international Business Class cabins now offering full flat beds, one of the ways airlines differentiate their First Class offering is through prestige champagne. Singapore Airlines even prides itself on offering a choice between Dom Perignon and Krug in First Class and Suites.
Below are my top five champagne picks from First Class across the past decade.
In this post:
Cathay Pacific First Class | Krug 2004
Cathay Pacific rotate their wine selection each month and I lucked out in December 2019 on a trip between Hong Kong and New York with the vintage Krug. An immensely enjoyable champagne that held up well in the air.
James Halliday from the Australian Wine Companion gave the 2004 vintage a rating of 99/100 and had the following to say:
Krug is the greatest Champagne. It is, as others (including myself) have said many times, Champagne’s answer to Burgundy’s Romanee-Conti. It is superbly poised, the flavour and texture as complex as a Beethoven symphony played in a great concert hall under the baton of a great conductor.
Australian retail price: $399 (Vintage Direct)
Qantas First Class | Taittinger Comtes De Champagne 1999
The first thing that struck me about the Taittinger Comtes De Champagne was the yeasty, bready nose. Widely regarded as one of the best Blanc de Blanc champagnes, the 1999 vintage was no exception.
Australian Retail Price: $300 (Dan Murphy’s | 2006)
Japan Airlines First Class | Salon S Cuvée 2002
There were only 62,000 bottles of Salon made in 2002 and Japan Airlines is the only airline to serve Salon regularly in First Class. In recent years JAL are serving Salon only on flights originating from Japan (due to very limited supply) and Cristal on flights returning to Japan.
Again an excellent Blanc de Blanc champagne, which James Suckling reviewed very favourably, and was the crown in an impressive wine and whisky list on JAL.
A rare privilege to enjoy this special champagne given the total Salon production is about 1% of Dom Perignon. And no, that price is not a typo.
Australian Retail Price: $850 (Bellevue Bottle Shop | 2006)
Singapore Airlines Suites Class | Krug NV
Suites Class is the epitome of travel with Singapore Airlines and only available on their A380 super jumbo. While vintage Krug and special editions of Dom Perignon are occasionally served aboard, the non-vintage Krug is still a world class champagne made from a blend of forty to fifty base wines.
The great thing about Singapore Airlines is both champagnes are always stocked, as opposed to the rotation that Cathay and Qantas employ, so you know there will always be two excellent options aboard.
Australian Retail Price: $270 (Vintage Direct)
British Airways First Class | Laurent-Perrier Grand Siècle NV
While British Airways First Class is sometimes known as the ‘world’s best business class’, there is nothing subpar about Laurent-Perrier Grand Siècle.
A lighter champagne which made for very pleasant drinking, British Airways is unique in offering the same champagne up in the air as it does in their top tier Concorde Rooms at London Heathrow and New York JFK.
Australian Retail Price: $280 (Dan Murphy’s)
Best First Class Champagne Bottom Line
First Class is about the details and personalised service that is only possible in a cabin of six to fourteen seats. Top airlines use the best champagnes in First Class as a surrogate indicator of quality and there are some truly exceptional offerings up in the air.
