I recently completed my First Class Round the World Trip.  I enjoyed everything about the trip!  Something I hear feedback about from time to time is how I never post images of the menus or wine lists.  So I thought about something creative to do, since I’m not a big wine person.  How about a completely unscientific Battle of the First Class Wine List?  As a reminder, here are all the posts from my recent trip:

How I booked everything
American Airlines Flagship Dining Room DFW
Etihad First & Business Class Lounge LHR
Etihad A380 First Class Apartments LHR-AUH (Video)
St. Regis Abu Dhabi
Qatar Airways Al Safwa First Class Lounge DOH (Video)
Qatar A380 First Class DOH-BKK
Cathay Pacific’s The Pier First Class Lounge (Video)
Cathay Pacific 777-300ER First Class HKG-LAX

First Class Wine List Battle

Wine snobs (said with utmost respect) go back and forth about who has the best wine list in the sky.  The three First Class trips I took during my trip are frequently brought up as being some of the best in the world, especially for their wine.  Since I’m not a wine buff, I thought about just doing a straight comparison of the retail prices of all the wines.

Here is each airline’s wine list with the prices in USD provided by Vinfolio and Wine Searcher.

Wine Lists

Etihad Airways

Champagnes

Champagne Bollinger La Grande Annee 2005, France – $131.37
Champagne Duval Leroy Rose, France, NV – $63.42

White Wines

Chardonnay, Louis Latour, Pernand Vergelesses 1ER CRU, Burgundy, France – $28.83
Nautilus Estate Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough New Zealand, 2013 – $11.52
O’Rosal, Bodegas Terras Gauda, Albarino, Spain, 2013 – $19.99

Red Wines

Cabernet Sauvignon Blend, La Croix de Beaucaillou, Saint-Julien, Bordeaux, France 2011 – $30.83
Jim Barry “The Lodge Hill” Shiraz 2010, Clare Valley, South Australia – $16.99
Line 39 Pinot Noir, Central Coast, California, 2013 – $9.10
Valpolicella, Fattori, Col de la Bastia, Veneto, Italy, 2013 – $26.68
Sangiovese Blend, Santa Maria, Morellino di Scansano DOCG, Tuscany, Italy, 2013 – $11.09

Dessert Wines

Semillon Blend, Chateau Haut Theulet, Monbazillac, France 2010 – $26.47

Qatar Airways

Champagnes

Taittinger Blanc de Blancs, France, 2006 – $95.65
Billecart-Salmon Brut Rose, France – $25.71

White Wines

Chardonnay, Pierre Janny, Miroy, Puligny-Montrachet, Burgundy, France, 2012 – $45.88
Sauvignon Blanc, Wither Hills, Rarangi Vineyard, Marlborough, New Zealand, 2012 – $16.60
Gruner Veltliner, Mantlerhof, Mosburgerin, Reserve 1er Cru, Niederosterreich, Austria 2011 – $23.57

Red Wines

Merlot & Cabernet, Chateau Leoville Poyferre, Saint Julien, 2nd Grand Cru Classe, Bordeaux, France 2008 – $69.17
Shiraz, Fox Creek, Short Row, McLaren Vale, Australia, 2012 – $19.46
Cabernet Sauvignon, Errazuriz, Don Maximiano, Founders Reserve, Aconcagua Valley, Chile, 2009 – $89.99

Dessert Wines

Semillon, Chateau d’Yquem, Saternes, 1er Grand Cru Superieur, Bordeaux, France, 2008 – $196.67
Port, Dow’s Aged 10 years, Douro Valley, Portugal – $8.77

Cathay Pacific

Champagne

Krug Grande Cuvee, France – $169.99

White Wines

Gruner Veltliner, Domaene Gobelsburg Kamptal, Austria, 2013 – $7.62
Vincent Girardin Puligny-Montrachet Vieilles Vignes, Burgundy, France 2010 – $32.89

Red Wines

Shiraz, Shingleback McLaren Vale, South Australia, 2009 – $28.88
Hahn Winery Meritage, Central Coast, California 2011 – $10.90

Dessert Wine

Port, Ramos Pinto Quinta da Ervamoira 10 Year Old – $12.99

Promotional Wines from Pessac-Leognan

Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte 2011 – $35.94
Chateau Bouscaut 2012 – $24.03
Chateau Haut-Bergey 2005 – $41.99
Chateau Olivier Red 2009 – $35.24
Domaine de Chevalier 2012 – $25.17

What do all these prices mean?

Probably very little.  Judging wine by its price isn’t the best way to determine quality.  Just some interesting comparisons to make between airlines I guess.  Hope you enjoyed!