Emirates Airline continues to invest heavily in its world-class wine programme, and the good news is that recent additions to the Emirates wine cellar include fine Italian wines, such as Solaia and Ornellaia for First Class, and the highly in-demand Super Tuscan wine, Tignanello which will be added to the Business Class offering in the coming years. Tim Clark, president of Emirates Airline explained, “In every aspect of our business, our aim is to provide the best experience to our customers and we have curated a wine programme that is reflective of that promise. Over the years, we’ve built a wine programme that has garnered the interest of exclusive vineyards in the world, and we are proud of the fact that our wine lists are comparable to what you might find in a top restaurant in the best cities around the world”.
EMIRATES TO INVEST IN A LONG-TERM STRATEGY – Clark also said that, “Many of our customers have expressed their surprise and delight at the variety and quality of wines that Emirates offers on board, and they wonder how on earth we manage to procure such rare or exclusive vintages. The answer is long-term planning and investment.” At the heart of Emirates’ wine strategy is its unique approach to purchasing exceptional wines en primeur, years before they are released to the market, and then allowing these vintages to mature and reach their potential before serving on board. While most airlines source their wines through brokers or tenders, Emirates’ own team of wine connoisseurs has built direct relationships with some of the world’s most prestigious vineyards to handpick and secure the most exclusive and rare wines for its customers.
THE MOTIVES AND BENEFITS OF THE MOVE – In the last year, Emirates added 10 more wines on offer each day, and now has 70 different champagnes, wines, and ports on its flights on an average day in all classes across its international network of over 150 destinations. President Clark said, “Very few producers can meet the volumes that we need, and at the quality that we want. So we made the decision early on that we would rather go for quality and buy in smaller parcels if we have to, and go direct to the vineyards and producers.”
THE WINE BUSINESS IN FIGURES – In 2015, the airline purchased a record of over 13 million bottles of wine worth US$140 million – more than twice the value of wine purchases in the previous year. The wines are for customers across all three cabins, and most will only be served on board in seven to 10 years.