Wine Selection on Airplanes

With vaccines now being administered en masse, it won't be long before the skies are filled with flyers again. Some airlines are in the process of re-rolling out food and beverages and a traditional airplane drink, at least for me, is a glass of wine. I don't always drink one, but definitely when it's after work hours and I know I won't be driving, it makes the flight go faster.

However, have you ever noticed that wine tastes different on a plane? Yes, the glasses are different, the bottles may be different (those little airplanes bottles don't have the same space in them that a traditional 750 ml bottle has), but the key likely lies with some combination of the different air circulation inside the cabin and the pressurized air in the cabin. 

As much as we taste the wine we drink with our palates, we also taste with our sense of smell. That is, what we smell and how we smell it affects our enjoyment, or sometimes lack thereof, of a wine. You don't believe me? Think about a bottle you opened that was corked and even if it tasted not too bad, that smell was going to get you.

So, what's going on? We can't be sure, but I have a theory. And, because I am the one writing here, your choices are to skip over it, leave this post, or read it. Reading it is the correct option, of course.

Air pressure affects our sinus cavities. Think about what happens when a storm is coming in. We suddebly have a large pressure gradient and the pressure builds up inside your head. One of the very distinct places that it tends to is inside your sinus cavities. And, when that happens, it affects your sense of smell.

What I have noticed is that tannins get rougher and wines with high acidity taste much more acidy. On a plane, this is simply exacerbated. That's why the airlines that have their wines curated by true wine experts (I know that my airline of choice does) tend to serve white wines with lower acidity (think Chardonnay and white blends, but not a highly acidic Sauvignon Blanc) and red wines with lighter or more rounded tannins (think Pinot Noir, Malbec, etc.). What you are not likely to see is a Cabernet from a steeply sloped hillside, a Zinfandel, or a Sancerre.

You don't believe this phenomenon? To really test it, you're going to need to sit up front in first class or con the friendly flight attendant into letting you do research. Research is important, after all. Try telling them you are doing research for an important scientific journal ... or not.

Get a glass of wine while you are still sitting at the gate. The cabin dooe will be open. This will be like drinking the wine in your own home. Then, before the wine service starts again in flight, make sure you have a palate cleanser like a Biscoff. Finally, remembering what the wine you tasted was like, with a focus on tannins if it is red or acidity if it white, taste the same wine again. Taste different once you're up at 30,000 feet? I told you so.