Noses In The Air

Hundreds of wines are blind tasted before a handful make it to your flight aboard Singapore Airlines. We take a rare behind-the-scenes glimpse as wine experts Jeannie Cho Lee MW, Michael Hill-Smith MW and Oz Clarke conduct their twice-yearly selections.

- June Lee

“It’s the World Cup of awards – there’s nothing else we want to win more,” quips U.K. wine personality Oz Clarke during a brief break in tasting while the panel of wine consultants pause to speak to the media. He’s talking about Business Traveller’s Cellar in the Sky Awards 2017, where Singapore Airlines (SIA) emerged with the biggest gold medal haul: Best Overall Cellar, Best Business Class Cellar, and Best Business Class White. SIA takes its wine menus seriously: it’s the only airline to serve both Dom Pérignon 2006 and Krug 2004 in-flight, to its Suites and First Class customers, which alone costs over $4 million annually.

Clarke is the most recent member of an elite international team, coming on board in 2014 to join two Masters of Wine: Michael Hill-Smith from Australia, who’s been on the panel for two decades, and Jeannie-Cho Lee from Korea, who joined in 2009. The trio are tasked with the selection of all wines, Champagnes and Port served by SIA in the air, and the development of SIA’s staff training programme in wine appreciation. There are currently over 100 Singapore Airlines Air Sommeliers – select crew members who provide professional wine service to customers and promote wine knowledge among fellow crew members.