Divine Flights, aboard the crew of The Flight Club goes up Alessandro Parino: meet the Sommelier of the Skies
Talking together about flights and wines, airplane fuselages and bottles, airport lounges and wine lists...is it possible? What do these worlds have in common?
Flying can be, for many, an almost daily necessity, for business reasons, or a one-time experience related to an occasional event, perhaps still work or vacation or to visit a person, to whom you are close, who lives far away. Similarly, opening a bottle or tasting a glass of wine is for many an everyday gesture, sometimes a moment of respite during the day or a sign that the day itself is over, while for others it is a ritual to be performed only on special occasions.
In this article:
For both the flights to be taken and the glasses to be tasted, the criteria can be the most varied: value for money, the search for excellence, the need to adapt to what can be found in a short time...
In this column We will review the wine lists that airlines offer, on board as well as in their lounges, trying to focus mainly on three aspects: quality, choice, and identity.
It will be taken care of by Alexander Parino which is defined as the lawyer of humans and the judge of horses, an expression that tells well the dual soul of his career: the forensic one and the one related to the world of horsemanship. To balance these two passions-and perhaps to endure them in the right spirit-he chose wine as a third way, becoming a sommelier. Today he teaches at FISAR and conducts tastings, with a predilection for the elegance and complexity of French wines.
The first aspect is to be considered inescapable: a flight in first or business class, and the provision of lounges for ticket holders or top-of-the-line statuses are to be considered for all intents and purposes starred restaurants.
The wine list is not one of the criteria that are considered in awarding one or more stars (Quality of ingredients, Expertise in preparation and cooking, Harmony of flavors, Personality of the chef, Consistency of experience) but is part of the evaluation (along with service, décor, crowding and atmosphere) of the so-called forks that express the quality of the experience guests receive in the restaurant.
The quality of the wine list of a first or business class or top level lounge must therefore be expressed through a choice of wineries and maisons that immediately represent certainties of the highest level, perceptible as such even by those who were not wine enthusiasts.
The choice is a criterion that obviously appeals to the most passionate people, who are able to know not only the differences between a Barolo and a Bordeaux, but to perhaps want to be able to choose that particular Bordeaux that is 100% Merlot rather than another that is a blend of Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon: wine fetishists love to get lost in the myriad possibilities and nuances that a fine restaurant wine list can offer them, and this must apply to the entire list, that is, from sparkling wines to sweet wines via still red and white wines.
Of course, this criterion clashes with the catering space requirements that invest an aircraft: the cellar of a starred restaurant can hold thousands of bottles, the hold of a Boeing or Airbus many fewer: This must be taken into account when evaluating the breadth of choices on a flight's wine list.
Regarding the identity, finally, is a criterion that can be met, even if it is not always developed as it should, only by certain companies, but it is certainly very important for wine lovers.
Those flying on Iberia, for example, will surely find it interesting that the wine list includes not only French champagnes but also Spanish red wines from Rioja just as those flying Lufthansa will appreciate that one can choose, in addition to an Italian Pinot Noir, a Rhine Riesling, without taking into account that, in theory, the very menu of a first or business class should have ties to the cuisine of the flag flown by that flight...
Certainly flying for example with Emirates or Thai means it is impossible to tie wines from the territories the companies refer to: in this case, all the more so, we will expect to find quality and choice.
Finally, as in the restaurant, one can divide between those who prefer the dear old paper wine list, perhaps elegant and well-bound, heavy and massive to the touch, and those who prefer to browse on the screen of the IFE with which perhaps a thousand links can open up from which to trace information about the producer, vintage, grape varieties, winemaking method...after all, the two are not incompatible, what matters is getting comfortable, enjoying the flight and even a few drinks in relaxation...luckily it's not our turn to fly the plane!
