Probably more in line with Art de Vivre than the French soccer players’ list, here comes the new Air France Summer Wine List.

Every two months, Olivier Poussier, World’s Best Sommelier in 2000 and wine advisor for Air France, offers a new wine list on board Air France flights. His choice of wines is based on quality criteria as well as factors linked to the special environment in an aircraft cabin.

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The wines are chosen for their ability to adapt to air transport. As older vintages need time to breathe before drinking, they are not compatible with flight conditions. Younger wines are chosen as they are better adapted to the dry cabin conditions and air pressure. They are recognized as being the best wines from the various French wine-producing regions.

Every year on board its flights, Air France serves its passengers over one million bottles of Champagne. Air France is the only airline to offer all its passengers free Champagne on board its international long-haul flights, even in the Voyageur cabin.

Since June 2009, passengers travelling in the La Première cabin have been enjoying the choice of wines from the Air France collection in new wine glasses. Designed especially for Air France together with Olivier Poussier, they provide a wide surface area for the wine to aerate and enable the flavours to reach their full potential.

Air France cabin crew are given special instructions about wine and how to serve it. They learn how to present the bottle, how to open it, show it to the passenger and the difference between serving wine and Champagne, … essential for optimum wine-tasting.

Enjoy!