Mumbai, September 1, 2017 - Emirates’ world-class wine programme continues to wow customers with a range of exclusive wines and champagnes offered on board and in its lounges. Over the next few months, those travelling on Emirates can look forward to an especially stellar wine list. This includes prestigious wines such as the Chateau d'Yquem 2005, 1963 Graham’s Colheita Port, Dom Pérignon 2005 Rosé, Dom Pérignon 2009 Vintage and Moët & Chandon Grand Vintage 2008.
Emirates has built relationships directly with some of the world’s most prestigious chateaux and vineyards to handpick and secure these exclusive wines.
On board
Chateau d'Yquem 2005
This month, Emirates is bringing back one of the world’s most revered dessert wines, the 2005 Chateau d'Yquem from Bordeaux. It will be served in First Class and exclusively available on routes to South East Asia, Australia and New Zealand.
A sweet white dessert wine from Sauternes in the Bordeaux region of France, the 2005 Chateau d’Yquem is a Premier Cru Supérieur ("Superior First Growth"). It gained a rating of 97 on influential critic Robert Parker’s 100 point wine rating scale, averaging as one of the highest scoring wines of all time.
The dessert wine is the perfect addition to Emirates’ acclaimed wine list, reinforcing the airline’s commitment to serving passengers exceptional wines.
Chateau d'Yquem 2005 has a deliciously pure feel, with juicy, inviting green plum, ginger, heather, creamed pineapple and ripe apple flavours all melded together and gliding through the lengthy finish, which echoes with lilting flowers and dried citrus notes.
Dom Pérignon 2005 Rosé
Dom Pérignon champagnes are a mainstay of the Emirates First Class Suites. As the number one global partner of Dom Pérignon, Emirates will be the only airline in the world to serve the Dom Pérignon Rosé 2005 for the next three months.
The luxury cuvée will be available in First Class on European routes as well as on flights to USA and Canada. Dom Pérignon Rosé is made from Pinot Noir grapes grown in prestigious sites in Hautvillers, Äy and Bouzy and fermented as a great red burgundy, before being blended with exquisite blanc Champagne from Premier and Grand Cru vineyards. This vintage emits tropical aromas of guava and curry leaves and is complemented by cocoa and toasted spices. It has remarkable length in the mouth, with a touch of liquorice and a backdrop of juicy, bitter blood orange.
The Dom Pérignon Rosé 2005 will be paired with specially created canapés in First Class.
1963 Graham’s Colheita Port
Emirates will also be serving the 1963 Graham’s Colheita Port exclusively, as it will not be sold or available elsewhere. From the Douro Valley in Northern Portugal, this vintage will be available in First Class across the fleet until October 2017.
Colheita Ports are essentially aged Tawny ports from a single year. In this example the year in question is 1963, considered a monumental vintage for Port and acknowledged by many as the 20th Century's finest. Crushed in traditional fashion by foot in stone ‘lagares’ (treading tanks), the grapes for this wine come from five vineyards. At the heart of the blend is the legendary Quinta dos Malvedos vineyard, bought by the Graham’s family in 1890 and perhaps the most coveted vineyard in the Douro valley.
The 1963 Colheita provides an intense complex nose of fig, walnut, coffee and a caramelised nutty edge, with hints of cigar box and toffee. The palate is beautifully balanced, full-bodied and sweet with a viscous, glycerol laden texture and further notes of dried date and raisin on a long and luxurious finish.
Dom Pérignon 2009 Vintag
Emirates is adding the Dom Pérignon 2009 Vintage to its First Class wine lists on medium and long haul flights from October. The 2009 vintage is the latest prestige cuvée to be served on board. Emirates previously served the 2005 and 2006 vintages.
The silky, fruit driven 2009 expresses the warmth of the vintage, bursting forth with white stone fruits, guava and grapefruit zest alongside fresh toast and vanilla. Ripe and fleshy, the palate possesses a restrained power, showing lemon brioche, hints of nectarine, impressive vitality and incredible persistence.
The Dom Pérignon 2009 Vintage will be paired with canapés exclusively created by the Emirates team and Dom Pérignon Executive Chef Marco Fadiga. Hot and cold canapés will be served with vegetarian options available. These include:
· Smoked Scottish salmon with chives and avocado cream
· Grilled venison with cranberries and smoked salt
· Sweet potato tartlet with herbs
· Hummus with lamb baharat
· Bresaola with feta and cinnamon poached pear
· Parmesan and truffle arancino
Lounges at Dubai International Airport
Moët & Chandon Grand Vintage 2008 in First Class Lounges in Dubai
Emirates and Moët Hennessy have enjoyed a longstanding partnership of over 25 Years and the airline has been serving Moët & Chandon Imperial Champagne in Emirates First Class lounges in Dubai. Due to the long-term partnership, Emirates will exclusively have the Moët & Chandon Grand Vintage 2008 available for a limited time in all three First Class lounges in Dubai.
The vintage has been aging in the cellars for seven years and has initial floral notes of linden, honeysuckle, and acacia with citrus nuances evocative of bergamot and mandarin orange zest along with a dash of anise and green tomato. It is followed by notes of just-ripe stone fruits – white peach, nectarine and Mirabelle plums. The bouquet is completed by gentle scents of pastry, brioche, frangipane, almonds and vanilla with a slight hint of white pepper.
Moët & Chandon canapé pairings
The Moët & Chandon Champagne lounge within the Business Class lounge at Concourse B Dubai International Airport will also feature specially developed canapés to be paired with four of Moët & Chandon's finest champagnes. This includes Moët Impérial, Moët Rosé Impérial, Moët & Chandon Grand Vintage and Moët Nectar Impérial.
To complement each champagne, chefs from Emirates Flight Catering and the in-house lounge teams collaborated with Moët & Chandon’s Executive Chef Marco Fadiga to create a unique selection of canapés – ranging from sweet to savoury.
New canapés will be introduced quarterly including:
- Passion fruit crème caramel
- Quinoa Salad with Bresaola and Parmesan Chips
- Tomato marmalade, bococini cheese, spinach & rocket oil
- Prawn cocktail
- Scallop Tartare with Crispy Capers
- Cream Cheese and Grapes Salad
- Citrus salad
- Chicken Rillettes with Pineapple