Wine and other drinks in First Class on LH 419 from Washington to Frankfurt on February 11, 2010

I have already put up a trip report on my flight, and I was in Economy.  Click here to see my report.

But what did they drink in First Class?

Here is the list:

Champagne

“D” de Devaux Brut, Champagne, Veuve Devaux

Monthly Proposal

2005 Terraced Shiraz-Petit Verdot Gran Reserva, Luis Felipe Edwards, Chile

White Wine

2007 Kaseler Nies’chen Riesling Erstes Gewächs, Reichsgraf von Kesselstatt, Germany

2007 Alexander Valley, Chardonnay, Alexander Valley Vineyards, USA

2008 Ihringer Winklerberg Weißburgunder Spätlese trocken, Winzergenossenschaft Ihringen, Germany

Red Wine

2006 Eclissi di Sole, Rubicone IGT, San Valentino, Italy

2002 Chateau Belgrave, Haut Medoc, France

Dessert Wine

2008  Pfalz Chardonnay Eiswein, Adreas Bender, Germany

Monthly Proposal

Niepoort 10 Years Old White Port, Portugal

There is also a very long list of other drinks including Jack Daniels Old No. 7, Johnnie Walker Blue Label, Bushmills 10-year old malt, Lheraud Cuve 30 Cognac.

My comments:

My first reaction to this was the fact that I have tasted only two of these wines, the Alexander Valley Chardonnay and the Chateau Belgrave.  The way Lufthansa puts its lists together seems to suggest a very different philosophy from other leading airlines.  For example, on Singapore Airlines, they offer leading brand names that are easily recognizable.  Last time, a regrettably long time ago, I flew Singapore Airlines in First class, I drank Cos d’Estournel, Krug, and Dom Perignon!  (Click here to see how I contrasted Lufthansa’s First Class with Singapore Airlines.)

Lufthansa, on the other hand tends to go for rather obscure wines, that are much less expensive but very interesting nevertheless.

If I were faced with Lufthansa’s list, I would definitely have had the Champagne.  I love to have Champagne when I fly.  Then I probably would have gone for Riesling.  I’ve never had this particular wine before, but I love Riesling, and I have heard good things about Kaseler.  I would definitely skip the Alexander Valley Vineyards even though I like that wine very much because it can e found almost anywhere.  Too close to what I might buy at our local liquor store in Maryland.

For my red wine, I would have had the Belgrave.  Belgrave is an Haut Médoc, classified as a fifth growth in the 1955 classification.  Like most red wines in the Médoc, the dominant grape is Cabernet Sauvignon representing 50% of Belgrave’s plantings.  The other grapes used are Merlot (42%), Cabernet Franc (5%), and  Petit Verdot (3%).  The grapes are hand harvested and vinification takes place in temperature controlled stainless steel tanks.  Some of the wine is left on the lees to preserve the aromas, and it is then matured in oak for 12 to 15 months.  Belgrave makes about 255,000 bottles a year, and there is a second label, Diane de Belgrave, which accounts for an additional 105,000 bottles.  The 2002 was noted as a very concentrated wine with a distinctive Cabernet taste and complex aromas of dark fruit.  Not an expensive wine, but interesting.

I simply love dessert wines.  I imagine that the Pfalz Chardonnay would be extremely interesting.  Eiswein in Germany is made by harvesting the grapes only after the temperature has dropped below minus 7 degrees centigrade.  Although I have frequently had Icewine from Canada, I have much less experience with German Eiswein.  It is also interesting that they are service a Chardonnay-based Eiswein as this is much less common than Riesling for this type of wine.