The winners of Business Traveller’s Cellars in the Sky Awards 2022 have been announced, sponsored by Whispering Angel.
This year saw Singapore Airlines walk away with five Gold Medals, for Best Business Class Red, Best Business Class Cellar, Best Overall Cellar, Best Presented Business Class Wine List, and Best Presented First Class Wine List.
Meanwhile Qantas took Gold Medals for Best Business Class White, Best First Class White and Best First Class Cellar, Qatar Airways won Gold for Best First Class Fortified / Dessert Wine, British Airways took home a Gold Medal for Best First Class Red, and Oman Air won Gold for Best First Class Sparkling.
Relative minnow Air Tahiti Nui won Gold Medals for Best Business Class Sparkling and Best Business Class Rosé, and Oneworld took top spot for Best Alliance.
Now in its 37th year, Cellars in the Sky has been running since 1985, and celebrates the best business and first class wines served by airlines on their flights.
Following two years of route disruptions and restrictions on inflight services, the world has reopened and travel is back in full force. This also signalled the end of socially distanced tastings and the return to a normal judging process for our awards.
Late last year, a panel of expert judges convened at Haberdashers’ Hall, in Smithfield, London, to select the best bottles served by airlines in business and first class in 2022.
The judges were John Worontschak, Helen McGinn, Masters of Wine Peter McCombie and Sarah Abbott, and head judge Charles Metcalfe, founder of the International Wine Challenge.
The competition is open to any carrier that serves wine in business or first class on mid- or long-haul routes. Each airline is invited to enter two reds, two whites, a rosé, a sparkling, and a fortified or dessert wine from both cabins.
They can compete in as many categories as they like but to be eligible for the Best Overall Cellar award, they must enter at least one red, white and sparkling. For 2022, 22 airlines entered.
For the full list of winners and shortlisted wines, click here.
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