The winners of Business Traveller’s Cellars in the Sky Awards 2023 have been announced, supported by Chateau d’Esclans.
This year saw Qantas win Gold medals in a total of nine categories, for Best Business Class White, Best Business Class Red, Best Business Class Cellar, Best First Class Sparkling, Best First Class White, Best First Class Red, Best First Class Fortified / Dessert Wine, Best First Class Cellar and Best Overall Cellar.
Meanwhile Singapore Airlines took Gold medals for Best Business Class Sparkling and Best-presented First Class Wine List, and oneworld won Gold in the Best Alliance category.
Other Gold medal winners included United Airlines, Oman Air, Corsair, Qatar Airways, Lufthansa, TAP Air Portugal and Malaysia Airlines.
Now in its 38th 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.
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 2023.
The judges were wine maker John Worontschak, Masters of Wine Sam Caporn and Peter McCombie, 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 2023, 30 airlines entered.
Business Traveller would like to thank Chateau d’Esclans for supporting the 2023 Cellars in the Sky awards, as well as Bottega for sponsoring the reception drinks, and our other sponsors The Uncommon, The Pickle House and Pimentae.
For the full list of winners and shortlisted wines, click here.
