London City airport has introduced wine “flights” and weekly tasting sessions in its City Bar and Grill.
The Docklands facility, in conjunction with catering partner SSP, held the first of a series of Wednesday wine tastings yesterday, to run until March 28.
The sessions are hosted by sommelier Ben Mulvaney – formerly of Hotel du Vin – and bar manager Anthony Stanley, previously at London’s Davy’s wine bars.
Customers can sample and learn about fine wines and receive complimentary tasting notes.
They can also purchase a wine “flight” comprising three 50ml vintages, if they would like to try a selection. There are six flights to choose from – three white, three red – and each is based on a particular region or varietal of grape.
Prices range from £8 to try three “Gems from the Med”, to £21 for the “Tour de France”. Individual 50ml servings are also available.
The City bar – which opened in August last year – has an Enomatic machine that allows it to preserve and serve eight white and eight red wines by the glass, including fine vintages such as Château Pétrus 1993.
Others on offer range from Villa dei Fiori Fiano, 2010, Italy (£6 for 175ml) to Condrieu Saint Cosme, 2010, Rhone, France (£27 for 175ml).
Mulvaney and Stanley have worked with wine merchants Bibendum to come up with the list. Mulvaney told Business Traveller that he hoped the sessions would help to make expensive wines more accessible to customers.
Passengers can visit wineatlcy.com to order the wines they’ve tasted for delivery at home. This service is currently available only to UK residents but will be extended to international travellers “in the very near future”.
The Wednesday tastings take place between 4.30pm and 6.30pm.
London City airport revamped its food and drink outlets last summer – for details click here.
Visit londoncityairport.com for more information.
Report by Michelle Mannion
For a look at the best wines served in business and first class cabins on airlines worldwide, see the recently unveiled Cellars in the Sky Awards.
