In the past year travellers in Iberia’s exclusive intercontinental Business Plus savoured more than 230,000 bottles from Spain’s most favoured wine-growing regions, 172,000 reds and 60,000 whites.
Madrid – The Spanish airline’s long-haul flights provide an ideal showcase for Spain’s top vineyards, since 45% of passengers are from other countries, mainly in Europe. The wines are selected by the wine consultants TodoVino, after in-flight tasting sessions to verify the qualities of wines served at 30,000 feet.
To introduce Iberia’s passengers to the quality and diversity of Spanish wines, the wine list for the February-April period looks to some of the lesser-know regions, such as the recently recognised Denominación de Origen (D.O.) Tierra del vino from the province of Zamora, as an alternative to the excellent reds from Navarra and Rioja. Featured whites include one from Rueda and another from Galicia’s Rías Baixas district.
In addition to enjoying these wines on board, Iberia’s business passengers can sample them at the Rincón del vino booths in the Dalí and Velázquez VIPS lounges in T4 of the Madrid-Barajas airport, served by an expert sommelier. Last year Iberia uncorked some 13,000 bottles in its Madrid VIP lounges.
In and in-flight video that is changed each month, Custodio L. Zamarra details the characteristics of each wine in Iberia’s cellars. Zamarra, who is head sommelier of Madrid’s classic Zalacaín restaurant and winner of the National Gastronomy Award, is a taster for TodoVino’s annual guide to Spanish wines. In the videos he talks to the owners of the bodegas who explain what makes their wines special.
Photo: Iberia
