In celebration of 100 years in operation, Finnair updated its inflight beverage menu with new red and white wine selections. Passengers in all classes can enjoy the wine on routes between the airline’s hub in Helenski and select destinations in India.
Finnair has collaborated with an international wine expert to offer the new beverage selections onboard. The airline said it is excited to feature the new wines as it continues to improve the passenger experience.
Enhancing the journey
Finland’s flag carrier officially commenced operations in 1923, marking this year its 100th anniversary. To celebrate, the airline offers the new red and white wine blends to passengers flying from Helenski to Mumbai or New Delhi and back.
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Finnair General Manager, Sakari Romu, spoke about the airline’s new celebratory wines, according to Business News Week.
“We are extremely excited to introduce the welcome addition in our onboard menu. The celebration of our 100th year anniversary is not just about looking back at our achievements, but also about continuously improving the passenger experience. With the launch of our new Red and White wines, we aim to delight our customers’ taste buds and enhance their journey with Finnair. As we prepare to celebrate our centenary, we want to revisit our Nordic roots and offer our customers a traditional Finnish experience.”
“Finding the perfect wine”
To create the wine blends, Finnair teamed up with Ken Chase, an international expert and wine consultant, according to Finnair’s Concept & Category Manager, Lauri Ahonen, who spoke to Onboard Hospitality.
“Finding the perfect wine for a Finnair flight for our customers to enjoy at 30,000ft is always a challenge, but even more so during our centenary,” Ahonen said. “That’s why we have made the perfect pairing with Ken Chase, who has carefully selected some topflight wines to tantalise the taste buds and we are excited to serve them onboard to ensure a unique experience for Finnair customers.”
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The white wine blend, titled Castilla la Mancha White 2022, or ‘Destination North,’ features a combination of Airén (85%) and Verdejo (15%) grapes. The airline’s warmer and smoother red wine, Castilla la Mancha Red 2022, is named ‘100,000 islands’. The wine is comprised of three grapes, Tempranillo (85%), Syrah (10%), and Cabernet Sauvignon (5%).
Creating the final blend
Chase explained that he worked with Finnair to find three key elements in the wines to create the final blend.
“The first element was seduction, which required the wine to have an enticing aroma that immediately captivates our customers, with a fresh and varietally typical scent being essential,” he said. “The second element was structure, necessitating a wine with a rich mid-palate that enables flavours to linger throughout the palate, leaving a gratifying aftertaste.”
The third element was the balance of the taste, ensuring that passengers feel satisfied after indulging in their glass of wine. Chase said each wine had to possess all three elements before being considered for the final blend.
According to Onboard Hospitality, the celebratory wines are bottled with labels based on Finnair’s original posters from the 1950s and 60s, created by Erik Bruun. The Castilla la Mancha White label is based on Brunn’s ‘Lohilentokone’ poster titled “Destination North Finland,” which the airline used in 1959. The Castilla la Mancha Red label is based on Finnair’s advertising posters that featured artwork inspired by Bruun’s home on Suomenlinna, an island in the coastal area of Helinski.
Sources: Business News Week, Onboard Hospitality