What on earth is Qantas thinking?

[felixp21]

interesting, I have wine stored at several places in HK..... they have all sent me out invoice for the year 2020 and, for the first time, have included a new clause... "strictly 14 days" or to that effect.
I normally get the notices around April May, and they are pretty laid back about payment, but I sense an air of desperation coming into it.

[Matt@5453]

Maybe they can't afford the inflated price of St Henri these days

That raises another interesting question that popped into my head.... and probably I should post as another thread/topic BUT

Now that certain wineries have put all their eggs in the China Basket, and by all reports the US business is struggling (at best),
I wonder what effect this will have on their 'premium' wines sales going forward. Surely (and Jamie noted it in another thread)
this Virus and the shutting down of entire cities, will have a flow on effect for sales.

I wonder if we will see price corrections and/or discounted sales from cancelled orders shortly.

I guess the only saving grace is (providing they are prepared to foot the storage/holding costs) these wines can be sold
in a year or two as 'back vintages'. Anhoo just random ramblings and thoughts.

please see TWEs announcment today:

Treasury Wine Estates issues another profit warning as coronavirus hits sales

BY ANTHONY MADIGAN ON WEDNESDAY 26 FEBRUARY 2020NEWS

Treasury Wine Estates has issued its third profit warning in as many months as the coronavirus in China takes its toll on wine sales in Asia.

The company’s share price slumped almost four percent to $11.17 yesterday. It was trading at $19 in November.

“While the full operating and financial impacts of the outbreak are yet to be fully determined, TWE now has sufficient information in its possession that would indicate consumption across discretionary categories in China has been significantly impacted through February, and that this impact on consumption is expected to be sustained to at least through March,” TWE said in a statement.

“TWE no longer believes that it will achieve the previously provided guidance for F20 reported EBITS growth of between five percent and 10 percent.”

TWE says its staff have not yet returned to the office and continue to work from home.

“The same situation is being experienced by TWE’s partnership network, including wholesalers, retailers and logistics providers,” the company says.

TWE says depletions performance leading into Chinese New Year continued to be strong and in line with TWE’s plans, reflecting strong marketing and pull-through programs across TWE’s brand portfolio prior to impacts from the outbreak.

“Post Chinese New Year consumption across discretionary categories has been significantly adversely impacted,” the company says.

“TWE will however remain vigilant in ensuring its shipments into the market are appropriately calibrated to the rate of depletions once consumption normalises.

“The COVID-19 outbreak may impact performance in markets outside of China, however at this stage this is not expected to have a material impact.

“Asia is a predominantly Luxury wine sales region, and TWE has the flexibility to allocate Luxury wines to later fiscal periods or other geographies in order to deliver sustainable earnings growth.”

Should the impacts of COVID-19 be resolved in F20, TWE does not expect its F21 plans to be impacted.

“TWE remains committed to the health and safety of its employees and to being a supportive long-term partner to its customers in China, and will actively support them through this period,” TWE says.

“TWE’s advantaged business model and strong portfolio of brands means it is well placed to capitalise on the long-term opportunities in the Asia region, and globally.”

CEO Michael Clarke is due to hand the reins to Tim Ford on 1 July.

[Ian S]

[

“Asia is a predominantly Luxury wine sales region, and TWE has the flexibility to allocate Luxury wines to later fiscal periods or other geographies in order to deliver sustainable earnings growth.”

I wonder how loyal the local Australian customer base is - happy to help TWE out whilst their new best buddies don't want the wine?

[Michael McNally]

[

“Asia is a predominantly Luxury wine sales region, and TWE has the flexibility to allocate Luxury wines to later fiscal periods or other geographies in order to deliver sustainable earnings growth.”

I wonder how loyal the local Australian customer base is - happy to help TWE out whilst their new best buddies don't want the wine?

Hello, my name is Misty and I am calling from Treasury Wine Estates. I know we haven't called you since 2007 when you stopped buying our product. Sorry for that, but the phone from China just kept ringing and we were flat strap....

I was wondering if you would be interested in a case of Grange. It's an export bottling that fell through. Fully labelled, but only $500 per bottle with the export label.

Well I'm not sure that's phyically possible, sir, but I'm going to end this call now and advise my supervisor.

Thanks you for being a loyal Treasury Wine Estates customer!

Cheers

Michael

[Ian S]

LOL

[felixp21]

I have escaped the virus and am hiding down in Melbourne (for now), but can tell you that the above hilarity might very well have been the work of Nostradamus!
The local high-end wine store in Shenzhen, about one km from home, gets most of it's sales via the internet (like just about everything in China). A friend of mine owns the store (and chain) and laments that his last order FOR ANY TYPE OF ALCOHOL WHATSOEVER, let alone wine, was February 3rd. This is a chain of six stores that turns over about US$450k a week.
He is going to the wall in 2-3 weeks if nothing changes, and you can bet his story is being repeated literally thousands of times across all of China.

TWE must be absolutely crapping themselves..... now, where are those old Aussie customer phone numbers we used to use??
Couldn't happen to a nicer bunch of people IMO.
Get ready for some serious wine bargains, well, actually, get ready for some prices of Aussie blue-chips that are a fair and reasonable representation of their value hehe

[Dragzworthy]

I have escaped the virus and am hiding down in Melbourne (for now), but can tell you that the above hilarity might very well have been the work of Nostradamus!
The local high-end wine store in Shenzhen, about one km from home, gets most of it's sales via the internet (like just about everything in China). A friend of mine owns the store (and chain) and laments that his last order FOR ANY TYPE OF ALCOHOL WHATSOEVER, let alone wine, was February 3rd. This is a chain of six stores that turns over about US$450k a week.
He is going to the wall in 2-3 weeks if nothing changes, and you can bet his story is being repeated literally thousands of times across all of China.

TWE must be absolutely crapping themselves..... now, where are those old Aussie customer phone numbers we used to use??
Couldn't happen to a nicer bunch of people IMO.
Get ready for some serious wine bargains, well, actually, get ready for some prices of Aussie blue-chips that are a fair and reasonable representation of their value hehe

In Singapore I am being peppered by wine clearance sales and one notable distributor just sent me "bargain basement" prices on Penfolds.
Feels like the sellers are still very long Bordeaux 2015 and 2016 stock as well!

[phillisc]

1. What is bargain basement?
2. Will it happen in Australia?

Cheers Craig

[Cactus]

The problem is likely the non Penfolds crap. That needs to be drunk soon or it has an experiation date. Think 19 Crimes.

Penfolds they can hold and see if this blows over.

Who knows maybe they just return to the old Penfolds release schedule of a few years ago before it was brought forward to boost near term profits.

[Dragzworthy]

1. What is bargain basement?
2. Will it happen in Australia?

Cheers Craig

bargain basement
noun [ C usually singular ]
UK /ˌbɑː.ɡɪn ˈbeɪs.mənt/ US /ˌbɑːr.ɡɪn ˈbeɪs.mənt/

an underground room in a shop where things are sold at reduced prices:
[ before noun ] Jonathan manages to buy all his clothes at bargain-basement prices (= very cheaply).

[Mahmoud Ali]

Bargain basement Penfold's for me equates to <$30 Bin 389 for me to be tempted, and that for current drinking. My last Bin 389 were $25 for the 2004 and 2005. Scale everything else accordingly. Plenty of other options out there.

[Dragzworthy]

Was a good margin away from that level Mahmoud..I actually didn't pay said email much attention but, having a gander now, it was predominantly Grange.
I'm just not interested in their wines, it's not so much a matter of the price itself...

[phillisc]

1. What is bargain basement?
2. Will it happen in Australia?

Cheers Craig

bargain basement
noun [ C usually singular ]
UK /ˌbɑː.ɡɪn ˈbeɪs.mənt/ US /ˌbɑːr.ɡɪn ˈbeɪs.mənt/

an underground room in a shop where things are sold at reduced prices:
[ before noun ] Jonathan manages to buy all his clothes at bargain-basement prices (= very cheaply).

and the second point
Cheers craig

[phillisc]

So not a bargain at all really, as I suspected, and simply won't happen.
Look at Lindemans Coonawarra trio...I love those wines and have lots off them, but purchased many at sub $30...at $50+ they are simply not moving, there are websites where there are multiple vintages on offer. Incredibly hard to go back when prices were near half. Have a serious look at reduction and when you have market confidence, then in a few years you might be able to slowly increase price.

Here's an idea,
Bin 28<$25
Bin 389<$50
St Henri<$75
Magill<$80

I don't buy any of the others couldn't afford them 15 years ago, certainly can't now.
Cheers Craig

[Dragzworthy]

1. What is bargain basement?
2. Will it happen in Australia?

Cheers Craig

bargain basement
noun [ C usually singular ]
UK /ˌbɑː.ɡɪn ˈbeɪs.mənt/ US /ˌbɑːr.ɡɪn ˈbeɪs.mənt/

an underground room in a shop where things are sold at reduced prices:
[ before noun ] Jonathan manages to buy all his clothes at bargain-basement prices (= very cheaply).

and the second point
Cheers craig

Hehe sorry! The second point re demand in Australia...hard to really say. I think many of the issues in Asia relate to slowing demand from coronavirus chiefly because people aren't going out and it's not as common to drink at home...that's perhaps less of an issue in Australia given virus impact is so far shallower and culturally people tend to behave somewhat differently. Will Penfolds and the like be forced to move more stock here and make up some of the slack? I would think they should and would...maybe worthwhile taking a look at their (TWE should be a good indicator) inventory levels at end 2019.

[phillisc]

All good Dragzworthy!!
Cheers craig

[felixp21]

The ASX has shat itself.
Distressed wine sales to follow

[Scotty vino]

tenor-1.gif

[phillisc]

The ASX has shat itself.
Distressed wine sales to follow

Not yet, suspect another 10% is needed before there's any action...recession to hit mid year perhaps...interest rates <0.25% then there maybe a bargain or two.
Wonder what Scotty from Marketing will do then

Might in the first time for a while think about buying some shares...funny CSL fell $6 today, up $100 over the last 12 months, suspect that they will develop a vaccine and their share price will go into the stratosphere...big punt at $300 though.

Cheers Craig.

Ps, Thanks from Scotty here, might have to buy some popcorn

PPS...better get back to talking wine or our good host may think this all rather morbid and way off topic. Got a 98 Quintet lined up for the weekend!!

[JamieBahrain]

Been given 4000 AUD by HKG government as a stimulus measure and they asked citizens to spend it locally . Penfolds a little expensive here unless you go the grey market.

[felixp21]

Been given 4000 AUD by HKG government as a stimulus measure and they asked citizens to spend it locally . Penfolds a little expensive here unless you go the grey market.

so, you have a family of three. Yes, an unusual step, quite strange. Wonder what Carrie's boss thinks of that!!!

[JamieBahrain]

It’s 2000AUD per resident head.

There’s more for kids. Can’t remember.

Stupid. Not means tested . Should be invested in youth IMO.

I’ll just buy expensive wine .

[phillisc]

Yes that's certainly what's wrong the world...the money should be invested in infection control hand hygiene...not to give the rich another fancy outing.
Cheers Craig

[sjw_11]

Forgot to add that when I did get on the plane the menu for Business didn’t even list specific wines.. never seen that before. A Gundog Estate Shiraz was pretty decent while a Bethany Shiraz/cab was pretty ordinary. Flying First Sydney to Dallas tomorrow, hopefully better!

5D9ED259-E74D-4D11-9286-5FDC146CB744.jpeg

[mjs]

Forgot to add that when I did get on the plane the menu for Business didn’t even list specific wines.. never seen that before. A Gundog Estate Shiraz was pretty decent while a Bethany Shiraz/cab was pretty ordinary. Flying First Sydney to Dallas tomorrow, hopefully better!

5D9ED259-E74D-4D11-9286-5FDC146CB744.jpeg

Similar experience recently in Business to/from Bangkok, didn't have those two reds, but whet they did have was pretty ordinary. Enjoy the Dallas flight, its long!

[sjw_11]

Scratch that, we decided at 7am this morning to cancel our attendance at a conference in Miami so now I’m flying With Qatar back to Paris instead (sadly only business class!)...

[JamieBahrain]

Jancis Robinson's article makes some inroads into explaining poor wine menus on airlines ( even for those paying beyond 5000 USD for a seat )

https://www.jancisrobinson.com/articles/wine-in-the-air

[Mahmoud Ali]

Thanks for the link, very informative.

[sjw_11]

Just to report back, super impressed by Qatar. The Q-Suites when offered are for me the best business class product around (if they had better champagne they would top most airlines 1st class). The wine was pretty good (a Stags Leap 2016 Chardonnay stood out) and the service was excellent (props to David from Kenya who secured myself and my new friends at the A380 bar some of the Krug from the front of the plane!).

Only quasi-wine related but for sh*ts and giggles my ranking of airline product would be:

Singapore 1er (Dom or Krug?)
Emirates 1er on a good day
Qatar Q-Suites
Sing Air Business
Qatar Business (not Q-suites)
Cathay Business (splitting hairs here)
BA 1er
Emirates Business
Air Canada business
-- Daylight
Malaysia business (but its been 3 yrs so hedge that one)
American long haul business (1-2-1 config)
Delta "First"/business long haul (1-2-1)
Air France business
BA business (worse hard product but its the devil you know)
Delta coast to coast (the modern product)
Qantas business (2-2-2)
Lufthansa business
Finnair business
AA/ Delta coast to coast (everything else)
-- Daylight
All other domestic US "first"
European "business" (who wastes the money anyway)


To make it wine related:
Best wine: Emirates, Sing Air, Qatar.
Worst wine: Delta, Lufthansa, Qantas.

[GraemeG]

I don't have a lot of airline experience, but it's a bit of a worry to see Singapore so high on that list, at least on the basis of my experiences.
Here's 2016:

[url=https://www.cellartracker.com/event.asp?iEvent=33498]SINGAPORE AIRLINES - BUSINESS & LOUNGES - Sydney, Singapore, Frankfurt (9/10/2016-12/10/2016)[/url]

On the ground
These notes are from the Singapore Airlines Business Lounges in Sydney, Singapore T3 (from Taittinger), and the thoroughly mediocre Lufthansa lounge in Frankfurt (from Oppman).

• [url=https://www.cellartracker.com/note.asp?iWine ... te=6012462]2016 Rapaura Springs Sauvignon Blanc[/url] - New Zealand, South Island, Marlborough (9/10/2016)
  {screwcap, 13.5%} Lots of passionfruit on the nose. The palate is vivid and youthful, with minimal apparent acidity although the bright tropical fruit flavours (at a cold temperature) just carry the day. After an initial explosion of flavour it becomes light-bodied, and subsequent mouthfuls seem to pall and grow flabby thanks to the structural weaknesses. Short-medium finish.
• [url=https://www.cellartracker.com/note.asp?iWine ... te=6012463]2015 Cave de Lugny Mâcon-Villages[/url] - France, Burgundy, Mâconnais, Mâcon-Villages (9/10/2016)
  {screwcap, 13.5%} A rather dark mid-yellow for something just a year old. The gentle nose offers some pale grapefruit, along the some oak/resin character. The light-bodied palate has a smoky character too, to give the flavours – largely restrained and dilute tastes of no discernible flavour or real character – a boost. Predictably short finish. A nondescript, otherwise technically competent offering.
• [url=https://www.cellartracker.com/note.asp?iWine ... te=6012464]2013 Katnook Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Select Series[/url] - Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra (9/10/2016)
  {screwcap, 13.5%} A new label, it seems ; silly name. Inky, sweet blackberry aromas. Intense. And sweet too. The palate has some loose gritty tannins, flavours of boysenberry and blackberry, quite ripe but blowsy and short-lived. It’s medium-bodied on average; it starts big and hefty, then fades away fast to a shortish finish. Has just a hint of over-ripeness about it, despite the sensible alcohol.
• [url=https://www.cellartracker.com/note.asp?iWine ... te=6012465]2013 Brand's Laira Cabernet Sauvignon Blockers[/url] - Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra (9/10/2016)
  {screwcap, 14.5%} Dark ruby but translucent at the edge. Leafy – far leafier than the Katnook purporting to be from the same grape. Black fruit flavours; more currant and herbs. The palate is a little syrupy, with warm jammy flavours, minimal tannins, little oak, medium weight. All the signs of fairly high yield fruit are here. I wouldn’t be keeping it either.
• [url=https://www.cellartracker.com/note.asp?iWine ... te=6012466]2015 Wirra Wirra Shiraz Sexton's Acre[/url] - Australia, South Australia, Fleurieu, McLaren Vale (9/10/2016)
  {screwcap, 14.5%} Almost rudely youthful. Blackberries, chocolate, cinnamon, coconut. Just a little peppery spice. Big, ripe warm palate initially, but there’s a bit of hollowness at its core. Big hit of ripe ulberry/blueberry fruit starts the palate, then you notice some acidity. But there’s little tannin (no oak, presumably), and only a brief memory of the wine of the front palate; the rest vanishes fairly fast. So-so, but preferable to the two Coonawarra 2013 cabernet alternatives.
• [url=https://www.cellartracker.com/note.asp?iWine ... te=6012491]NV Taittinger Champagne Brut Réserve[/url] - France, Champagne (9/10/2016)
  {cork, 12.5%} A bit closed; eventually yielded some bakery aromas. Palate is restrained with with grapefruit and melon flavours. Not much autolysis evident here. Fine creamy bubbles, but with punch. Flavour sits towards the front palate; it’s very dry and clearly an aperitif style. Overall, just a touch disappointing for complexity and length.
• [url=https://www.cellartracker.com/note.asp?iWine ... te=6012492]2014 Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc[/url] - New Zealand, South Island, Marlborough (9/10/2016)
  {screwcap, 12.5%} Quite a bit of asparagus, but with a sweet tone. Only medium acidity on the palate, but very dry too; aside from the pungent aromas and flavours, makes something of a pitch for Sancerre. Rather a battleship grey as far as flavour goes, light/medium-bodied, with a fairly short finish. At two years, I’d be getting into these.
• [url=https://www.cellartracker.com/note.asp?iWine ... te=6012493]2013 William Fèvre Chablis Champs Royaux[/url] - France, Burgundy, Chablis (9/10/2016)
  {diam, 12.5%} Yellow-green. Limes, grapefruit, melon and a lick of vanilla. No apparent oak, light/medium-bodied, but with quite low acidity. Not much flavour here despite the nose; it’s mostly a dense grapeskin (quasi-oak) texture, rather lacking in excitement which is balanced towards the front palate and finishes a bit short. Could almost pass muster as a new world style. A bit flat.
• [url=https://www.cellartracker.com/note.asp?iWine ... te=6012495]2010 Château Loudenne[/url] - France, Bordeaux, Médoc (9/10/2016)
  {cork, 14%} Big and ripe. Very new-world in style, with blackcurrant jam to the fore, and oak in background. Slight iodine super/ripe character. The palate is medium-bodied, with ripe, almost hot, currant-derived fruit flavours, medium level gritty tannins, and a dry, slightly hollow finish to match the frisson of heat remaining on the tip of the tongue. Serviceable but workmanlike. Nothing special.
• [url=https://www.cellartracker.com/note.asp?iWine ... te=6012497]2010 Marchesi de' Frescobaldi Chianti Rùfina Nipozzano Riserva[/url] - Italy, Tuscany, Chianti, Chianti Rùfina (9/10/2016)
  {cork, 13.5%} Lemon-tinted with liquorice. The palate is hollow and simple, with a savoury, slightly baked character. The anonymous red fruit flavours pass right by, but for a vinegary note; there’s front palate presence and a little alcoholic warmth and not much else. Rather dull indeed.
• [url=https://www.cellartracker.com/note.asp?iWine ... te=6012550]NV J. Oppmann trocken[/url] - Germany, Franken (12/10/2016)
  {11.5%} Clean appley, even Riesling-scented nose. Lots of furious bubbles on the palate, and a disturbing sweetness for something called ‘trocken’. Which makes it seem rather soft on the acidity front too. Sweet apple fruits though; it’s verging on cider, this.
• [url=https://www.cellartracker.com/note.asp?iWine ... te=6012551]NV Bouvet-Ladubay La Petite Bulle Vin Petillant[/url] - France, Loire Valley, Anjou-Saumur, Saumur (12/10/2016)
  {12%} Dusty nose of musk and muscat. Not hugely intense though. Pleasant petillant quality to the fine bubbles; flavours are a bit anonymous; it’s light-bodied and very low-key. Has a vaguely bath-powder sort-of taste. Chenin? Close to off-dry but not unbalanced/sweet; mind you this was served very cold which helps accentuate the otherwise fairly minimal acidity. It’s a bit dull, otherwise OK. Finishes short.
• [url=https://www.cellartracker.com/note.asp?iWine ... te=6012552]2015 Zimmermann Grüner Veltliner[/url] - Austria, Niederösterreich, Kremstal (12/10/2016)
  {screwcap, 12.5%} Light/mid-yellow.Asparagus with a touch of white pepper. Youthful, with moderate intensity on the nose. The palate is dry, a bit cardboard in flavour, along with some tinned vegetable (greens!) character. No oak, fairly low acid after an initial hint-of-spritz, and dry. Light-bodied; it’s a wine which flits quickly across the tongue then disappears. Never really loses that cardboard quality either, but I wouldn’t ascribe it to TCA in any form, I hasten to add. Some kind of co-op? This is one of the least-branded wines I seen.
• [url=https://www.cellartracker.com/note.asp?iWine ... te=6012553]2015 Villa Baden Weissburgunder trocken[/url] - Germany, Baden (12/10/2016)
  {screwcap, 13%, AP 124 16} Quite a deep yellow, but shot through with green too. The nose is very tropical peach and even apricot too, with a hint of butter; there may be just the smallest seasoning of oak for generosity. The palate is a bit more smoky; it’s a bit greasy in character but also offers some short-lasting acidity up-front. It’s certainly dry, but the freshness palls with succeeding glasses. Light/medium-bodied; short finish; there’s something rather confected about this somehow. Competent a broad sense; forgettable too. Just another commercial white, despite the relative exoticism of its origin.
• [url=https://www.cellartracker.com/note.asp?iWine ... te=6012554]NV Cecchi Chianti Colli Senesi Arcano[/url] - Italy, Tuscany, Chianti, Chianti Colli Senesi (12/10/2016)
  {screwcap, 13.5%} A fruity, anonymous red in a new world style. Medium-bodied, quite acidic, a tiny bit sweet, with jammy red flavours bolstered with acid and a little grape-skin character which substitutes for real tannins or any obvious oak character. Has all its presence on the tip of the tongue and disappears on the finish as fast as you’d imagine. Presumably non-vintage as it’s got no regional definition? I’ll bet it’s all 2015 though.
• [url=https://www.cellartracker.com/note.asp?iWine ... te=6012555]2013 Vignerons de la Vicomte Vin de Pays d'Oc Reserve du Le Cochonnet[/url] - France, Languedoc Roussillon, Vin de Pays d'Oc (12/10/2016)
  {screwcap, 13.%} A blend of cabernet sauvignon and syrah – that’s taking it to the new world. It has the right inky blackness for the job too. It has that caramel/raisin high-yield-and-hard-worked quality to the nose. There’s minimal obvious oak on the palate; it has plenty of raspberry and kirsch flavours threatening scary levels of palate sweetness, but with a coarse texture, constructed of fine gritty tannin and what seems rather too much alcoholic heat for a 13% wine. Embodies all that’s best and worst about lower-end commercial wines. Doesn’t exist much beyond the mid-palate, and of course the finish is pretty short too. But at least its dry!

In the air
These were served on the Sydney-Singapore-Frankfurt legs of SQ221/222 and SQ 026 and SQ325.

• [url=https://www.cellartracker.com/note.asp?iWine ... te=6012472]NV Charles Heidsieck Champagne Brut[/url] - France, Champagne (9/10/2016)
  Hefty sort of nose; lots of yeast character, and chardonnay/white-fruit characters are dominant. It’s medium/-full-bodied; definitely to accompany food. Intense, focussed bubbles certainly become furious in the air. The fundamentally rich – and chardonnay-driven – nature of the wine remain. Hefty finish, something of a bruiser.
• [url=https://www.cellartracker.com/note.asp?iWine ... te=6012473]2014 Selbach Riesling Kabinett feinherb[/url] - Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer (9/10/2016)
  {screwcap, 9.5%} Alarmingly dark yellow colour for such a young wine. But the soft green-apple of the Mosel is still present, if in a simplified, lightly-honeyed form. The palate is scarcely off-dry, with a steely-tasting presence, apple and quince flavours. It’s light-bodied, with soft acidity, very much in quaffer territory. Short/medium finish, simple decent enough.
• [url=https://www.cellartracker.com/note.asp?iWine ... te=6012475]2012 Château Belle-Vue (Haut-Médoc)[/url] - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Haut-Médoc (9/10/2016)
  Leafy, dusty ; very dry and savoury for airborne consumption. There’s nevertheless a sweet blackberry jam flavour to this. Soft and friendly light/medium tannins reveal a front-palate wine which almost ceases to exist beyond the mid-palate. There are rather less-sweet cherry flavours on the palate than the richly jammy nose promised, and the finish is rather hollow and short. Better with food, but still a short term wine. Cheap Bdx is always a tough drink on a plane.
• [url=https://www.cellartracker.com/note.asp?iWine ... te=6012476]NV Taylor (Fladgate) Porto 10 Year Old Tawny[/url] - Portugal, Douro, Porto (9/10/2016)
  Bright ruby red. Certainly doesn’t look tawny. Cold tea aromas. Not terribly sweet nor rich on the palate. Decent aged rancio character, moderate acid, with flavours of cold tea and caramel. Medium/full-body, acidic, and rather too much on the front of the tongue. The finish is more heat than flavour. Meh.
• [url=https://www.cellartracker.com/note.asp?iWine ... te=6012477]2013 Heirloom Vineyards Shiraz Barossa[/url] - Australia, South Australia, Barossa (9/10/2016)
  {screwcap, 14.5%} Big, rich and ripe. Spicy, baked raspberry aromas and flavours. Lowish, vaguely coparse tannins with a chippy oak quality. Has a rustic crudity which swings between cheap and authentic! Raw and assertive. No polish on the short finish; a bit angular and crude. Not helped by the altitude. Another year or two (easy) and a bit less alcohol (oh…) would have helped the finish and freshness.
• [url=https://www.cellartracker.com/note.asp?iWine ... te=6012498]2014 Wild Horse Chardonnay[/url] - USA, California, Central Coast (9/10/2016)
  Rather wan in colour but ripe melon flavours are lavishly swathed in buttery oak. It seems less broadened by malo character than by pure oak which gives it a pretty one-dimensional quality. Medium-bodied, not sweet, it finishes simple and short.
• [url=https://www.cellartracker.com/note.asp?iWine ... te=6012557]2013 Cederberg Cabernet Sauvignon[/url] - South Africa, Olifants River, Citrusdal (12/10/2016)
  This was a pretty decent cabernet; much more palatable that the rather hot Heirloom shiraz. It’s quite intense with currant and tobacco flavours, mild dusty tannins, and decent acid. Good presence on the mid palate, medium weight, a hint of earth and herb; steers a good line between old and new world styles. Authentic enough; certainly the best of the reds I tasted on planes or in lounges this trip.
• [url=https://www.cellartracker.com/note.asp?iWine ... te=6012558]2014 Devil's Lair Chardonnay Hidden Cave[/url] - Australia, Western Australia, South West Australia, Margaret River (12/10/2016)
  {screwcap} Fresh nose of grapefruit, figs, malo and oak. The oak was more noticeable on the palate, lending quite a vanilla edge to the otherwise grapefruit-flavoured experience. It coats the tongue pretty well; it’s medium-bodied, dry, and manages a near-medium length finish. Decent early drinking.

All in all, a fairly mediocre set of wines. Most of these (Champagne excepted) would retail for under US$20 / €15 in their country or origin (certainly the AU/NZ ones do).
Pretty scabby considerating what you pay for a business class ticket!

and this was 2015:
[url=https://www.cellartracker.com/event.asp?iEvent=28874]SINGAPORE AIRLINES - BUSINESS & LOUNGES - Sydney, Singapore, Frankfurt (22/06/2015-26/06/2015)[/url]

Singapore Airlines Sydney Business Class lounge
Five wines on offer here at lunchtime: I skipped the kiwi savvy blanc.

• [url=https://www.cellartracker.com/note.asp?iWine ... te=5085945]NV Cave de Lugny Crémant de Bourgogne Brut[/url] - France, Burgundy, Crémant de Bourgogne (22/06/2015)
  Fresh apples with a touch of custard. Rather violently fizzy, very much on the front palate with its vanilla custard/apple flavours. Little true yeast character; it’s just a fresh and simple, nicely dry, light-bodied fizz.
• [url=https://www.cellartracker.com/note.asp?iWine ... te=5085946]2013 Oakridge Chardonnay The Parish of Gruyere[/url] - Australia, Victoria, Port Phillip, Yarra Valley (22/06/2015)
  {screwcap, 13%} Mild grapefruit aromas pumped up with vanilla oak. The palate is soft, tannin-free, with minimal structure and low-key grapefruit and nougat flavours. All the weight seems to derive from the oak, but as it’s not overdone, it balances the other structural aspects of this light/medium-bodied, rather short-finishing, but dry, basic commercial chardonnay. Drink up.
• [url=https://www.cellartracker.com/note.asp?iWine ... te=5085947]2012 Wirra Wirra Shiraz Sexton's Acre[/url] - Australia, South Australia, Fleurieu, McLaren Vale (22/06/2015)
  {screwcap, 14.5%} Plum & liquorice nose. The palate is warm, loose-knit, with plummy fruits, blackberries and aniseed flavours. There’s little acid, and minimal oak. It finishes on the short side, with a smoky weediness to the flavours. It has some mid-palate presence, but the front and back aren’t really in play. Despite the medium-weight, it seems a bit alcoholic for the rest of the wine to support. Base level wine; cellar as such.
• [url=https://www.cellartracker.com/note.asp?iWine ... te=5085948]2012 Brand's Laira Cabernet Sauvignon Blockers[/url] - Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra (22/06/2015)
  {screwcap, 14.6%} Basic new world cabernet from the lesser offerings of the Coonawarra vineyards; dark currant & vanilla nose, followed by a palate of gritty tannins and spicy flavours, along with a leafy cabernet note. Despite never rising above medium-bodied in weight, does rather display the fairly high alcohol. Low gritty tannins, and soft acid provide the only real structure; any oak is a seasoning only. Basic commercial effort; not to cellar.

On SQ222
Sydney to Singapore, 8 hours in business class.

• [url=https://www.cellartracker.com/note.asp?iWine ... te=5085949]NV Taittinger Prelude[/url] - France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru (22/06/2015)
  ‘50/50 blend of PN & Chardy from only GC vineyards, apparently. A hefty mouthful, the chardonnay dominating. White fruits covered in yeasty , leesy flavours; it’s a bit anonymous for flavour, with medium fine bubbles, medium weight, and a generous mouthfeel Medium length finish, dry, still packs a decent punch of flavour in the air(!); but kinda dry and moreish; an aperitif style; it really gets the tastebuds going. Decent enough, I wouldn’t age it (and on Singapore Airlines, I’d assume this is pretty fresh stock).
• [url=https://www.cellartracker.com/note.asp?iWine ... te=5085950]2013 Balthasar Ress Riesling[/url] - Germany, Rheingau (22/06/2015)
  {screwcap} Simple, honest riesling of talc & lime. Relies on a touch of sugar for weight & length. Light-bodied, to the point where it just flits over the palate before a rather short finish. So-so. Maybe it’s more impressive on the ground.
• [url=https://www.cellartracker.com/note.asp?iWine ... te=5085951]2013 Bunnamagoo Estate Chardonnay Bunnamagoo Estate[/url] - Australia, New South Wales, Central Ranges, Mudgee (22/06/2015)
  {screwcap} Old style nose; butter, figs and oak, with some malo character evident. The plate is less oaky, but even then the fairly anonymous white fruit flavours are subsumed by those mild vanilla flavours. It’s light/medium-bodied, with fairly low acidity, and has a light mineral/oak texture which gives it some passing interest, no more.
• [url=https://www.cellartracker.com/note.asp?iWine ... te=5085952]2011 Château Tour Haut-Caussan[/url] - France, Bordeaux, Médoc (22/06/2015)
  Big youthful, even sweet nose of plums, currants, strawberries. Reinforced with spicy oak. The palate has an odd menthol-like character to it too; everything promises much fruit on the palate, but it sits around the edge of the tongue, with very soft tannins, a rather dilute quality, and a short finish. Seems rather held up by the oak somehow. Serviceable but dull. Better than I expected given the vintage.
• [url=https://www.cellartracker.com/note.asp?iWine ... te=5085953]NV Dow Porto 10 Year Old Tawny[/url] - Portugal, Douro, Porto (22/06/2015)
  Raisins & prunes. Rich but light nose, with a touch of caramel. Medium-bodied palate, with simple brandied cherry flavours; not much real wood/rancio character on offer. Refreshing bright acid, rather front-palate in its balance, medium-dry, with a short finish. Not terribly exciting but not poor either; just tastes a bit stretched somehow.

Singapore Airlines Changi Business lounge
Stopover on the way to Frankfurt. A fizz, two whites and two reds here. The Mr Riggs was the same wine as on the plane (see next leg of flight!); just 4 of these five wines were being poured on the way back five days later.

• [url=https://www.cellartracker.com/note.asp?iWine ... te=5085955]NV Bollinger Champagne Special Cuvée Brut[/url] - France, Champagne (22/06/2015)
  All the classic big yeasty Bollinger flavours; cream cheese, nuts, biscuits. Medium/full-bodied, with plenty of mid-palate heft, and a medium/long vigorous finish. Fine, persistent bubbles. Very classy champagne.
• [url=https://www.cellartracker.com/note.asp?iWine ... te=5085956]2011 Yering Station Chardonnay[/url] - Australia, Victoria, Port Phillip, Yarra Valley (22/06/2015)
  {screwcap, 12%} A bit weedy and thin. There’s some oak, along with notions of tropical fruit, but the palate has a bilgey, dilute quality to it, despite some white fruit/chardonnay character. Light/medium-bodied at best, it always has a dirty earth aspect to the flavours; a victim of the soggiest vintage in years. Short finish; drink up, this is going nowhere.
• [url=https://www.cellartracker.com/note.asp?iWine ... te=5085957]2010 Château Loudenne[/url] - France, Bordeaux, Médoc (22/06/2015)
  {cork, 14%} Plummy, blackcurrant nose; very new world. The palate has a dirty tobacco note though; earthy; not really old school, just fungal and not at all what the nose promised. Tannins are fine and dusty; quite drying too; it’s at least medium-bodied, and you sense every percent of the alcohol, which gives it a slithery kind of texture. The finish is pretty low key though, despite that tannic tobacco note charging through; it’s only medium length. I guess this will hold a while, but I’d be surprised if it ever rose much above ‘serviceable’.

On SQ 026
Singapore to Frankfurt: the 12 hour leg. Tried the two wines I missed ex-Sydney.

• [url=https://www.cellartracker.com/note.asp?iWine ... te=5085958]2012 Cambria Chardonnay Katherine's Vineyard[/url] - USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Maria Valley (22/06/2015)
  Somewhat developing, sweetly liqueured nose; pineapple, tropical fruits. The medium-bodied palate is bolstered by sweet oak, malo influences and sweet tropical fruits. It’s not fair to call it off-dry, but it has a real sweetness which feels like more than just the oak. Low acid, and it has the short finish you’d expect. Fairly dull stuff.
• [url=https://www.cellartracker.com/note.asp?iWine ... te=5085959]2012 Mr. Riggs Shiraz The Gaffer[/url] - Australia, South Australia, Fleurieu, McLaren Vale (22/06/2015)
  {screwcap, 14.6%} Blackberries & iodine. Despite the impressive nose, te palate is only really light/medium-bodied, surprisingly in light of the alcohol. Has a bit of punch on the palate to begin, but that fades fairly quickly. Bif rich red fruit flavours, but a bit hollow at the core. The black fruit lacks focus & concentration, and the palate ends up tasting rather dilute in the end. A bit disappointing..

Frankfurt Lufthansa Business lounge
The Singapore lounge in Frankfurt is in fact the Lufthansa Business lounge. Wonderful, I thought when I heard this: I wonder if I will beat the mixed world dozen I tasted in BA’s Heathrow lounge last November? And have some weird and wonderful German wines in the process? Nope, is the general answer, with one mild exception. And I’ve gotta say; for the national carrier in the country’s main airport, the lounge is just a throwaway afterthought. Two hot dishes, a few pretzels; not even a cheese plate. Tragic.

• [url=https://www.cellartracker.com/note.asp?iWine ... te=5085989]NV J. Oppmann Cabernet Sauvignon trocken[/url] - Germany, Rheinhessen (26/06/2015)
  {11.5%} Vague watermelon aromas. Lots of powerful but not coarse bubbles on the dry and dusty palate. Perhaps a vague touch of strawberry-like flavour appears. Light-bodied, with a crisp, dry, short, finish of no interest whatsoever.
• [url=https://www.cellartracker.com/note.asp?iWine ... te=5085990]NV J. Oppmann trocken[/url] - Germany, Franken (26/06/2015)
  {11.5%} Lychees and green apples comprise the rather mild nose. It has a savoury, dry, light-bodied palate, but is nearly devoid of flavour. Has more presence on the tongue structurally than actual taste. Small furious bubbles do their best to create interest within a short-bodied finish. But really, it’s very dull overall.
• [url=https://www.cellartracker.com/note.asp?iWine ... te=5085991]2013 Riff Pinot Grigio[/url] - Italy, Delle Venezie (26/06/2015)
  {screwcap, 12%} Steel and pear. Apricot vaguely. Somewhat reserved. Palate is watery but dry, oak-free, light-bodied with a grape-skin texture, quite hefty and warm for 12%, but the same simple flavours as the nose leave nothing to the imagination on the short finish. Dull.
• [url=https://www.cellartracker.com/note.asp?iWine ... te=5085993]2014 McGregor Winery Chardonnay[/url] - South Africa, Breede River Valley, Robertson, McGregor (26/06/2015)
  {14%} Youthful, sweet butter and peach aromas. Some vanilla too, but not overly oaky. The palate is rather woodier than I expected, but still not more than light/medium-bodied (served too cold, as seems to be the case with all airport lounge whites).
• [url=https://www.cellartracker.com/note.asp?iWine ... te=5086005]2013 Lergenmüller Dornfelder Traditions Herrenhaus[/url] - Germany, Pfalz (26/06/2015)
  {screwcap, 13%} Lively intense nose of liquirice and bleckberry. Zippy and fresh. The light/medium-bodied palate has an earthy/bacterial, but still oddly confected quality to te flavours, with steely acidity to back it up. The dusty tannins are very mild indeed; no oak is evident; it’s light-on for structure but still piercing in a pointed, not-unripe way. Dry, perhaps even a touch feral, but interesting enough, even if it finishes rather short.
• [url=https://www.cellartracker.com/note.asp?iWine ... te=5086007]2013 Cantine Colomba Bianca Terre Siciliane Kore[/url] - Italy, Sicily, Terre Siciliane (26/06/2015)
  {screwcap, 13%} Warmly ripe nose of leaves, compost, raspberries. Soft dusty tannins and medium acid frame a softly earthy old-world style of wine, relying more on structure for impact than the gentle raspberry fruits. Has a rather commercial feel, with its slippery texture and absence of oak; rather bland and should only be drunk in a crisis.

SQ325 to Singapore & Singapore Lounge then Sydney
The Rhone red was a ‘special limited offer’ wine on the Frankfurt-Singapore leg. The Singapore Airlines lounge in Terminal 3 is unevenly parsimonious with wines on the way back to Sydney; apart from the generous Bollinger Special, there’s just the one Victorian chardonnay, and the same Bordeaux/McLaren Vale double doing duty as two days ago. Four wines! Miserable offerings. One untried offering on the A380 on the way back to Sydney to finish.

• [url=https://www.cellartracker.com/note.asp?iWine ... te=5086008]2011 Ferraton Père & Fils Crozes-Hermitage La Matinière[/url] - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Crozes-Hermitage (26/06/2015)
  {cork, 13%} Powerful spicy, peppery nose. Some blackberry fruit too, but it’s the intensity of the pepper which dominates. On the palate, tobacco and spice flavours fight it out with the pepper. It’s a bit dilute as far as red shiraz flavours go; there are medium gritty tannins, medium acid, and some earth flavours. It’s also a touch coarse overall, with blocky tannins, but it does manage some mid-palate presence which rather come in waves along the palate; the finish is dry, savoury and medium length. OK, no more.
• [url=https://www.cellartracker.com/note.asp?iWine ... te=5086010]2012 Shadowfax Chardonnay[/url] - Australia, Victoria (26/06/2015)
  {screwcap, 13%} From Geelong and Heathcote. All nuts and figs on the medium-intensity nose. Grapefruit, nut and cedary oak flavours comprise the medium-bodied palate. It’s pretty austere on the whole, not with much charm at all, but has some power instead, leading to good mid-palate weight and a dry, medium-length finish. Hard to get the serving temperature right given the oak and reserved nature of the wine; warm it’s flabby, and too cold and it disappears entirely. Ready to drink I reckon.
• [url=https://www.cellartracker.com/note.asp?iWine ... te=5086012]2012 Dandelion Vineyards Shiraz Lioness of McLaren Vale[/url] - Australia, South Australia, Fleurieu, McLaren Vale (26/06/2015)
  {screwcap, 14%} Classic, big, chocolate/red berry vale shiraz. Despite the massive nose, the palate isn’t really more than medium weight. It does start with a load of ripe blackberry flavours and spiciness, with soft oak. It does taste a bit entry-level, having no real depth or length to the finish, but it does its best to make an initial impact. A more impressive nose than its Riggs Gaffer co-servee, but perhaps a lesser palate. Soft acid, gentle gritty tannins; drink up.