5 Airlines Offering The Best Wine, According To Reddit

Flying can be a chore, but flying with a fine glass of wine in hand makes it slightly less so. Luckily, some airlines put a little extra thought into their in-flight wine selection, which could tip the scales for travelers weighing their airline options, or at least give you something new to try on your next flight. According to sommelier Michele Gargiulo, wine can taste different at high altitudes due to the dry air and low pressure in the cabin affecting a passenger's senses. That makes choosing the right wine selection all the more crucial, as some will retain a better flavor as the conditions in air change.

If there's one audience that has strong opinions about the wine they get while soaring through the sky, it's Reddit users. There's an entire thread dedicated to sharing and debating their favorite airlines for wine offerings, and plenty of users have shared their opinions about individual airlines across Reddit. We dove head-on into the discussions to see which airlines get the most positive feedback from the community, then we did some of our own research from wine forums and airline newsrooms to see what makes each airline's wine selection stand out. Below, you can find out everything we learned about which airlines have the best in-flight wines.

One wine curation strategy that's bound to please a wide pool of fliers is simply making sure there's a broad selection of wines available. This is where Emirates, often cited by travelers as one of the best airlines for overnight flights, excels. A top-voted Reddit comment said, "I do like to have different types of wine throughout the meal (eg white to start, red with the main). Emirates get this as a concept." That benefit is even more pronounced in Emirates' first class, where a rotating selection of high-end wines are offered. "I tried their 1982 Tawny Port on my last flight and it was amazing!" another Reddit commenter said.

The quality of wines aboard Emirates is no accident. The airlines have invested a lot of money over the last two decades in its selection of vino; they began investing in long-term wine storage in 2006, according to a press release. The release also stated that some of those cellar-stored rare wines, part of the Emirates Vintage Collection, will only be poured to first-class passengers in 2027, so that might be a good year to plan on booking your flight with the airline.

The full selection is only available to first class passengers, while economy passengers typically get one white and one red offering, plus a sparkling vintage for premium economy fliers.

Japan is the most popular country in the world for repeat visits, and one thing that might keep you going back may be the flight there — or, more precisely, what's served on it. All Nippon Airways (ANA), Japan's biggest airline, got some attention on Reddit for its elite wine selection. "Nippon serves Krug. What more do you need?" one user asked.

Krug, which The Telegraph once called "the Rolls-Royce of champagne," has been a staple of ANA's international flight wine list since 1986 and continues to be served to its first class passengers. Some enthusiasts are so enamored with ANA's Krug offering that they choose the airline specifically for it. "Next time I have enough points, I'll be trying to snag another first class flight to try this again!" a Reddit user wrote about the "all you can drink" amenity (though another Reddit user said it's not truly "unlimited").

Similar to other airlines, ANA only offers one red and one white wine for economy passengers, but not any particularly special labels. However, if you upgrade to premium economy, you'll get a slightly more refined sparkling option; the list released at the end of 2025 features Veuve du Vernay, which has won several gold medals from Gilbert & Gaillard. Based on the drink menu offered as of 2025, economy passengers also get a sake option, in true Japanese spirit.

Considering its famed wine regions, it's only appropriate that France's vino prestige translates into its national airline, Air France. But one element of the wine service that stands out in particular is how knowledgeable the cabin crew is when it comes to recommending and pairing wines. "[T]he wines were decent [...] but even more impressive to me was the fact the FA actually knew about all the wines and their minerality, terroir, etc.," a Reddit user wrote.

The wine selection is curated by a widely acclaimed sommelier, Xavier Thuizat, who won Michelin's 2024 Sommelier Award. As one Reddit commenter affirmed, "They truly have one of the best wine lists out there."

The sommelier-curated wine list is only available free-of-charge to passengers in La Première, the airline's stylish first-class flight option. Business class travelers also get a lavish (but more limited) wine list, but there's a big perk for economy travelers, too. Air France is among the few airlines that serve champagne, even in economy (for long-haul flights). Everyone gets the chance to sip some bubbly in the air while nibbling on the box of treats Air France hands out to passengers.

Perhaps no airline is as meticulous about its wine selection process as Singapore Airlines. The air carrier employs a "panel" of three wine experts who, twice a year, blindly taste test up to 1,000 wine labels. The wines even get tested in a simulated pressurized cabin, accounting for how altitude would change their taste. When the testing is complete, the airline stocks up on wines based on the panel's recommendations. Its efforts are recognized by fliers, with one Reddit user describing the wine selection as "excellent" while noting, "Singapore had a lovely [offering] of the burgundy."

The most exclusive class cabins — suites and first class — get two prestigious champagne options: Dom Perignon and Krug. Economy passengers get one white and one red, while upgrading to premium adds a champagne option. A look at a March 2026 long-haul flight's business class wine list includes one champagne, two whites, three reds, and one fortified wine.

For travelers who want some insight into the wines' flavor profiles and aromas, Singapore Airlines also has air sommeliers who are trained to guide passengers through the wines available on board.

Austrian Airlines is unique in that it uses its wine menu to showcase labels that are specifically from Austrian wine regions. An in-flight, business class wine selection from 2025 shared on Reddit includes almost entirely Austrian-produced wines (plus a champagne from France), with classic Austrian wines like Grüner Veltliner and Blaufränkisch among them. The Reddit poster commended the approach, writing, "I loved that they focus their food and beverages on Austrian products and recipes. I told the FA and purser that I was traveling to Austria for a week of winery/vineyard visits, and the FA set up a little tasting of the white wines for me, complete with little labels."

Praise of Austrian Airlines' wines was echoed by wine enthusiasts in a forum on Wine Berserkers. "One of the best wine experiences I have had on a plane was my first trip to Austria on Austrian airlines," one user shared. "Only time I have ever been on plane with a Gruner and Riesling wine list!"

An added draw, according to Austrian Wine, is that every long-haul flight with the airline will have an Austrian wine-trained expert in business class to offer insight starting in 2026. While the wine list is more limited for economy passengers, a menu from the airline for a long-haul flight in March 2026 includes a fairly generous range of options for economy, including three sparkling options, one red, and Grüner Veltliner.

We used Reddit as a baseline for selecting five airlines that have the best wine experience for the connoisseur traveler. We looked through multiple threads to see which airlines stood out with frequent praise, numerous upvotes, and adamant recommendations from users. The criteria for inclusion in this list included not only the wine quality but also the range of the wine selection, onboard expertise, and other serving choices that make the wine experience stand out. We used airline press releases and flight information (like sample menus) to gather more information about the wine list and what makes it distinctive and worth noting.