The above this a shot from this glossy PR on the current Delta News [PR] Hub. They are trying to sell you on the fact that this wine “can” is better for the world. Well, as Gary Leff points out in a post, “Even Spirit Airlines stopped selling wine in cans years ago.” What does it say about an airline that can say we are worse that Spirit?
A few years ago Delta featured a post on the PR Hub that said: “Forbes writer: Wine tasted on Delta flight ‘knocked my socks off‘ “! Now clearly this is talking about international business class vs. domestic business class (i.e. Delta One vs. First Class per advertising spin) but still Delta used to really want to stand out when it comes to quality wine that tastes good up in the air. Granted, when it came to domestic choices, they were really cheap (like $4.00 or less per bottle) but at least in a bottle.
I had the privilege of meeting Master Sommelier Andrea Robinson, who as far as I can tell, is still working with Delta but has not featured Delta in any tweets for years now. She seemed to understand my frustration with the quality of the domestic wine offerings, but that was not part of her overview. Delta bean counters should have really consulted her before the move to the canned wines!
Having now tested a few of these cans of the red wine I can tell you they are simply horrid, nasty and such a disappointment. Some may say they are an upgrade over the plastic bottle wines but that is hardly anything to get remotely excited about.
Delta does state “domestic first-class and all cabins on international flights will continue to have wine options beyond the canned version” per Bloomberg news but on my domestic first class flights all I have seen this year are the cans. Have you seen anything else other than the cans on your domestic first class flights?
We all know Delta is charging a ton for domestic first class seats in both miles and cash and it is time they make it worth my while to pony up and choose Delta over the other airlines. One way is real bottles of wine of at least the same quality as in the Sky Clubs! Agree? – René
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keep up the good work, René; completely agree!
Great post-Delta still descending! No more Covid excuses unless prices are going pre Covid! That will never happen
Last time we had a glass of wine together we were in Chicago!! Great post Rene. You still have the magic touch!
And prices on the tickets just keep soaring higher than the bird itself!
I’m not a drinker but my neighbor seemed to like them well enough to buy three cans of wine on our SLC-ATL flight last week.
He also had to escape from his window seat twice to relieve himself and then again fight upstream as soon as we touched down for one last visit to the restroom.
I should have known you couldn’t stay away and watch Delta ruin their wine service. Welcome back for a quick dose of Delta Descending!
That canned wine is horrible, I politely sent back the white recently, which was very artificial and over-oaked to the point of undrinkability. I had resigned myself to avoiding wine on flights but actually, I decided to ask for sparkling wine instead and it was quite good! Not spectacular but a decent tasting dry sparking wine. I’d encourage anyone who dislikes the canned red and white to give it a go.
I hope Delta consults Andrea again to try to upgrade what is being served…Please!!!!! I am sure she can come uo with better options.
Well at least we still have Woodford, but a glass of wine sometimes is what I would like. These canned things are simply horrible! Come on Delta what were you thinking?!!
Eye-opening post. I generally just drink the (canned) Tip Top Margarita on Domestic Delta. Transatlantic I’ve always had bottled wine in cattle class. KLM I had to pre-order the bottle of champagne. AF the champagne was free-flowing. QR I was presented a fine bottle of red wine as if I were being served by a sommelier in a fine restaurant, with the Cattle Class Flight Host presenting me the bottle held label up in his gloved hands for my inspection, and then given the bottle and a glass. I prefer bottled wine, although I have dabbled in TetraPak wine. I cannot bring myself to drink canned wine. If that’s what the younger generation demands, (along with canned beer in psychodelic colored cans with creative names) there’s not much I can do but simply decline the offer. I don’t know. At 39,000 feet I’m more of a traditionalist.
At 0 feet, I’m much more of a traditionalist 🙂
It’s extremely frustrating that they’ve tried to spin this as a more environmentally-responsible plan that supports independent and emerging businesses. That sounds all well and good, but replacing Prosecco with Une Femme and pretending it’s about anything other than DL’s bottom line is ridiculous.
Agreed! And while we are on this topic…can we stop using plastic cups in first class? What with the boxed food, the horrible drink selections and the lack of upgrades on most flights, the value of Diamond status has really gone downhill
Until you have done a proper “blind” test, I don’t believe a word of it. Wine snobs . . . uhmm, sorry, I mean wine “experts” . . .are widely known for being influenced by factors having nothing to do with the actual taste of the wine. Review, ratings, and comparisons always very widely between blind and non-blind tastings.
Set up a REAL test and publish those results.
@Alex – I think the other comments are on the non-can horrible side!
Andrea Robinson hasn’t worked for Delta since at least before the pandemic.
The canned white (chardonnay) isn’t that bad. Fairly typical California chardonnay. Definitely not a chablis.
I’m not sure if the can imparts a tin flavoring — I know the French will argue with scientists who claim soil doesn’t impart flavors — but many wines need to breathe. That’s kind of difficult with a can.