The Premium Wine Programme includes wines served:
Wine Standard Requirements
Wines must be premium examples. We are looking for regional spread and flexibility of style.
Wineries are also encouraged to submit Fine Wines from the Fine Wines of New Zealand list.
**Each wine if purchased, must have a current NZ Wine Export Certificate or be export eligible and the winemaker is required to have produced the wine under their own Winemakers/Winery license.**
Wines are to have appropriate closures and be submitted in 750ml bottles or 375ml bottles for dessert wine. Wines with cork closures are unable to be identified as being corked, therefore cork closures will not be accepted.
Only bottled wine may be submitted, tank samples are ineligible for selection.
To ensure that the quality of wine served onboard Air New Zealand is consistent, the lot number of each wine received will be recorded. Should the wine be selected for use then the lot number will be referenced in the product data sheet and checked against deliveries.
Sustainability Fundamental requirements:
Please refer to the Submission Terms here.
Varietal Categories and Volume Requirements:
Volumes listed are minimum volumes and in most cases we would seek larger volumes if these are available. Submissions are grouped by the following varietal categories:
| Sauvignon Blanc | 300+ cases (12 x 750ml) |
| Chardonnay | 250+ cases (12 x 750ml) |
| Pinot Gris | 150+ cases (12 x 750ml) |
| Other White Wine* | 150+ cases (12 x 750ml) |
| Pinot Noir | 300+ cases (12 x 750ml) |
| Other Red Wine** | 150+ cases (12 x 750ml) |
| Dessert Wine | 100+ cases (12 x 375ml) |
*Other Red Wine includes Bordeaux Blends, Syrah, Merlot, Red Other (Montepulciano and Dolcetto)
**Other White Wine includes Rose, Riesling, Gewurztraminer, White Other (Gruner Veltliner, Viognier, Albarino and Arneis)
Submissions that do not meet close to the minimum requirements may be removed from the submission process
For blended wines, Wineries must clearly state the percentage of the grape varieties in descending order e.g. Merlot 50%, Cabernet Sauvignon 40%, Malbec 10%.
Lighter Wines
Premium, full flavoured, lighter in alcohol wines cater to modern lifestyle trends including health and wellness and more mindful drinking. These wines might also cater to the needs of Air NZ’s customers who wish to enjoy premium New Zealand varietal wines with the option of less alcohol.
Air NZ is therefore inviting wineries to submit their best lighter in alcohol wines for consideration. To be eligible for submission to the Premium Wine Programme, a Lighter Wine must:
(i) Have an alcohol percentage of less than 10% Alcohol By Volume (ABV) and greater than 8.5%;
(ii) be labelled as a lighter or lower in alcohol wine from New Zealand (or in the absence of a labelling statement, can demonstrate that the alcohol content has been reduced or lowered)
(iii) be submitted in its respective varietal category (i.e. lighter sauvignon blanc within “Sauvignon Blanc” varietal)
Lighter wines will be blind tasted and judged for premiumness against the same quality criteria as all wines submitted.
Successful applicants will be required to supply and deliver wine bottled in 750ml bottles or 375ml bottles for dessert wine.
Air New Zealand would like to remind wineries that due to our Zero Alcohol Tolerance Policy Cabin Crew are unable to taste wine prior to serving.
Selection Process Timelines
Submissions portal closes 13 September 2019.
All samples of wines are due by Friday 4th October 2019. Further details here.
All wines submitted for consideration will be blind tasted by Air New Zealand’s wine consultants during the week of 21-25 October 2019.
Unsuccessful wines will be confirmed and released by end of November 2019.
Successful applicants will be required to supply and deliver wine bottled to Auckland between January 2020 and February 2021. Exact timeline will be confirmed to each winery.
