Meet BA’s first resident ‘wine master’, who reveals the secrets of choosing high-flying vintages

You’ve probably never heard of Tim Jackson, but he has one of the most important jobs in the UK travel industry – he’s responsible for beverage selection on all British Airways flights, from economy to first class. And in the lounges of the carrier.

It means his decisions will affect whether a vacation gets off to a good start for millions of people. After all, for many, that first sip of wine, beer or gin and tonic at the airport or during the flight marks the official start of the outing.

Fortunately, the country’s taste buds and holiday spirit are in good hands, as Tim is a ‘Master of Wine’, one of only 415 worldwide.

Tim became BA’s first-ever resident master of wine last December, and his expertise is quickly paying off – he chose a wine that was honored with gold in the ‘Best First Class Red’ category in the Cellars In The Sky Awards 2022.

The wine in question was a 2019 Teusner ‘The Riebke’ Barossa Valley Shiraz, from Australia’s Barossa Valley, priced between £20 and £22 a bottle.

Tim told MailOnline Travel that “Shiraz from the Barossa Valley gets really good, intense fruit,” adding that “the tannins are medium, but ripe and fine and probably attractive at high altitude.”

You might reasonably wonder why a wine that is attractive at ground level doesn’t automatically taste great at 35,000 feet. It’s not a given because, as Tim explains, strange things happen to taste and smell sensations in flight.

He also reveals how he keeps passengers from getting dud wine as a result.

He says: ‘At high altitude, the dryness of the cabin in particular reduces your perception of aromas and flavors – especially fruitiness. Then what that does is, as that fruitiness comes down, all the other textural components in the structure of wines, like the acidity, the alcohol, and in red wines the tannins — the stuff that dries out your gums — they become more prominent, more obvious.

“So, what I look for in a wine… does it have more of the fruit component? Because at high altitude that’s going to lessen a little bit, and also, especially with red wines, I’m focused on the level of the tannins and the quality of the tannins – are they natural or good? I’m looking for as fine as possible, smooth – and probably silky and pleasant as they get clearer.

Tim revealed that at altitude the dryness of the cabin reduces your perception of smells and tastes

“And you don’t want something that’s obviously alcoholic, because the perception of it goes way up.

‘So it’s about how much fruit you taste.

‘I look for a balance in the wine that is probably also balanced at a great height.’

BA customers can rest assured that the process of deciding which wines to serve is extremely rigorous for all cabins.

Tim says: ‘We find suppliers, we go through a rigorous process of blind testing, we review them, find the right balance and make a selection to give a wide range of styles, or as broad as we can, and we aim for the best quality we can get in the bottle. It’s the same process for economics as for “turning left.”

When we meet Tim for a chat at British Airways’ headquarters in Heathrow, his passion for the business is evident.

But why did he take it?

He adds: ‘BA is the national airline. Why not help shape what the airline does? What gets me out of bed in the morning is that the decisions I make or shape can gently influence or hopefully improve the drinking experiences of millions of people. That’s magic.’

British Airways has announced plans for an exclusive Whispering Angel rosé bar, inviting customers to enjoy the refreshing French drink prior to their flight from Heathrow Terminal 5. London Heathrow Terminal 5 (Terminal 5B).

Prefer something English and vibrant? BA has you covered. Currently there is an English sparkling drink available on board – Digby Fine English Brut NV. From July, the airline will serve the Balfour Rosé de Noirs, grown on the Balfour Hush Heath Estate in Kent, and made only from red grapes. This lighter rosé sparkling wine is an exclusive blend for British Airways, making it available only at 35,000 feet for customers in the airline’s Club World (business) cabin.

Digby Fine English Brut NV is currently served on BA flights in business class