Qatar Airways appoints a new Master of Wine to build its wine list

Qatar Airways is an airline renowned for the excellence of its customer experience. It was voted the world's best airline by Skytrax in 2024. It is also regularly ranked among the world's top three airlines for its wine selection. In recent years, it has won Business Traveller's "Cellars in the Sky" and Global Traveller's "Wines on the Wing" awards.

It is in this quest for perfection that the company has appointed its new Master of Wine, Anne Krebiehl, who will have the task of offering an exceptional tasting experience at an altitude of 12,000 meters. This title is held by only 421 experts worldwide after many years of study.

5 questions to Anne Krebiehl, Qatar Airways Master of Wine

How are you going to design the Qatar Airways wine list?

My philosophy is to select wines based solely on taste, not on labels, magazine reviews or price. As part of this approach, we'll be blind-tasting over 1,000 samples from all over the world. The aim is to offer a varied and unique selection on board, ranging from sparkling wines to old vintages. Choosing wines for an airline such as Qatar Airways involves considerable logistics. It will then take time to negotiate quantities and volumes before the wines appear on board.

Tell us about this future selection. Will it be open to the world?

Of course, you'll find wines from the world's major wine-growing regions, from Europe to South America, via Oceania, and all types of wine, from rosé to sweet. The strength of a Master of Wine is to know all the wine-growing regions inside out. I'm going to use my knowledge to unearth the best vintages, while taking into account the high-volume requirements of a company like Qatar Airways. We'll also be working with winemakers to design unique blends, specially adapted for economy class passengers.

Is it a constraint to select a wine that will be tasted at an altitude of over 12,000 meters?

We obviously take into account the parameter of in-flight tasting when making our selection. at 12,000 meters, a wine's astringency, tannins and bitterness are accentuated. It is therefore crucial to ensure that, for barrel-aged wines or older vintages, the aromas are ripe and the tannins are softened and mellowed. Otherwise, the experience will be unpleasant. On the other hand, for young wines with simple aromas, we take fewer risks. It's also essential to put ourselves in the customer's shoes: they don't go on a trip to taste wine, but generally look for a wine to accompany the moment and the joy of traveling.

Which wine do you prefer to enjoy during a flight?

Without hesitation, champagne. If there isn't any, I'd choose a sparkling wine made using the traditional method. In my opinion, it's the most pleasant wine to enjoy during a flight. I also like a good pinot noir. But always in moderation, as alcohol is more rapidly assimilated into the bloodstream due to the lack of oxygen at altitude.

Will you be thinking about food and wine pairings?

The airline wants to offer a gastronomic experience that includes food and wine pairings. My philosophy remains the same: we're on a plane, with its constraints. We want to create good matches and harmonious associations, without striving for impossible perfection. We'll also be designing innovative training materials for cabin crew to guide them in their choice of pairings.