Pop off to Europe with British Airways’ new short-haul Champagne

British Airways is getting set to toast the first serving of its new champagne on short-haul flights from February 1.

Champagne de Castelnau Reserve Brut NV is the new champagne of choice for customers flying in the airline’s Club Europe cabin.

The Reims-based champagne house, which was established in 1916, was chosen as the top tipple for short-haul travellers after a blind taste test, with quarter bottles of ‘Castelnau Brut NV’ winging their way on board.

Troy Warfield, British Airways’ director of customer experience, said: “Castelnau’s full and rich champagne came top in our recent blind taste test with two Masters of Wine, and we’re delighted to welcome it on board our short-haul flights for customers flying in Club Europe.

“Sporting a pale, golden yellow colour, Castelnau Brut NV is an elegant choice for our customers. With a high percentage of Chardonnay in the blend, offering a fresh and rich balance with a superb finish it has also won a succession of gold medals in the major competitions.

“Our food and drink experts take great care to uncover the very best suppliers from around the world. We take pride in bringing new and exciting brands, like de Castelnau, to British Airways, so we can deliver the best experiences for our customers.”

Champagne de Castelnau Reserve Brut NV is a firm favourite with champagne connoisseurs, with several top hotels in London and Paris offering de Castelnau’s rich and complex non-vintage wine to their guests as their House Champagne.

Champagne de Castelnau is located in the heart of Reims where it makes just under half a million bottles of de Castelnau per year. Their grape growers also own more than 900 hectares of vineyards across some of the best terroirs of Champagne in 149 different crus.

It was named in honour of the then well-known French General, Eduard de Curières de Castelnau. By the 1930’s, de Castelnau Champagne had become very fashionable and remained a favourite of royal families and the French army throughout the world for much of the 20th century.

De Castelnau also boasts one of the area’s few female Chefs de Caves, Elisabeth Sarcelet, who has worked at the vineyard since 1995, and who oversees all their champagne production.

January 26, 2015