As the Sybaritic Single invariably travels with his own Baccarat flûte, the Champagne he pours in it truly matters.
Last week, he flew for a night to Paris and, for once, chose Emirates over Air France just because the airline serves Dom Pérignon P2 2003 in first class this fall. Air France, on the other hand, quietly downgraded the bubbles at its flagship salon La Première at Paris CDG to Moët & Chandon (that, non-vintage) – a shocking choice for an airline that got French joie de vivre in its DNA and pops more than 750,000 bottles of Champagne every year.
The Sybaritic Single’s all-time favourite bubbles are flying Japan Airlines: JAL serves the sublime Salon 2002 (on flights from Japan) and the more flashy Cristal 2013 (on flights returning to Japan).
The second favourite is onboard Singapore Airlines, which for more than two decades have been carrying both Dom Pérignon and Krug Grande Cuvée (the Sybaritic Single also remembers that the airline even served Krug Rosé – one of the rarest bubbles in the sky – in December 2019).
However, as of next month, the Singaporeans will drop Dom Pérignon in favour of Taittinger Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blanc 2007 – a noticeable switch from an LVMH brand to one of the few remaining family-owned houses, which also happens to be headed by a woman – Vitalie Taittinger follows in the footsteps of the great widows: Madame Clicquot, Louise Pommery, Mathilde Emilie Perrier and Lily Bollinger.
The Sybaritic Single already enjoyed her exquisite vintage when he flew Singapore Airlines in summer, as it was the “new” Champagne served in the airline’s first class lounge at that time. He found it quite palatable, perhaps because he prefers the terroir and the crayères cellars of Reims over Épernay.
As the Sybaritic Single plans his next sojourn, the most obvious choice to reach the destination would be with Swiss. However, that airline has been pouring a very boring Laurent-Perrier Grand Siècle, which is a blend of three “exceptional years” rather than a particular vintage. Well, perfection seems to be hard to come by – should he finally switch to flying privately?
