I'm heading to Hong Kong on an early spring break and thought it would be worth checking out the wine list for the flight since I lucked into an upgrade. I was curious whether the "up front" experience actually had decent wines and how different it was from economy class.
Amusingly the business class list included Wente Vineyard's 2016 Estate Grown Chardonnay [$25.99]. Rounding it out were a Charles & Charles Riseling (Washington) [$13.99], Colby Red Blend (CA) [$10], Chehalem Pinot Noir (OR) [$32.99] and an unnamed selection of champagnes. I was surprised by the range in price and am curious about the quality implications. It could just be the handy work of an expert somm who finds the value.
In contrast, on United's domestic economy flights you can purchase a 187.5mL bottle for $7.99. Brands are undisclosed online. On premium transcon flights (e.g., SF to BOS), choices are Redwood Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon 2015 [$14.99 for 750mL] and Laboure Roi Chardonnay 2017 Vin de France [$4-9 for 750mL]. Again, huge variability, and likely awesome profit margins since I'm assuming United's scale does better than the typical BTG rule of thumb for their COGS.
In sum, it seems like you should go with the clear brand names and brace yourself for some high variability in these settings.
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