January 25, 2016 – From March 1, short-haul flyers in British Airways Club Europe business class can enjoy a little more of the high life with a new champagne.
The airline has selected Champagne de Castelnau Reserve Brut NV as its new champagne of choice for Club Europe cabin, following blind taste tests, and passengers will be offered quarter bottles of bubbly from the Reims-based champagne house, which was established in 1916.
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 color, 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.”
Champagne de Castelnau Reserve Brut NV is a firm favorite with champagne connoisseurs, with several top hotels in London and Paris offering de Castelnau’s rich and complex non-vintage wine 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. The grape growers also own more than 900 hectares of vineyards across some of the best terroirs of Champagne in 149 different crus.
The champagne was named in honor of the then well-known French General, Eduard de Curières de Castelnau. By the 1930s, de Castelnau Champagne had become very fashionable and remained a favorite 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.
