Virgin Atlantic partners with Yotes Court

Airline Virgin Atlantic will be taking Kent-based producer Yotes Court’s wine to new heights as part of a partnership taking place throughout the month of June.

Throughout June, to coincide with English Wine Week (17-25 June), Virgin Atlantic will be serving Yotes Courts’ Bacchus onboard to passengers in Upper Class.

The wine, known as ‘On the Nod’, a term for a photo-finish in horse racing, comes from Bacchus vines planted at 140 metres above sea level in 2018.

Yotes Court describes the aromatic profile and taste of the wine as follows: “A delicate floral nose of honeysuckle, lilac and ripe orchard fruits yielding to a zesty citrus intensity on the palate and a stone fruit finish.”

London wine merchant Jeroboams will be supplying the wine to Virgin Atlantic.

The airline’s beverage lead, Shiada Drysdale, said: “It’s no secret I am a huge fan of English wine, so I have been waiting for the right moment to introduce a zesty English Bacchus into our onboard range at Virgin Atlantic.”

Yotes Court owner Susannah Ricci added: “It’s a real thrill and honour to have had our Bacchus chosen by Virgin Atlantic to celebrate English Wine Week this year. Their dedication to adopting sustainable practices where possible, without compromising on quality, aligns very much to ours. It’s such a great opportunity to introduce passengers to this amazing grape variety and I hope they thoroughly enjoy it.”

A number of airlines are investing in their on-board drinks offerings. British Airways recently added for English wines for its business class passengers to try as part of a one year trial of UK-produced fizz. British Airways even recruited a Master of Wine last year to take its wine list to new heights.

According to a number of studies though, the unique conditions of air travel mean that wine might not be the best thing to sip on at altitude.