The short answer is. The explanation is that I was lucky enough to be upgraded when I just flew to Portugal, with TAP portugal. I was invited by IVDP to taste Portwine for 3 days at the Portday. This was my flight from Copenhagen to Lisbon. We were 50 minuttes delayed, due to a late arrival from Portugal. Fine with me, as I had the possibility to drink a glass of Champagne at Le Sommelier in Copenhagen Airport.
Normally I only fly on monkey class, but was lucky to be upgraded on this flight and enjoy the pleasures of plenty of room for my feet, a menu with a nice selection and good wines. Thank you TAP Portugal for this. All wines are selected with a panel of wine experts led by journalist Joao Paulo Martins. I think that it’s a very nice selection, where they focus on some of the splendid producers coming out of interesting areas of Portugal at the moment. This is a good way to promote Portuguese wines to the Business flyers. I hope the people in the back had a simular selection, but I doubt it. I’m sure I can see when I fly home on Friday.
For the menu we had a selection of two main curses and all were off course served the classic national dish of Portugal; Bacalhau for a start! I had braised octopus for main course, and politely skipped the Chestnut pudding …
I drank the following wines:
2012 Luis Pato, Espumante, Blanc de Blancs, Bairrada – as a starter with some nuts this showed well. Made from nice mature grapes, but still maintaining a nice acidity and complex flavor. Would prefer this wine to many classic Cremant de “some-where-in-France”
2012 Esperao, Verdelho Branco, Alentejo – very nice and crisp with high acidity and nice fresh fruit flavors. This could be drunk at hgh altiitude with great pleasure.
2010 Alves de Souza, Vale de Raposa tinto, Douro – nice and complex, developing in the glass with dark fruit flawors and a nice complexity.
After dinner we had a selection of digestives to choose from, and traveling to Portugal I chose an Aguardente the classic spirit from Portugal. Compare this to Grappa from Italy or Marc from France, it’s about the same style.
So my recommandation is: travel Business if you want to embrace life and be happy on arrival!