By Virgin Atlantic | 7 July 2026 | 4 minute read
There’s something quietly magical about a good glass of wine in the sky. It can mark the start of a long-awaited trip, turn dinner above the clouds into a proper moment, or bring a taste of somewhere special to your seat.
At Virgin Atlantic, onboard wine is chosen with exactly that feeling in mind: flavour first, always, but with stories worth telling too.
Virgin Atlantic’s onboard wine selection is built around discovery, balance and a genuine love of travel. The aim is to offer wines customers already know and enjoy alongside bottles that start a conversation.
That might mean a wine from a brilliant newcomer, a smaller-batch producer, or a vineyard with a story that reaches far beyond the label.
Hambledon Classic Cuvée first joined the Virgin Atlantic Upper Class menu as a two-week English Wine Week promotion. Customers loved it, so it became a permanent feature in 2019.
That says plenty about the rise of English sparkling wine, and the appetite for homegrown brilliance at 35,000 feet. Fresh, elegant, and beautifully suited to celebration, it brings a little English sparkle to that memorable first sip onboard.
Hambledon vineyard sits in the village of Hambledon in Hampshire, surrounded by the rolling South Downs. First established as a vineyard by Major General Sir Guy Salisbury-Jones in 1952, Hambledon is recognised as the UK’s oldest commercial vineyard.
Its roots, however, sit within a much longer English winemaking history, with vineyards recorded in Southern England as far back as the Domesday Book.
Today, Hambledon covers more than 200 acres and grows Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier, the three grape varieties most closely associated with Champagne production.
The chalk soil and cool climate help create the freshness and acidity that sparkling wine loves, while the winemaking happens with care, patience and plenty of craft. It is English countryside, bottled with precision, then poured above the clouds.
Shiada’s own wine journey began not long after she joined Virgin Atlantic, when she attended a cabin crew wine training day.
That session sparked a deeper curiosity, leading her into wine qualifications, vineyard visits across the Virgin Atlantic route network and a love of bottles that sit a little off the beaten track.
Her approach is refreshingly human. Wine is about taste, of course, but it is also about memory, aroma, landscape, labels, people and the labour of love behind every bottle.
That is why Virgin Atlantic’s wine list, curated by London’s fine wine merchant, Jeroboams, aims to mix old and new world wines, familiar favourites and more unexpected discoveries, giving customers a selection that feels thoughtful rather than predictable.
Great onboard wine is never chosen in isolation. We look at customer feedback, cabin crew insights, and wider trends to keep the menu fresh.
The result is a selection that understands what people love, while leaving room for discovery.
A New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc or Argentinian Malbec brings the comfort of a familiar favourite, while an English sparkling wine or a bottle with a powerful community story makes the experience feel more personal.
Whether you are settling into Upper Class with a glass of bubbly or discovering a wine with a story from one of the world’s great wine regions, Virgin Atlantic’s onboard wine selection is designed to make the journey feel that little bit more special.
It is about craft, character and the pleasure of finding something delicious in an unexpected place.
So next time you fly, take a moment before the first sip. Somewhere behind that glass is a vineyard, a landscape, a winemaker, a decision made with care and, quite possibly, a story worth travelling for.