We talk wine service, education and choosing the perfect vino at altitude with newly appointed Qatar Airways Master of Wine Anne Krebiehl.

German-born but London-based Anne Krebiehl is a widely published wine writer and certified Master of Wine. In her new role with Qatar Airways, she will play a pivotal role in ensuring the airline continues to offer the world’s best customer experience for all passengers.

Can you share your journey in the wine industry that led to your prestigious Master of Wine qualification?

I knew early on that I wanted to be a writer and first started writing about food with my debut in the Financial Times all the way back in 2004. However, I had come to wine via my love of food and then realised that wine was the ultimate interdisciplinary subject where so many aspects intersect:  flavour, taste, biochemistry, culture, history, viticulture, law, business, geography and not least of all pleasure. So, I was hooked and started taking the Wine & Spirit Education Trust courses while getting my first jobs in wine, making wine lists for pubs and also getting my first few wine writing assignments. Being German by birth, with a strange surname, and an outsider when it came to the London wine trade, I felt that a credential like the Master of Wine would help me.

Thankfully I had no idea what I was letting myself in for: had I known what a huge challenge, endeavour and effort it would be, how much it would cost me mentally, emotionally and financially, I am not sure in hindsight I would have signed up. But it was worth all the sweat and even the tears:  preparing for the exams meant I had to really grapple with the subject of wine in exactly that kind of interdisciplinary fashion that fascinated me. It made me learn so much, it took me to so many places and made me encounter so many fascinating people.

What excites you most about your new role as Qatar Airways’ Master of Wine?

I am excited to bring my extensive industry knowledge and passion for wine to an airline renowned for its commitment to delivering world-class experiences. As the only airline in the world to have won the prestigious Skytrax Airline of the Year eight times and World’s Best Business Class 11 times, Qatar Airways is synonymous with excellence and innovation, constantly striving to enhance customer satisfaction. I look forward to an inspiring journey ahead, collaborating closely with the culinary design team to craft wine pairings that further elevate Qatar Airways’ already exceptional dining offerings.

In what ways do you plan to collaborate with the airline’s culinary design team to enhance the overall dining experience for passengers?

Since joining the team, we have outlined plans to enhance the overall dining experience for passengers in several key ways. This includes meticulous wine pairings with in-flight meals, ensuring that each wine complements and works harmoniously with the airline’s world-class food, elevating the overall dining experience for passengers. We are also working on AI solution that will offer food and wine pairing suggestions to our premium cabin passengers on Qatar Airways mobile application. This will be based on actual food and wine choices available onboard enhancing the overall inflight dining experience.

We are also crafting a forward-thinking sourcing strategy and curating a diverse and unique wine selection that will cater to various passenger tastes, from the finest wines in First and Business Class to specially developed blends for Economy Class while incorporating sustainable practices such as introducing eco-friendly PET wine bottles. These efforts align with Qatar Airways’ broader sustainability goals while enhancing the passenger experience.

I’m also developing training materials and providing training to ensure that cabin crew are adept at storing, preparing, and serving wines at high altitudes, thus maintaining the integrity of the wine and enhancing overall service quality.

Flying at high altitudes presents unique challenges to wine tasting due to factors like cabin pressure and humidity. How do these conditions affect a passenger’s perception of wine?

At high altitudes, several factors affect how passengers perceive taste and aroma. The cabin environment can reduce passenger’s sense of smell, which is crucial for detecting the subtle aromas in wine. As a result, delicate floral and fruity notes are harder to perceive, while bolder, fruit-forward flavours remain more noticeable. This is why passengers may prefer wines with stronger, more intense flavours and less reliance on subtle aromas.

Modern generation aircraft such as the A350, A380, and Boeing 787 have improved cabin environments, where higher humidity is injected through the air conditioning systems, and the aircraft are pressurized at a lower altitude. This reduces the effects of dehydration, placing less pressure on your body and sinuses, allowing you to dine in flight in a more pleasurable environment.

These factors are taken into consideration while selecting and developing our discovery wine selection while keeping favourites like Burgundy and Bordeaux wines and top red blends as part of the wine lists for our premium cabin passengers.

Recognising these challenges, we carefully select wines that will perform well at high altitudes, ensuring that passengers have an enjoyable and optimal wine experience despite the conditions of the sky.

Could you walk us through your wine selection process? What criteria do you prioritize when curating the wine menus?

Qatar Airways’ wine selection process is a meticulous journey that begins almost a year in advance, sometimes even earlier for highly allocated wines. Our dedicated wine selection team attends major wine trade shows globally, meeting with suppliers and staying abreast of industry trends to ensure we offer the finest selections. We adhere to a fair and rigorous tender process, inviting 2-3 annual tenders from our extensive and growing supplier base, which spans nearly all wine regions worldwide.

Following blind tastings and commercial negotiations, we notify suppliers of the final selections. These chosen wines are then shipped from various continents to our base in Doha for safe storage and preparation. Before onboarding, we conduct comprehensive crew training and update our wine menus.

When curating menus, to keep the experience fresh for frequent fliers, we rotate wines for inbound and outbound flights and refresh the lists quarterly.

Passenger wine preferences have evolved dramatically, with a surge in demand for premium and aged wines. Travelers now seek unique, high-quality options, with Millennials and Gen Z favouring sustainably farmed wines, rosé, and fruit-forward styles. Older passengers still cherish established varieties like Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay.

With your finger on the pulse of the wine industry, what emerging trends do you foresee influencing airline wine selections in the coming years?

I think there are three key trends that inform wine drinking today – on the ground and in the air. The first one is to “drink less but better.” Everyone has become more sophisticated in their choices; we are all constantly refining what we put into our bodies and we care immensely that when we drink wine it should be very good. So that is a key aim of Qatar Airways: to make an award-winning selection even better, to choose the best at every level of value to add that bit of extra enjoyment, extra indulgence for everyone.

Then second, there is a move towards diversity and authenticity: there are firm categories in the air, like there always will be a Chardonnay and a full-bodied Shiraz, but we also have wonderful “Discovery” categories where seasonal, lesser-known wines can be showcased, for all those who are happy to branch out – because what’s the worst that could happen? You can try a glass of something you’ve never had before and, who knows, you might discover a new favourite. Plus, the category of no- and low-alcohol drinks is also getting better and better.

Then last but not least, there is sustainability: this is already being addressed with lightweight PET bottles that reduce carbon footprint in so many ways and are ideal for higher-volume wines in economy class. But lighter-weight glass bottles generally as well as responsibly farmed wines are also a key concern because we know that wine lovers do care about environmental credentials. So do winemakers and they are constantly striving to finetune everything they do in vineyard and cellar.

What role do you think education and training will play in ensuring cabin crew can accurately present and serve the curated wine selections to passengers?

I think education and training play a crucial role in ensuring cabin crew can accurately present and serve curated wine selections to passengers. Cabin crew need a solid foundation in wine varieties, regions, and styles and training helps them understand the characteristics of different wines, such as Bordeaux, Burgundy, or New World options, allowing them to confidently explain these choices to passengers.

In addition, proper wine service etiquette, including presenting the bottle, pouring without drips, and handling glassware, is essential to maintaining the premium experience that airlines like Qatar Airways offer. Training ensures consistency in these techniques.

Knowledge of wine and food pairing principles also helps crews recommend wines that complement onboard meals, enhancing the overall dining experience.

Finally, in terms of quality assurance, cabin crew are trained to identify potential issues, such as cork taint or improper storage, and record feedback for quality management.

By incorporating structured wine education, developing and updating training materials and providing training to crew members, Qatar Airways ensures that crew members uphold the standards of a curated wine service, enhancing passenger satisfaction and reinforcing brand reputation.

Lastly, what is your personal favourite wine pairing for in-flight dining, and why do you believe it enhances the aerial dining experience?

That is easy: I adore fine fizz and if I can have a glass of Champagne before take-off, I feel refreshed and relaxed at the same time. Bottle-fermented sparkling wine is always bright, always light, and I would not hesitate to stick to it throughout the flight, depending on my meal choice, always alternating with plenty of water to make sure I stay hydrated. Effervescence ensures that many flavours are transported, with every bubble a little burst of aromas, so sparkling wine is a great choice.

If there is a Pinot Noir or another lighter-bodied red, I would definitely try that, too, especially in winter or if I was settling down to watch an in-flight movie. All passengers have favourites, and these preferences often override food-matching choices or other recommendations – that is why it is so important to have choice and to offer something for everyone onboard.

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