Qantas’ ongoing commitment to showcasing world-class Australian wine has seen the airline awarded a record 13 medals, including best overall cellar, at the 2024 Cellars in the Sky Awards.

The airline’s Master Sommelier, Sebastian Crowther, said the awards recognise Qantas’ focus on promoting the range and quality of Australian winemakers to customers around the world.

He said the wine selections for Qantas domestic and international services feature a range of wine varietals and come from a mixture of well-known heritage vineyards as well as emerging boutique wineries.

“We are proud to showcase Australian wines on the world stage and the recognition at this year’s Cellars in the Sky Awards shows that Australia punches above its weight when it comes to the fantastic quality of our wine,” Crowther said.

“Frequent Flyers tell us they enjoy discovering their new favourite wine onboard a Qantas flight as they are often more curious and eager to trying new wines when travelling.”

Each year, Crowther, a group of three Qantas Neil Perry Sommeliers and three Qantas Sommeliers in the Sky blind taste around 1,800 bottles of wine during the airline’s annual ‘wine week’ to select the vintages and varietals that are then offered to travellers across the Qantas domestic and international network.

Qantas customers consume millions of bottles of wine every year and the airline is one of the largest wine purchasers in Australia, featuring more than 250 different wines sourced 150 different producers across the country.