Virgin Atlantic announces Berry Bros. & Rudd as exclusive supplier of Wine and Champagne onboardVirgin Atlantic is delighted to announce that it has appointed Berry Bros. & Rudd, Britain’s oldest wine merchant, as its new supplier for wines and Champagnes onboard. The contract will run for three years and covers all classes - Upper Class, Premium Economy and Economy.
Paul Dickinson, Director of Customer Services for Virgin Atlantic, said:
“I am delighted that we have agreed with Berry Bros. & Rudd for them to become Virgin Atlantic’s supplier of fine wines and Champagne. Over the next few years we will be working with Berry’s to bring our passengers a wide range of classic fine wines whilst at the same time introducing some less well known and more unusual wines from around the world. Virgin Atlantic has selected Berry’s because of their expertise, authority and buying power at the top end of the market and we are confident that our passengers will be delighted with the wines we will be offering.”
Berry Bros. & Rudd has selected the wines and Champagne for the first three-month cycle onboard, which will be available from 1st December 2005. In Upper Class there is a choice of three red wines, three white wines, a Champagne and a Prosecco. For economy passengers there is a choice of red and white wine. A new wine selection will be introduced for March 2006.
Virgin Atlantic’s new inflight services partner, The House, ran the tender for the new contract and awarded the wine and Champagne business to Berry Bros. & Rudd on behalf of the airline. The House, with Virgin Atlantic’s involvement, reviewed approximately 40 suppliers within the marketplace in order to make the final decision.
As part of the new contract with Berry Bros. & Rudd, Virgin Atlantic cabin crew will be offered specialist training in London about the wines and Champagne selected for the Virgin Atlantic wine lists, so they are able to give advice to passengers on the wines they should choose, depending on their taste and meal choice.
Mark Pardoe M.W., Berrys’ Commercial Director, comments:
“Although Berry Bros. & Rudd has 300 years of history and tradition, and Virgin Atlantic has just celebrated its 21st birthday, both companies share a common outlook; to offer a choice to the customer, based on innovation, high standards of service and expertise and, above all, a certain élan which we believe sets us both apart from the competition. As we begin to work together on our complementary strengths, the potential benefits to both companies in terms of perception and development are enormously exciting.”
Berry Bros. & Rudd is Britain’s finest wine and spirit merchant and one of the oldest in the world, trading from the same shop for over 300 years. Today the present generations of Berry’s and Rudd’s continue to manage the family-owned wine merchant business. The company is one of the UK’s most innovative and progressive wine merchants and boasts four Masters of Wine (of only 250 worldwide) ensuring only the highest quality of wines are selected.
Virgin Atlantic Wines and Champagnes Onboard for December Cycle
Champagne Laurent Perrier Brut nv
Prosecco di Valdobbiadene nv, Trevisiol & Figli, Veneto, Italy
White wines in Upper Class
Berrys’ Own Selection White Burgundy 2003, J-L. Terrier & C. Collovray, France
Domaine de la Cessane Marsanne / Viognier 2004, Vin de Pays d’Oc, France
Santa Celina Pinot Gris 2005, J. & F. Lurton, Mendoza, Argentina
Red wines in Upper Class
Berrys’ Own Selection Australian Shiraz 2004, Elderton, South Australia
Château Lucas 2002, Lussac-St Emilion, Bordeaux, France
Laderas El Seque 2004, Alicante, Spain
Wines in Economy class
Red wine
Berrys’ House White, J-L.Terrier & C. Collovray, Languedoc-Roussillon, France
White wine
Berrys’ House Red, J-L.Terrier & C. Collovray, Languedoc-Roussillon, France
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