If you travel regularly at the pointy end of the plane, you probably feel a sense of déjà vu when handed the wine list – regardless of which airline you’re on. You might also feel, as I did when I reviewed the wine offerings from seven major carriers in and out of Australia for this issue, that you’re drinking in a posh French restaurant in the mid-90s, not a modern airliner in 2024.

Almost every airline’s selection follows the same traditional pattern. Champagne to start (non-vintage in business, vintage in first), then burgundy (village in business, premier cru in first – you get the picture), claret, sauternes and finally an old tawny (as I noted the last time I did an in-flight booze round-up for the Financial Review, pointy-end flyers must be the last group of people on earth to still be finishing every meal with a glass of port).