The annual race for wine listings at the pointy end of the plane is always very fierce as it is seen as a major marketing tool with the right demographic of consumer drinking the vino.

I recall being called from an aircraft in the early hours of the morning by one of our higher-maintenance customers, extolling the virtues of a certain Sauvignon Blanc in First Class which we managed to get for him upon his return to Singapore, so evidently the marketing principle works...

Rosenvale Reserve Shiraz 2004 is one such wine being poured on British Airways First Class. They make a lot of wine, as Barossa wineries go, with 200 hectares of vines in the region. Most of their product goes to other wineries, with a small amount being retained under their own label. Of the two wines, I reckon I prefer the Reserve Cabernet, but both are definitely worth a whirl, with brilliant flavours of coffee, dark chocolate and tobacco. The cabernet has lighter tannins and is more restrained, with the Shiraz showing great spiciness, plum and cherry flavour profiles.

So in short - $50 gets you into First Class without the jetlag and luggage - regrettably no frequent flier mileage or supermodel options...