The year was 1954 when the first bubbles made an appearance in an aircraft cabin. California's Western Airlines, in collaboration with US winemaker Italian Swiss Colony, introduced a local sparkling wine onboard to entice passengers away from the competition. Fast forward seven decades, and luxurious French champagnes have become a standard feature in premium cabins. But does drinking champagne taste any different when you're flying high in the sky? As we approach New Year's Eve, Pilotcenter.net News delves into this fascinating topic. Around the globe, airlines are upping their game by offering luxury wines and champagnes to their most esteemed passengers. Air France, being the airline of the Champagne region, meticulously curates its champagne selection, delighting customers with over a million bottles annually. However, it's not just the French who appreciate a fine glass of bubbly. Many airlines now employ master sommeliers to handpick and curate their wines and champagnes. For instance, United Airlines enlisted Doug Frost, one of the rare individuals holding both the Master of Wine and Master Sommelier titles, to oversee its wine program. Airlines spare no expense when it comes to the wines they offer. Japan Airlines, for instance, serves the prestigious Salon 2013 in First Class on flights from Japan, a bottle retailing at an astonishing $1,100. Emirates showcases remarkable selections of Moët & Chandon, Veuve Clicquot, and Dom Pérignon vintages that cost hundreds of dollars per bottle in all classes, with exceptions for economy passengers who must pay. Selecting the right wines and champagnes to elevate the premium travel experience is crucial for airlines to set themselves apart. But the challenge of catering to hundreds of thousands of passengers annually poses a logistical test for producers, where only the Grandes Marques can meet the demand. Choosing the perfect beverages for aircraft cabins is no easy feat, as taste perceptions alter in-flight due to dryness and pressure, affecting how salt and sugar are perceived while acidity remains relatively consistent. With such nuances in mind, airlines and experts recommend opting for crisp, light wines with strong scents to ensure an enjoyable drinking experience. When it comes to sparkling wine and champagne, they typically reign supreme due to their crispness and fruity aromas, making them a versatile choice for any journey, even at high altitudes. Despite the belief that champagne may taste better in the air, supported by the excitement of travel enhancing our perception, scientific explanations suggest otherwise. The dry cabin environment, coupled with tiredness and dehydration, can actually diminish the flavors in quality fizz, indicating that champagne may not necessarily taste superior on a flight; it's our mindset that tricks us into thinking so. Looking ahead, space tourism may offer a luxurious experience for the privileged few, but the absence of gravity presents challenges for enjoying champagne in space. While currently, drinking in space lacks glamour as liquids struggle to flow out of bottles without gravity, French designer Octave de Gaulle has proposed a novel solution. Collaborating with champagne producer Mumm, de Gaulle designed a ring at the bottle's mouth that transforms pressurized champagne into a foam orb, allowing travelers to savor the drink in space. As space tourism pioneers like SpaceX, Blue Origin, and Virgin Galactic continue to explore possibilities for space travel, innovations like de Gaulle's champagne bottle adaptation may pave the way for a more sophisticated drinking experience beyond Earth's boundaries.