best and most disappointing lounges for wine

[Canny man]

Reading the LAN lounges thread made me think about the huge disparity in quality of wines available in lounges.

For me the best (criteria that I want to turn up early to get the most out of the visit) at the moment are
LAN in Santiago - interesting, properly mature wines truly representing their country
QF First Sydney - great champagne selection and very often 'something special' in the decanter as well as the regular selection
BA F Joburg - some big, big reds guaranteed to help you sleep the long haul ahead
BA F in T5 Heathrow- backbone of very decent well selected bordeaux at the right age, interesting eclectic Euro and New World wines for variety - eg cracking Austrial Gruner Veltriner last month
JAL Sakura Tokyo - not strictly for wine, but the whisky is exceptional

All time fave was SQ F Singapore in 93/94 - Krug on tap and access on an F run from KL for only $25 more than an economy.

Most disappointing (not worst as there's too much competition):
BA F in Singapore - just not trying, selection hasn't changed in 2 years, mediocre and joyless
AA Admirals T2 CDG - undrinkable. How is this possible in France?

Any views?

 

[tuapekastar]

I tend not to recall these things in detail but I'll have a go:

I'm afraid I can only remember the 'not so good' experiences:

The AY lounge I was in at HEL had red and white 'on tap' and it was pretty ordinary (they appeared to have bottled wine available as well, but for sale).
The 'old' BA/QF J lounge at HKG had possibly the worst red I've ever encountered in a lounge - I hope the selection has improved since the refurb.
My experience at the AA flagship lounge at LHR T3 was underwhelming and I'm guessing the wine quality (or lack thereof) contributed to that impression
The NZ domestic Koru lounge at AKL made it a challenge to even find the reds, and they were not worth the hunt (but then, NZ reds are typically too light-bodied for my tastes anyway)

Those aside, the red wines have generally been OK, occasionally really good, and I frequent QF lounges more so than any others.

Actually, back when all alcohol cost money in the AA Admiral's Clubs, the pricier "premium" Cabernet Sauvignon (obtained using the supplied vouchers ) was pretty nice at LAX.

 

[awilcockson]

The AY lounge I was in at HEL had red and white 'on tap' and it was pretty average (they appeared to have bottled wine available as well, but for sale).

I gag every time I walk past those taps. It's just wrong on so many levels.

Best lounge wine experience was no doubt the 2008 Del Diablo Loco Angel of the Abyss in the VA Lounge, sadly no longer available
2008 Del Diablo Loco Angel of the Abyss Shiraz - Nicks Wines

 

[drron]

The best regional lounge for wine is easy-VA MKY.A Josef Chromy pinot noir was just right for me.

 

[simonpenny408]

Wellington Domestic is one of the best. Worst would have to be Singapore BA/QF First. What on earth were they thinking - the whole lounge is a disgrace

 

[Sprucegoose]

JAL Sakura, good whiskey and ok vino. Nice ambience in TKO

 

[samh004]

I’ve had some pretty decent drops in the SYD F lounge for sure!

 

[Berlin]

As much as I love the QF Flounge, the wine choice I actually find a bit underwhelming. In the domestic QF lounges it's even worse but those wines even in the F lounge usually are nothing more than what you get for 20 to 30 bucks at your local Dan Murphey's :shock: I always find that disappointing because on board, QF has some of the best wines in both international J and especially F (let's not talk about Domestic J- the two wines offered on my J flight up to Brisbane last week were a disgrace!). Saying all that- the champagne selection in the F lounge alone would be reason enough for some status runs in case I'd ever end up risking my Platinum status...

The only other good one I can remember from recent would have been BA LHR Terminal 5 and the two worst ones would be OneWorld in SIN and, worse even, LAX. The two latter lounges are so wrong on so many levels anyway that the wine is just yet another disappointment. Actually- in the LAX "F", it would already make a difference if you could half-way easily find a seat at times! :shock: