British Airways plans new lounge bar at Heathrow
British Airways has announced plans for an exclusive Whispering Angel lounge bar, becoming the first airline to have a bespoke bar dedicated to the famed rosé wine.
The bespoke bar, which will exclusively offer Caves d’Esclans’ Whispering Angel rosé, will be located in the airline’s lounge at Terminal 5 B at London Heathrow - often referred to as one of Heathrow’s best kept secrets.
The bar, coloured pale pink to emulate the light tones of the rosé served, is expected to open this summer. The opening will coincide with a refresh of the airline’s B gates lounge which will include new and reupholstered furniture, as well as a refreshed layout.
Across the rest of the airline’s Club (business class) lounges at Heathrow and Gatwick, eligible British Airways’ customers can enjoy The Pale rosé, which is produced by the same winemakers as Whispering Angel. Whispering Angel is currently available in British Airways’ First and Club (business class) lounges.
Château d’Esclans’ Whispering Angel boasts a delicate Provençal pink hue, spoiling customer with sun-kissed creamy flavours of peach and raspberries, with refreshing citrus undertones and a smooth, dry finish.
Calum Laming, British Airways’ Chief Customer Officer, said: “Our customers are already telling us how much they enjoy the Whispering Angel rosé we are serving in our lounges, so we are thrilled to be opening an exclusive Whispering Angel bar. We truly believe this will be a massive hit with customers and we are excited that its introduction will coincide with a newly refurbished lounge in the satellite at London Heathrow Terminal 5 B gates.”
Chateau d’Esclans Team said: “Whispering Angel is incredibly proud to be working in partnership with British Airways. We are extremely excited to launch this beautiful bar and look forward to being able to offer British Airways’ customers a delicious glass of rosé before they fly.”
The bar is part of British Airways’ continued elevation of its drinks offering, following the appointment of a full time Master of Wine – one of only 415 Masters of Wine in the world and believed to be the only one appointed by an airline. March 2023 saw the introduction of four new English sparkling wines served on board. The four English Sparkling wine options are available on a quarterly rotation, changing every three months. Rich in variety, customers will be able to choose from two sparkling options when travelling in Club World, including the current Champagne resident Heidsieck & Co. Monopole Silver Top Non-Vintage Champagne, and now an exclusive English Sparkling wine option.
On board, the current English Sparkling is Digby Fine English Brut NV, and from July the airline will serve the Balfour Rosé de Noirs, grown on the Balfour Hush Heath Estate in Kent, and made only from red grapes. This lighter rosé sparkling wine is an exclusive blend for British Airways, making it only available at 35,000ft for customers in the airline’s Club World cabin.
From October, Simpsons Chalklands Cuvee Brut NV, also from Kent will be available for three months, so customer can end the year with a toast. Looking to the new year, from January 2024, customers can try Wiston Estate Brut NV from the South Downs, is refreshing in flavour, with citrus and toasty notes.
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