Advertiser & Editorial Disclosure: The Bulkhead Seat earns an affiliate commission for anyone approved through the links below. This compensation may impact how and where links appear on this site. We work to provide the best publicly available offers to our readers. We frequently update them, but this site does not include all available offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by any of these entities.
Allegiant is introducing Altus Sol, a custom-crafted wine developed in partnership with Sonoma Bespoke, a Napa-based winemaker. With this debut, Allegiant becomes the first airline to design a wine from the ground up and create an inflight beverage tailored to the unique sensory environment of air travel.
The flavors of food and beverages change as altitude increases. Enjoying wine in the air is notoriously challenging. At cruising altitude, low cabin pressure and dry air can diminish aroma, reduce perceived sweetness, and flatten the overall flavor. To address this, Allegiant worked with experts in sensory science and winemaking to create a bottle that performs better at altitude than many wines enjoyed on the ground. Sonoma Bespoke developed Altus Sol specifically to counter the taste-dulling effects of air travel. To perfect the formula, Allegiant and winery representatives even conducted tasting sessions during a dedicated flight to evaluate how different blends behaved in real-time at 30,000 feet.
The collaboration produced two specially crafted varietals:
- A Cabernet Sauvignon designed with deeper aromatic notes and added richness to compensate for the muted sensory experience in the air.
- A crisp, fruit-forward Pinot Grigio balanced for freshness and flavor clarity at altitude.
Both wines have already earned strong early recognition, receiving ratings of 93 for the Cabernet and 92 for the Pinot Grigio from respected wine critic Jonathan Cristaldi. Their performance underscores the success of the partnership and the distinctive approach behind Altus Sol’s development.
The wine’s identity extends beyond its flavor profile. Allegiant designed a bespoke 187ml bottle that pays homage to the airline’s visual identity. The name Altus Sol, meaning “high sun,” reflects both the sunburst on Allegiant’s aircraft tail and the warm golden light that fills an airplane cabin during flight. The label design features a radiant sun motif pressed in gold foil with textured elements that highlight the artisanal attention behind the winemaking process.
Altus Sol represents a breakthrough moment for both Allegiant and Sonoma Bespoke. Unlike traditional airline wine programs, which select from existing bottles, this project was built entirely from scratch. Every step, from grape selection to flavor balancing to packaging—was developed with the inflight environment in mind.
By introducing a wine engineered specifically for air travel, Allegiant is reshaping what onboard hospitality can look like and raising expectations for inflight beverage programs across the industry.
Anthony’s Take: Allegiant is not the first airline that comes to mind for its wine program, but this is a pretty cool initiative and the low-cost carrier should be praised for this collaboration.
(Image Credits: Allegiant Air.)
User Generated Content Disclosure: The Bulkhead Seat encourages constructive discussions, comments, and questions. Responses are not provided by or commissioned by any bank advertisers. These responses have not been reviewed, approved, or endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the responsibility of the bank advertiser to respond to comments.
Advertiser & Editorial Disclosure: The Bulkhead Seat earns an affiliate commission for anyone approved through the links above This compensation may impact how and where links appear on this site. We work to provide the best publicly available offers to our readers. We frequently update them, but this site does not include all available offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by any of these entities.
