United and Aperture Cellars blended a Polaris Cabernet at 35,000 feet, and it pours in 2028

United and the Sonoma winery Aperture Cellars have made a red wine for Polaris business class that was finished in the air. It is called Air and Vine. The two companies say it is the first wine ever blended in flight. Passengers won't taste it for a while, though. It is due on select United Polaris international routes in 2028.

The news came in a joint release dated September 28, published by Wine Industry Advisor. We could not find a matching release on United's own newsroom as of October 8.

How do you blend a wine on a plane?

Many red wines are blends. A winemaker ages each grape variety, or each vineyard block, on its own. Near the end, they taste the parts and decide how much of each goes into the final wine.

Jesse Katz, Aperture's founder and winemaker, moved that last step onto a United flight from New York to San Francisco. At cruising height, he tasted the separate parts and set the final mix. The idea, according to the release, was to let the conditions of flight shape his choices. Katz said the team decided to work with altitude rather than "treating altitude as something we needed to overcome."

"Winemaking has always been about understanding place," Katz said. In this case, he argues, the place includes where the wine is drunk.

The release does not give the date of the flight or the aircraft type.

What's in the bottle

The wine is a 2024 Cabernet Sauvignon blend. The fruit came from hillside blocks at Farrow Ranch, Aperture's own vineyard in Geyserville, in Sonoma County. It was picked and sorted by hand.

The final blend is:

The wine spent 24 months in barrel before the blend was set in the air. Forty percent of that oak was new French oak. The release does not explain why the wine won't be served until 2028, or whether it will spend more time aging in bottle first. It also doesn't include tasting notes, say how many bottles were made, or say whether you can buy it on the ground.

A three-year deal

This isn't Aperture's first wine for United. The winery's flagship Cabernet Sauvignon has been poured in Polaris since October 1, 2025. The new release says Air and Vine is part of a three-year deal in which Aperture supplies a new signature wine to Polaris each year.

Aaron McMillan, United's managing director of hospitality programs, said that "creating memorable travel experiences often comes down to the details."

There is a family story here as well. The label of Aperture's Polaris Cabernet carries a photo by Katz's father, the photographer Andy Katz. The release says Katz traveled with his father to more than 90 countries before finishing high school, and that those trips inspired Air and Vine.

United has not said which international routes will get the wine in 2028. It is also not clear whether it will be served on every flight on those routes, or only some.

Where Polaris passengers drink before they board

A wine that pours in 2028 won't change your next trip. The Polaris lounges might. Lounge Frog lists six United Polaris lounges, and all six have a craft cocktail bar. Our users rate them closely, from 4.5 to 4.6 overall. Drinks scores split them into two groups.

Rated 5 out of 5 for drinks:

• San Francisco, International Terminal G near gate G1. It has 12 showers, the most of any Polaris lounge in our data, and opens 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.
• Los Angeles, Terminal 7 between gates 73 and 75A, open 6:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. It rates 4.5 overall.
• Washington Dulles, Concourse C near gates C17 and C18, open 5:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Rated 4 out of 5 for drinks:

• Newark, Terminal C between gates C102 and C120, open 5 a.m. to 10 p.m.
• Chicago O'Hare, Concourse C near gate C18. It reopened in April 2025 after an expansion that added a 50-seat dining room and a second, speakeasy-style bar.
• Houston, Terminal E near gate E12.

The flight where Air and Vine was blended ended in San Francisco, and that is also where our users rate the Polaris lounge highest for drinks. The release does not say whether the wine will be poured in Polaris lounges as well as on board.

Access is strict. Our listings show the lounges open to United Polaris business passengers with no guests. Star Alliance passengers in long-haul business or first can also get in, and Star Alliance international first passengers may bring one guest. Our Dulles listing notes that a United Club membership does not get you in. Dulles is also getting a much larger Polaris lounge under United's rebuild plans; see our story on the Dulles transformation.

Wine at the front of the plane

United is not the only U.S. airline working on its premium wine list. Delta recently refreshed its own list, with Silver Oak, Trefethen and Taittinger in Delta One; see our story on Delta One's new wine program. Air and Vine is a different kind of bet. It is less about a famous label and more about a story you can tell over dinner at 35,000 feet.

What we don't know

United has not named the 2028 routes or a start month. The release gives no bottle count, retail plans or tasting notes. It also does not say which other wines Aperture will supply under the deal. We will update this story when United shares more.