Testing wines at altitude, most expensive hotels in USA

Here’s why wine tastes different when you’re on a plane
With wine becoming one of the hallmarks of great first-class service, the airlines are trying to find wines that taste good inflight and at altitude. Some sommeliers claim that taste buds are dulled by altitude. However, my experience is that a wonderful wine tastes great at any altitude. And, as for the blokes sitting in the cheap seats, I can assure all readers that no one is selecting the wine for its exquisiteness. It is being selected for its cheapness. But, for the wine snobs that fly, this post might be interesting.

A new study also found that loud noise, like that of an airplane, can affect taste as well, making some flavors more intense, and dulling others, like sweetness. It’s one of the reasons that tomato juice is a flyer fave: the umami taste of tomatoes is said to be enhanced by the cabin noise.
Wines have a tendency to taste more acidic and tannic at altitude. According to Robinson, “Strong, gritty tannins don’t show as well. Whites with a tart flavor profile also aren’t as appealing at altitude as more opulent styles.”
This means that sommeliers must select fruity wines that are low on both acid and tannin, and this minefield of flavor and perception changes is why airlines hire professional sommeliers. Robinson must navigate the changes altitude and noise cause in our palates to select wines that will remain balanced in the face of these unsteady conditions.

Survey: Mandarin Oriental and Ritz-Carlton are the most expensive luxury hotels in the USA
The Ritz-Carlton and the Mandarin Oriental, both one block from the United States’ most visited urban park, New York’s Central Park, share the top of the rankings. A minimum nightly rate of $995 for a double room put them in the survey’s number one spot. The Baccarat Hotel, also in midtown Manhattan, takes the third spot, at only five dollars cheaper.
The most expensive city hotel outside of NYC is located in Los Angeles. With a minimum nightly rate of $800, the Montage Beverly Hills ranks eighth most expensive overall in the nation. Just one dollar cheaper per night, the SKYLOFTS at MGM Grand is Las Vegas’s most expensive hotel.

The following table shows the 10 most expensive city hotels in the United States. The prices listed indicate the cheapest available rate for a double room during the month of October 2015.
1. Mandarin Oriental (New York) $995
1. The Ritz-Carlton Central Park (New York) $995
3. Baccarat Hotel & Residences (New York) $990
4. The St. Regis (New York) $945
5. The Plaza Hotel (New York) $893
6. The Peninsula (New York) $845
7. Park Hyatt (New York) $834
8. Montage Beverly Hills (Los Angeles) $800
9. SKYLOFTS at MGM Grand (Las Vegas) $789
10. The Lowell (New York) $785

Previous

Next