Hi, I’m Megan.
Wine has always played a huge part in my life. I grew up in vineyards during the summer, and helping in the family winery. I began my career in aviation when I was 21 and was able to receive my sommelier training through both commercial and private courses. I continued my wine education through the Wine and Spirit Education Trust, as well as personal education by travelling to as many appellations, and visiting all types and styles of wineries. As I continued in aviation, I worked in commercial airline premium and first class cabins, and now in the private aviation sector. However, I noticed there was no wine education that was easily transmutable to aviation. Aviation has different storage abilities and serving capabilities than a formal dining establishment. There was no program that taught these skills and knowledge to cabin crew and aircraft operators. Some aircraft only have room to store two bottles of wine correctly. Which wines do you choose besides “white and red”? How do you gracefully serve wines, especially sparkling and champagne, in a pressurized cabin? I wanted to fix this gap and create a resource for crew members to learn and access this information. Thus I created The Fox Inflight.
My goal is to create an environment where aviation professionals can learn more about wine and wine service, and how to apply that knowledge in their aircraft. Wine shouldn’t be intimidating, snobbish, or only for a select few. I believe wine is an interactive experience, not just a beverage. I want to help my fellow crew members explore and experience wine in a way that will elevate their onboard service, and help refine their own palate. I am here to share my knowledge and passion for wine in a way that is easily understood and applicable to our work environments. Wine shouldn’t feel “up in the air.”
My Approach
I believe the best way to learn wine is tasting it! I like to provide specific pairings for my students, one that compliments and one that contrasts, so you can understand why certain components of wine go well with certain types of food. I also teach that personal palate preferences are the ultimate deciding factor. The old idea of no red wines with white meats or fish, and no white wines with steak or red meats, simply isn’t true. The versatility and abundance of wine varietals (over 10,000) leaves so much room for creativity and discovery.
taste it
I will soon host monthly tastings where we fill focus on specific varietals, structural components, and pairings. We will delve deeper into the science behind why pairings work.
pair it
I can help provide specific pairings for your catering menu, or even build a menu around a certain wine that your client has requested.