The reason wine tastes odd on planes
If you’ve ever asked for a glass of red on a plane to relax (or perhaps calm your nerves) you might’ve noticed how it tastes a little bit different when you’re in the plane cabin.
Well, there’s a good reason for this.
Writing for Stuff, travel expert Michael Austin explains why this is the case.
“That air is being recirculated, and it carries provocative notes of jet fuel, upholstery and carpet, all of which tend to fade the longer you spend in that tube, and maybe that's a good thing for those of us who don't particularly love those smells,” Austin writes.
“But the problem is that even the stuff we do want to smell eventually fades. And when the aromas go, the flavours go too. It's all caused by your own aircraft-induced dehydration – the drying-out that afflicts you every time you go wheels-up.
“You don't get entirely stripped of your ability to smell and taste, obviously (you can taste well enough to know that you're not wild about the over-salted yet still-kind-of-bland food resting on the tray in front of you), but your senses very quickly begin to operate at a fraction of their normal capacity - and they go downhill from there.
“You gradually lose your ability to smell and taste the subtle aromas and flavours you might have been easily able to identify and name in the most creative ways on the ground.”
So, there you have it, that’s why wine tastes a little odd on planes.