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We all know that we're supposed to go easy on the alcohol when flying. Intoxication happens faster in the air, so does dehydration, and in-flight drinking has even been linked to the dreaded "economy-class syndrome"; deep-vein thrombosis. But when the plane reaches cruising altitude and you've settled in your seat, what is it you want? A drink, of course.

Though airlines can't do anything about the unpleasant effects of overindulging (other than encouraging you to drink less), they can at least help ensure that what you drink is up to scratch, particularly when it comes to wine. Selecting vintages to be served at 30,000 feet calls for a great deal of expertise, and airlines retain professional wine consultants to ensure that what tastes good on the ground doesn't disappoint in the air.

Simply put, many wines don't travel well. They have to be able to stand up to constant movement, so robustness is a virtue — that means whites that are young, fresh, low in acidity and not tannic, and reds that are dry with soft tannins and good fruit. "To have wines that are suitable for drinking in the air, we have encouraged our farmers to produce wines that are drinkable sooner but can still last," says South African Airways consultant Michael Fridjhon, referring to wines that can be drunk right after bottling without the need for aging.

The type of grape matters. Though South Africa's pinotage grape handles the rigors of air travel well, Pinot Noir varietals are not considered high flyers. "But Australian Shiraz is no trouble at all," says Charles Grossrieder, catering services manager at Cathay Pacific, which serves first-class passengers Taylors St. Andrew Shiraz 1999, among others. And though we're used to thinking of champagne as delicate, it's often the least of an airline's beverage problems. Apart from a few labels, it's rarely spoiled by travel, and Cathay Pacific has no problems dispatching some of the finest bubbly available for long-haul flights, among them Krug, Cuvee William Deutz 1995 and Billecart-Salmon.

Having vintages of this caliber in constant supply requires some foresight; the amount of wine consumed during flights can be staggering. Cathay Pacific buys about 50,000 bottles of wine a year for economy class alone, says Grossrieder, and about 20,000 bottles for first class. For orders of this size, you can't simply pick up the phone. Even at wine auctions, the quantity for sale might only be 10 or 20 cases per lot, which is prohibitively expensive in such small volumes. Planning for the future means the airlines buy en primeur (before bottling), especially for fine wines. Stephen Spurrier, who runs a wine academy in Paris, says that airlines look for "vintage premium wines that will not be served for at least five years or more."

Given that airlines can easily spend upwards of $10 million annually on wine, buyers and tasters bear a heavy responsibility. Bouquet and taste are greatly affected by the lower humidity and pressurized atmosphere of an aircraft. The "nose" will be less pronounced and the palate duller. "Particularly on long-haul flights, wines should not be cloying or boring," says Spurrier.

He should know. I was once invited by Singapore Airlines to taste-test wines alongside Spurrier and other judges. As a wine consultant, I average two wine tastings a week, with about 10 bottlings at each. This tasting, however, had a staggering total of 900 different wines to work through in three days — that alone ought to tell you what sort of event it was. And what drink did this panel choose to celebrate the end of the tasting process? A long, cold beer, of course. You could send a case of that stuff into orbit and it would still hit the spot every time.

• MAGGIE BEALE
• Fancy a good in-flight wine? Experts on the ground have chosen it for you