British Airways Pours English Sparkle with Birchall Tea and Prestige Cuvée Bubbles

British Airways is giving its beverage service a seriously British upgrade—one steeped in tradition and bubbling with innovation. From 1 May, the airline will begin serving Birchall Tea, the UK’s most-awarded tea brand, across all long-haul cabins and airport lounges worldwide. And that’s not all.

British Airways is also uncorking a selection of prestige cuvée English sparkling wines in its First and Club World cabins, making it the only airline to offer such a curated, all-British experience at altitude.

A New Brew Takes Flight

Whether you’re sipping from bone china in the Concorde Room or balancing a teacup on your tray table in economy class, British Airways passengers will soon enjoy a new range of premium teas from Birchall, an independent family-run company with a legacy dating back to 1872.

Photo: Courtesy of British Airways.

The new tea menu rolls out on long-haul flights in all cabins on May 1 and will arrive on short-haul business class flights (Club Europe) in June.

Economy travelers flying short-haul from Heathrow can purchase Birchall brews from the High Life Café starting in July. Lounges across the globe will also be stocked with the new blends.

The offering varies by cabin, from classic English Breakfast to Red Berry & Flower. In First, passengers can select from ten specialty blends, including Camomile Flowers, Virunga Earl Grey, and the award-winning Great Rift English Breakfast—which has scooped a Great Taste Award for 14 consecutive years and recently took home Gold at the 2024 Leafies Awards.

Photo: Courtesy of British Airways

“Last year, we served more than 37 million cups of tea in the air, and more than two million cups in our lounges globally,” said Calum Laming, BA’s Chief Customer Officer. “We knew that selecting our newest tea partner was a decision we had to get right.”

“We’re proud to be continually leading the way in championing British originality, and it was important to us that our tea not only ticks the taste box but also showcases the quality and talent we have on our doorstep here in the UK.”

Club World passengers will enjoy a broad menu of herbal and black teas, while World Traveller Plus and World Traveller cabins will feature Birchall’s English Breakfast and its decaffeinated counterpart—both expertly blended by the company’s fifth-generation tea masters.

Photo: Courtesy of British Airways

“We are immensely proud to be supplying tea for British Airways,” said Daniel Graham, Managing Director of Birchall Tea. “We hope British Airways’ customers enjoy this elevated tea experience in the air and on the ground for years to come.”

Even the airline’s sustainability credentials are getting a boost: Birchall’s teabags are made from plant-based materials and produced at the UK’s only fully solar-powered tea factory, which generates twice the energy it consumes.

Prestige Cuvée Sparkle at Cruising Altitude

The tea might be hot, but it’s the airline’s new sparkling wine list that’s really turning heads. As part of its ongoing £7 billion transformation program, British Airways has launched a rotating menu of prestige cuvée English sparkling wines, becoming the only airline to offer this type of luxury wine in the skies.

Starting this spring, First cabin customers will sip on 1086 by Nyetimber Rosé 2014, followed by the pioneering 1086 by Nyetimber 2014—the first-ever English prestige cuvée.

Photo: Bottle of Nyetimber Rosé 2014 served in First cabin. Courtesy of British Airways.

The quarterly rotation continues with Gusbourne’s Fifty One Degrees North 2016 in July and an exclusive new wine by Dermot Sugrue from January 2026.

“We are proud to lead the way in championing provenance and British originality,” said Laming. “We have selected the highest quality of wines with our customers’ expectations in mind.”

Photo: Courtesy of British Airways.

British Airways isn’t skimping on business class either. Club World passengers can look forward to a rotating lineup that includes Digby Fine English’s Brut NV, Gusbourne’s 2019 Vintage Rosé, and Hattingley Valley’s Blanc de Noirs, which was made exclusively for the airline. Roebuck’s Reserve Brut 2020 and Digby’s Leander Pink Brut NV will follow in 2026.

“It is fantastic to see our 1086 by Nyetimber sparkling wines available in British Airways’ First cabin,” said Eric Heerema, CEO of Nyetimber. “It feels very fitting to partner with a fellow iconic British brand that reflects our values of quality, craftsmanship and patience.”

On the ground, British Airways customers departing from Heathrow Terminal 5 can enjoy Balfour Rosé de Noirs and Simpsons Chalklands Cuvée Brut NV at a dedicated English sparkling wine tasting area in the Galleries First lounge.

Champagne Rotations

To complement the English sparkling wine program, British Airways has expanded its Champagne selection in First, featuring rotating labels from some of the most respected houses in France.

From March 30, passengers can once again enjoy Laurent-Perrier Grand Siècle, followed by Lanson NOBLE 2008, Bollinger La Grande Année 2015, and Rare Champagne in early 2026.

Photo: Courtesy of British Airways

Select routes, like those from New York JFK, will continue to serve Veuve Clicquot La Grande Dame 2015.

The choices aren’t just curated—they’re expertly poured. More than 1,300 crew members have completed British Airways’ First Service Specialist training, which includes a bespoke masterclass designed by the airline’s Master of Wine. The program ensures that passengers receive not just a glass of something special, but also the story behind it.

A Toast to Transformation

The tea and bubbly upgrades are part of the airline’s £7 billion investment strategy, which kicked off in 2023 and has already launched over 695 initiatives, including 120 customer-facing improvements.

Photo: Courtesy of British Airways

Among the highlights: the unveiling of a new First Class cabin coming in 2026, and lounge refurbishments underway in London Heathrow, Dubai, and Miami.

With its dual focus on sustainability and British craft, British Airways is proving that even something as routine as a drink can feel like a celebration—whether it’s a calming camomile or a glass of prestige rosé at 35,000 feet.