I didn't really understand this at first when I saw it posted on the About.com Wine site, but after reading through the article from TMCnet, it makes a little more sense. I have no clue how much first class airline seats cost, but I bet it's a bundle, so you need good wine if you plan to pay good money for air travel:

For news value, American Airlines' triumphs at the Cellars in the Sky Awards last month don't rank with turning a $231 million profit after five years of losses or winning a lucrative third-party maintenance contract.

But receiving the awards, presented at the Business Travel Show in London by Business Traveller and Wine and Spirits magazines, is a distinction that makes a difference to some business and first-class travelers, company and industry officials say.

"It shows good, solid management," said Mike Boyd, president of Boyd Group, an airline consultant in Evergreen, Colo. "There's a battleground for survival in front of that first-class curtain, where each seat costs as much as a suburban home. You're probably looking at 65 percent to 70 percent of the airline's revenue coming from in front of that curtain.

"When you find out American has the best wine selection, it tells you American is better value for the money than flying Air France, for instance."

American was one of 35 airlines that submitted a selection of their finest wines for two days of blind taste testing at the Cellars in the Sky Awards. The Fort Worth-based carrier won twice: Best First Class Wine Cellar for overall selection and Wild Card Wine for its Lustau La Plaza Vieja Sherry.

Air New Zealand won three times: Best Business Class Red Wine, Best Business Class Cellar and Most Original Business Class Wine List.