Meiburg joins Cathay Pacific as wine consultant

Debra Meiburg MW has become the latest addition to Cathay Pacific’s wine panel alongside existing wine consultants, Lau Chi-sun and Roy Moorfield.

As a Cathay Pacific wine consultant, Debra Meiburg will be in charge of selecting new wines for its passengers across all classes of travel.

Born in California and a Hong Kong resident for more than 25 years, Debra has extensive writing, judging and educational experience in the wine world. She was ranked seventh in the drinks business’ list of the “Most Powerful Women in Wine” and was named as one of the “7 People to Watch” by Decanter Magazine. She is also the producer and host of various television shows and has been a judge in multiple pan-Asian wine competitions, including the Cathay Pacific Hong Kong International Wine and Spirits Competition.

Cathay Pacific’s head of catering, Aaron Claxton said: “At Cathay Pacific, we are committed to offering passengers a high-quality food and beverage experience that helps to make their journeys more special. We serve around 1.8 million bottles of wine each year, which highlights the importance of wine in our inflight service.

“People are getting more food and wine-savvy, so, working with our wine consultants, we aim to explore the wine world to choose not only widely recognised wines, but also new wine options that our passenger might not have tried before.

“We are very pleased to welcome Debra on board as one of our consultants. She is known for her global approach and great insights into Asia’s wine markets, and, working in tandem with our existing wine consultants, will help in our quest to bring more unique wine experiences to our passengers.”

Commenting on her appointment, Debra Meiburg said: “I am thrilled to join Cathay Pacific’s wine panel, and excited to review the airline’s current wine portfolio and offer guidance on the evolution of this selection. With so many interesting wines in the market today, and passengers as engaged as ever in the food and beverage experience, I’m excited at the vast potential to offer an enriched wine experience to enhance passengers’ inflight experience which aligns with Cathay Pacific’s Life Well Travelled philosophy.

“Firmly established as Asia’s wine hub, Hong Kong continues to draw the attention of the global wine industry. As Hong Kong’s home carrier, Cathay Pacific is ideally positioned to showcase this to the world. I look forward to working with Cathay Pacific’s world-class team to elevate the wine programme and exceed passenger expectations even further.”