Flight of wine

Posted by Bob on January 06, 2007

In Reply to: Flight of wine posted by Steve E on January 05, 2007

: : : Flight of wine

: : : At a wine tasting, a collection of wine tasted together is referred to as a flight. Where did this phrase come from, and when was it first used?

: : : Thanks.

: : That is a very interesting question and I wish I knew the answer. Anyone?

: Years ago I heard the phrase "advertising flight" used by people I knew who worked in advertising agencies. Not sure if it is still used. I took it to mean a group or collection of advertising spots for television that they were creating for a client. Maybe the "flight" in wine tasting means the collection? Just a thought.

Not exactly. Advertising is often run in flights to make the most of a media budget. Instead of running ads 52 weeks a year (which most advertisers cannot afford) they will run flights e.g., two weeks on, two weeks off. They advertise, in that example, 26 weeks out of the year, but public memory is such that it will seem like they're on steadily. (If advertissers go dark for 30 days, they're forgotten. The public has a very short attention span.) I don't see a connection to a flight of wine.