Question: Dear Jessica, I have to take an overseas flight for business. Do you have any suggestion of what wine I should drink (and the airline that serves it) to pass the endless hours and cope with the tedium?

Jessica Uncorked: As my colleague said, if you drink enough of it, you won't care who you are sitting next to.

However, you won't be in top form when you arrive. The effort of recovering from jet lag and dehydration that you get from drinking above your limit at that altitude is far more painful than the aggravations during the flight itself.

Stay away from US-owned airlines. The legroom is awful and you will have to pay for any wine you consume if you are in economy. At the best, after paying up to £5 for 150ml, you get a generic house plonk that lacks body, unlike the person squeezed into the seat next to you.

I recommend Virgin Atlantic. Their economy wines contain the likes of a springy young French Bordeaux and sultry Spanish red. For a real treat, splurge for upper class and enjoy the Clockspring Zinfandel 2005, from Amador County, California.

This Zinfandel is certified organic. The grapes are grown without nasty pesticides or fertilizers and with an emphasis on conserving soil and water.

This Zin is deep ruby in colour with heavy legs. Not unlike the DVT (Deep Vein Thrombosis) you try to avoid while in flight.

It has a light bouquet with a very slight smell of smoke and a hint of mulberry. The taste is smooth and drawn out with flavours of dark cherries and slight spice. It finishes with soft tannins common in the American and European oak-aged Zinfandel.

If the Clockspring doesn't help pass the time, then the Virgin flight attendants can offer you an alternative. Many of the stewards take the opportunity to further their wine knowledge on a Virgin Wine course. VA is the only UK airline accredited to teach a Wine & Spirit Education Trust Foundation class.

If you can't afford upper class, but want to pretend you can, you can purchase this Clockspring Zinfandel at Berry Bros & Rudd Wine & Spirit Merchants for £8.95 for the bottle or £6.80 a bottle for a case.