UNLIKE PARTS OF THE UNITED STATES where the weather is always lovely — like Southern California — here on the East Coast, where Global Traveler maintains its World Headquarters, we slowly gear down in August and transition into fall and winter. Before you know it, Labor Day will be here, marking the unofficial end of summer.

I have lots of trips planned for August but hope to kick back at the end of the month and use our Wine Issue to find a crisp, cold white wine to go with my outdoor grilling. As we mark the 15th anniversary of the Wines on the Wing airline wine survey, Eunice Fried reminds me the winning wines this year have the highest recorded scores in the history of the competition.

A competition it is, and I applaud the judges who participated, many for years, and the airlines that took that extra effort to make sure their wines arrived safely and on time for judging. Not every airline participates, and over the years I gathered the reasons they decline. Here are the top 10 reasons airlines decline to participate:

Some can’t stomach the chance they will not do well. Imagine all the marketing efforts spent on telling the world they have the best wine and food and then they do not rank.

Some individuals fear for their position if they do not fare well. Airlines pay their wine experts a great deal, and, frankly, their positions can be determined by the outcome.

Some airlines are so overburdened they find the gathering and shipping of the wine and the menus too much to handle. With too many tasks and not enough people, the competition slips through the cracks or is intentionally avoided.

Some airlines downgraded their wines to save costs. Many have taken the opposite approach, but others still feel their wines are not competitive.

Some feel they cannot trust our survey, that it is somehow slanted toward a particular carrier.

We have actually heard one airline say the “wines did not travel well.”

A few airlines are changing their wine selections and do not want to submit past offerings.

Some carriers are unable to figure out how to pass the wines through U.S. customs, as their wines originate overseas. Other international carriers seem to have no trouble.

Others feel their regional wines cannot compete with the best the French and the California vineyards produce. They suggest we have a regional division, creative menu awards and specialty wine sections.

A small few change their wines so frequently they are unable to supply the corresponding menu required to verify the wine is served on board.

So when you sip on board or read our ranking, remember all the hard work that went into securing the wine for this year’s 15th annual Wines on the Wing!