Before the liquids ban, I transported a bottle of wine or two in my carry-on baggage routinely. I have a modest collection at home and enjoy bringing a special bottle or two with me for a special dinner while on a trip. This had become quite commonplace for me recently, both domestic and international.
With the liquids-in-carry-on ban, I can't do that anymore. I've spent the last two weeks trying to devise a suitable and safe way to put wine in checked baggage. If the bottles get bounced around and break, or the low pressure and temps in the cargo hold damage the wine or cause the cork to shrink and spring a leak, you've not only lost the wine, you might well have destroyed every garment in your baggage. Temps and pressure concerns are unavoidable, but is there a way to control the potential damage, and a way to prevent outright breakage?
Buy-it-when-you-get-there just doesn't work, because more likely than not I'm carrying bottles that can't be purchased at the destination. It might be two or three parts of a vertical tasting. Or it might be a bottle I've racked for years and saved for a specific special occasion. Plus, in many locations abroad, I just can't get the wines I want, or they're outrageously taxed by protectionists. Good luck getting a California Cab in Sydney. Want a Zin to go with your lamb in Bali? Try a Shiraz--it's close . I'm sure oenophiles in France feel the same way when coming to America.
I recently picked up a two-bottle myoprene carrier available at a lot of specialty wine stores, which is essentially a piece of shock-absorbing Polartec fabric that envelopes the bottles. This would be perfect for carry-on, but I'm worried about it on checked baggage. I'd really like something that can create a seal around the bottles, so if they do break or leak, the leak is contained.
A good wine shop here in town gave me some styrofoam forms that are designed for putting in boxes for FedEx (a good but expensive alternative), which I'm going to try putting in my checked baggage this week.
All this is complicated by my preference for a soft-sided suitcase. A hard-side or stiff-side roller would help, but I'm looking for a solution that doesn't involve forking over several hundred bucks to Tumi or Samsonite. That's an expensive solution I may just have to face.
Someone who devises a good solution to this problem and gets it on the market pronto could make a pretty penny from us wine lovers.
What do my fellow wine-loving FlyerTalkers suggest? What has worked? What has failed?
I have traveled with many bottles of wine in checked baggage, often transatlantic. Wrap the bottles in a plastic bag and then snugly in clothes and you will be fine. I have even checked a case of wine without any issues. I have never lost a bottle. Good luck.
Just put it in your checked bags with lots of clothes and other padding (bubble wrap) and if worried about it leaking put it in a vaccumed or other sealed storage bag (ala Seal-a-meal).
Another option is that some wine stores -- there is one in an outlet mall about 30 miles from where I live -- build wood wine "cases" for single bottles. Usually they're used in lieu of wrapping the bottle -- you can have "happy birthday" or "happy anniversary" written on them, for example. The bottle of wine is placed in there with wood shavings for protection. If you had a few of of those with you, they might work well, but on the other hand, they would be a bit bulky to carry. Good luck!
I've been putting wine in checked baggage for years. Knock on wood - never had one break yet - knock on wood. I wrap bottle of wine in a couple of hand towels or a larger towel or bubble wrap w/ handtowel, then put in a plastic drycleaning or gargbage bag, then put it in the middle of the checked bag surrounded by clothes crossways (so it's not easy to roll to the side), which are also enclosed in drycleaning bags. I do the clothes in drycleaning bags to prevent them from wrinkling & getting wet if it happens to be raining when they take luggage off the plane. Also would help to protect (hopefully) if bottle ever did break. Good luck.
Cheers.
PS - I like the idea of poly fabric around the bottle, then the towel, plus drycleaning bag...
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Like the other posters, I've been putting wine in my checked luggage for years and never had a breakage or leak. I have a hard case and it's always stuffed full so that nothing can move around.
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Well, I've only transported wine in checked baggage once, and like others, it was in a plastic bag surrounded by clothes in my suitcase.
I've transported liquor much more (from US to Canada...shhhh) and I tend to usually get the plastic bottles for that, so it's much harder for those to break
Seriously, thanks to all for posting your experiences, which have been generally reassuring (save the above). I too have done the wrap-in-sweatshirts routine. I'll put stuff like that around the styrofoam pieces with the wine inside, and I'll probably put a trashbag around the whole affair to keep any leaks somewhat contained. I shutter to think what some inquisitive TSA agent would do to it.
My concern with checked luggage is not so much the breakage issue as the temperature fluctuations. I know that the place I sometimes purchase from will not ship right now due to the hot temps, but waits until the fall.
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My concern with checked luggage is not so much the breakage issue as the temperature fluctuations. I know that the place I sometimes purchase from will not ship right now due to the hot temps, but waits until the fall.
I don't think a few hours in a plane will damage wine in that way. Now, several weeks in a shipping container....
I don't think a few hours in a plane will damage wine in that way. Now, several weeks in a shipping container....
Agreed. The wine shouldn't get damaged in that short period of time, especially when the bottles are insulated with clothing. I wrap a thick layer of clothing around the neck of the bottle until it is as wide as the body of the bottle, then I wrap the entire bottle with clothing and place the bottle(s) at least 3-4 inches from the edge of the suitcase. This provides additional support from the sides of the suitcase and has a buffer zone from the edges. I also place shoes or other solid items near the wine for additional protection against crushing. Knock on wood, no broken bottles yet.
An excellent source for hardsided luggage is the salvation army.
I use the paper mache separators from burgundy cases, can put up to 9 bottles on each side(exceeds 50lb limit, but not 32kg limit). encase each side with towels, or bubble wrap. after closing, tape the case shut. Lots of tape, round and round, and over the latches. I use Priority Mail tape that I get from the post office.
the only time wine sees heat is when it is on the tarmac. the hold is below cabin temp.
. I'm sure oenophiles in France feel the same way when coming to America.
What has failed? 
