just a word of warning.. champagne can become very volatile after shipping in the hold...

I carried a bottle to india a few years back.. it survived flights (in the hold) from Singapore to Delhi, Delhi to jodhpur, jodhpur to udaipur... none of which seemed to have especially gentle handling of luggage!

the bottle arrived in tact, no damage, and we allowed it to 'rest' for two days before opening. however... as soon as we removed the cage the cork eased itself out all by itself... there was no way we could have stopped it (not that we wanted to) ... but the pressure was certainly there. we lost about a 1/4 of the bottle which shot out.

I know airlines transport cha,Payne all the time... but the combination of bag throwing at e airport, the temperate etc etc seemed to take it's toll on our contents.

e actually bottle though... came through perfectly...