I frequently bring wine / champagne or other liquids (ranging from water to olive oil to salad dressing) in my checked luggage. I simply wrap each bottle individually in a towel or t-shirt and pack the bottle into the center of my bag, with other soft items above and below. I always make sure to have something between each end of the bottle and the wall of the suitcase. I have never had a problem.

The only issue is that if you're taking several bottles of wine / champagne with you in checked luggage, your bag will get pretty heavy. So you need to be careful not to make your bag overweight or you may have to pay a fee.

If you are serious about your wine, you might also consider the issue of "bottle shock" before immediately opening your wine upon arrival.

Several wine accessory merchants sell specially designed wine travel suitcases for about $100. They hold 12 bottles, with padded slots for each bottle. Lost only one bottle after several TATL wine runs. The sole casualty appeared to be due to a slam dunk on the arrival baggage cart or conveyor belt The suitcase was still leaking when I claimed it and the lost bottle was not just broken but totally shattered. So I'm 95 for 96 using the special bag.

Have a perfect record using boxes with styro inserts, but find them a lot less easy to manage while touring and especially after the fill up.

One other note is that you can run afoul of state liquor laws depending on where you land. They only airport I've heard singled out is SLC -- Utah only allows international passengers to bring in two liters of alcohol. Bringing in a case of wine on the CDG-SLC flight could be an expensive mistake.

most states have laws against the illegal importation of alcohol, including PA, since they believe running a monopoly on alcohol within the state is vital to state government's function, but i digress - I've never heard of or seen enforcement at the airport.

Post offices (at least in Western Australia) here sell the styrofoam wine shipping containers. Cardboard are also now appearing. Obviously a better choice exists in the wine growing regions if it is a smaller city/town. 1 2 or 3 bottle packaging exists.

Normally the smaller vineyards are better buy that what you would find in the duty free shops on departing. But that's a personal opinion. Come visit the Great Southern and/or Margaret River areas and see what I mean. :D

Fred

For shipping a few bottles in luggage, I would suggest using WineSkins.

If you are returning from visiting a 'wine region' and want to bring back full cases, check with the wineries. They are usually happy to sell you wine shippers at reasonable prices, if you are buying their wine.

Alternatively, if you are departing from a mid-size or larger airport, check the local phone book for TNT Air Freight. They are pretty much global and I have good luck buying case-size wine shippers from them for $10-$12 US. Also, it can make for an interesting journey through customs with large white boxes that are simply labeled: "TNT". ;)