Shipping Wine Tips: Will My Wine Go Bad During Shipping?

Investing in a good wine collection is a great thing. But when it comes to shipping your collection to a new destination, the task can be a difficult one, especially for inexperienced people. There are a few important factors to be considered when shipping wine.

Temperature:

Wine can react to extreme temperature changes, by changing in taste and appearance. Therefore, it is important to control the storage temperature of the bottles while they are being shipped. The most ideal temperature for storing the bottles and transporting them is 55 degrees. While red wines are more susceptible to changes in temperature and can get damaged, white wine and other less expensive brands from supermarkets are less susceptible to temperature effects.

If the number of bottles to be transported is small, the best method of transportation could be by car. Since the ac unit in the car can keep the temperature more or less constant, it would preserve the contents from damage. A larger or more expensive collection might require a climate-controlled van. This would however require a lot of preparation and arrangements in advance, and the cost of transportation can be quite high.

The best time of the year to transport your collection would be early spring or late fall. The temperature of the van cabin during summer can rise considerably, which can possibly damage the wine. In winter, the drop in temperature can make the wine slushy resulting in a change in flavor. If it still needs to be moved during summer or winter, a commercial airline could be a good choice. There are a number of legalities in transporting wine through movers, and so you need to consult with them to work out the formalities. Promptly delivering the bottles just before departure and picking them up right after arrival at the destination will ensure that the wine stays in good condition.

Packing:

Packing your bottles properly is absolutely essential for their safe transportation. Movers have specially designed boxes to transport fragile items. If you are not experienced in packing wine, you need to call for professional help to ensure that your bottles reach the destination intact.

The corks need to stay wet during transportation and so the bottles need to be placed horizontally or upside to make the corks stay in contact with the wine. Do not open the bottle soon after it reaches the destination. A rest of seven days for every day that the bottles were in transit needs to be allowed, in order to preserve the flavor in the wine.