Creatively Transporting Wine

Transporting wine home after a tasting or shopping excursion is one of the scariest things I do with my new acquisitions. I find wine boxes provided by the wineries to be flimsy and I often feel that the bottoms are going to fall out before I can get my wine into the house. 

I have taken trips by aircraft to visit winery destinations and I was faced with figuring out how to ensure my precious cargo arrived safely back at home. Somehow, wrapping fine wine in clothing and placing the bottles into my suitcase just didn't do it for me. I have been able to stuff 9 bottles into my suitcase and they all arrived home safely--but suitcases generally are not designed for the added weight of the wine bottles. 

A friend recently introduced me to a solution that makes me a lot more comfortable about shipping my valuable wine acquisitions. It is called The Wine Check. It is really ingenious and has received great reviews. It can be checked as baggage on airlines or used as a wine storage center in the car. I have purchased one and it is patiently waiting for my next wine excursion, which could be this weekend as I sojourn to visit some local Maryland wineries and vineyards.

I like the idea and the concept. Place the bottles in tight fitting styrofoam sleeves to protect them from the bumps of travel and insulate them from the cold of the airline cargo holds during flight. Even in the car, the bottles are insulated from the winter cold or the summer sun while driving from winery to winery seeking the best that the vineyards have to offer.

On top of that, there are convenient handles and wheels to make transporting wine less of a back breaking experience.

The images above are my The Wine Check and am preparing to use. I am very excited and I found the price for protecting my valuable new acquisitions very reasonable. I found mine online at Brookstone, by the way, to avoid the seemingly high shipping costs of ordering it directly from the manufacturer.

RECOMMENDATION: A valuable accessory for every wine lover.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD