Sending wine?!
Answers: I am flying out of town for the holidays and would like to bring a few (10 or so) bottles of local wines with me. Is there a good way to send it (UPS, FedEx, or US Postal) or should I try to pack the bottles in my suitcase, or should I check an entire case with my bags ?? My local wine shop said they cannot ship a case for me. I am worried obviously about the bottles breaking and to a lesser extent the cost.
This question comes up almost as often as "How long will an open bottle of wine stay drinkable?...".
Here's the deal: as an individual, you cannot ship wine. Period. Alcoholic beverages are highly controlled commodities. You must be licensed to sell wine in order to ship it. Then you must get approved by the shipper. I imagine this is why your wine shop can't do it- they haven't gone through the approval process.
Obviously you can't take it on a plane in your carry-on luggage any more.
My advice is to buy a wine shipping box like the wineries use when you buy on line- it's got a styrofoam insert with slots for the bottles. They work great and don't weigh much. Then check the box as baggage. Hopefully you'll get a Budweiser -drinking TSA inspector who won't steal it.
Salud, and good luck.
Definately FedEx. Stay away from UPS or DHL, they will destroy or lose your box. The airline will not do much better.
You can't ship alcohol through the US Mail. The only way to ship is UPS, FedEx, or another shipping company. But you need ot check your state Vs. the state you are shipping to regarding direct shipment laws.
Check out http://www.freethegrapes.org/ to see which states allow direct shipping.
You best bet may be to pack them in your checked luggage. Just make sure to wrap them in your clothes safely so they do not break.
Get some loft insulation spray and squirt in between the bottles.
Then use a good solid wooden crate to box the box.
Sound like a lot of hassle, but it works.
Ive done it with high pressure gas cannisters before, and they all got there intact.
The foam spray just breaks off aswell.
well you have answers Here is one more
http://www.wine.com
we take wine with us on the plane, there is a box that has a Styrofoam insert in it to keep the bottles from breaking