Have Wine? Will travel.

Now that summer is here, some of you will be traveling near and far by land, sea, and air. There are many reasons for which people travel. It could be for a vacation abroad, camping, to visit family members or friends, attend weddings, reunions, or other occasions. The point is that all of these reasons for travel are also cause for people, especially the wine lovers, to pop a cork on a nice bottle of wine or champagne. But sometimes, you may not know where to go when you reach your destination to buy wine. It can be a real hassle trying to find a liquor store, and then the selection may turn out to be a little sparse. It would be terrible if your choices were Boone’s Farm Tickle Pink, Mad Dog 2020, or Ripple. Just the thought of that makes you want to say, “You might be redneck if…” But let’s not digress. The answer here is simple. You bring the wine with you.

Your suitcase, carry-on baggage, backpack, or other type of luggage will be just fine to cart your bottles. The first thing everyone thinks of the bottle is going to break. The glass is everywhere, and who wants to wear red or pink underwear the whole time you’re away from home? If you’re smart about it, you need never concern yourself with such things again. There are many ways people care for their traveling liquid companions. It is not necessary to purchase a lot of extra stuff of special carrying cases for your wine. Everyone owns socks. Yes, take a tube sock or heavy cotton sock and slip the bottle inside it. If you feel the need, take the match to that sock and slip it over the other end so it is doubly protected and you won’t lose a sock. Of course, there is still a slight chance of breakage, so after wrapping it up with a sock or other material, place it in some type of plastic bag like a grocery or garbage bag and seal it with tape. Most hotels have plastic laundry bags you can use, too, if you are visiting a winery and wish to buy some to take home with you.

Then, if you have a couple of T-shirts, roll them up and park them on either side of the bottle in your suitcase. Other clothing will work as well, or if your vacation includes camping, consider using towels, washcloths, or even rolls of toilet paper. The trick to successfully traveling with wine is to isolate it on all sides using any shock absorbing material to support the bottle(s) and prevent them from shifting until you’re ready to let them breathe.

If you are sporting several bottles of wine on your journey, make sure to use sufficient padding between each bottle and wrap them together in plastic and seal it with tape. It will prevent them from banging up against each other. You want to try to position them with the bottom of the bottle facing the bottom of the bag as it would be in its normal upright position. This is how baggage handlers and ticket agents will move them. So again, use plenty of shock absorbers like shoes to minimize the movement. You can use a carry-on to transport your wine also, depending on the number of bottles and size of your muscles. They may go through more bashing as a carry-on as you maneuver through airports, overhead compartments, or under the seat stowage. If you have never done this before, try it both ways to see what is right for you.

If you’re traveling by air and choose to carry it on, you will want to make it easily accessible for security to inspect it. Security shouldn’t be a problem, though. If you are traveling abroad, make sure to check customs regulations regarding duties and taxes and allowable limits.

Another consideration when traveling with wine is temperature extremes. This can be as damaging as breakage and render your wine undrinkable. If you are traveling by car, try not to let it sit in a very hot or cold vehicle for long periods. If you stop overnight, take the wine with you into to the hotel room. You would probably want to do that anyway to kick back with a nice bottle of Chardonnay after a hard day of driving.

You don’t have to drink from the bottle either. Most hotels will provide you with some kind of serviceable wine glass so you don’t have to drink out of the tumbler in your bathroom. If you’re camping, who cares what you drink it out of, but you can find inexpensive plastic wine glasses at most stores.

And finally, if you are going to go to the trouble of packing and lugging wine with you, don’t forget the corkscrew, or you may find yourself trying to push in the cork with a pen or toothbrush.

P.S. It’s not the smartest idea to put the corkscrew in your carry-on bag as it would no doubt be confiscated by security. Have wine? Will travel.

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