How to Safely Pack Wine while Traveling

Whether you’re returning from Sicily, Napa, or Buenos Aires, here’s how to get those bottles home safely.

Packing for a trip is stressful enough – but packing wine or spirits in your suitcase is potentially wardrobe-ruining if you don’t take proper care to ensure all that alcohol stays in the bottle where it belongs.

Whether you’re planning to bring home a few vintage bottles from the vineyard you toured in France or want to surprise a friend with their favorite scotch, we spoke to a handful of travel and culinary professionals to get their best tips on how to pack wine or other bottles in a suitcase.

These tried-and-tested methods require a little more effort than simply wrapping your vino in a sock – however, they provide peace of mind by ensuring your bottles make it from gate to gate without breaking in your suitcase.

Choose the Right Suitcase

Always pack wine or spirits in a hard-sided spinning suitcase rather than a soft-sided suitcase or duffel bag – the more durable the better. Look for hard-sided options that are made with heavy-duty material like aluminum or polycarbonate. This will ensure that the contents don’t get squished or move around while in transit and will also help to absorb any inevitable shock from external factors between gates.

Wine-specific suitcases exist if you frequently purchase wine or spirits as a souvenir. These types of suitcases have recently become more versatile, departing from their traditionally bulky and inconvenient designs.

Cushion Your Wine or Spirit Bottle to Absorb Impact

If you’re bringing wine home from a trip, set yourself up for success the moment you start packing. First off, pack wine in your checked luggage, not your carry-on – it’s typically too much liquid to bring on the plane. From there, it’s all about cushioning.

To avoid breakage, start by packing a good layer of clothing above and below your wine bottle. It’s also a good idea to pack shoes around the perimeter for an added shock absorber.

Keeping everything as tight and secure as possible will yield the best result. You’ll want to pack your thicker clothes on the bottom, the wine in the middle, and smaller and lighter clothes around the bottle. Finally, pad the top of the suitcase with thicker clothing like sweaters or jeans.

Never Pack Two Bottles Next to One Another

When packing more than one bottle of wine, expect the worst if those bottles strike one another in transit. It’s critical to separate them with a shock-absorbing barrier, such as a bundle of clothes, shoes, or plenty of bubble wrap.

Invest in Bottle-Specific Accessories

If you transport wine regularly, you can invest in wine- and spirits-specific accessories that are designed to keep them secure in transit. These protective bags will help avoid additional damage should one of the bottles break.

Don’t Pack a Bottle That’s Already Been Opened

Savvy travelers know that high-altitude air travel causes liquids to expand. Even well-sealed containers can leak when pressure expands the contents, potentially making a mess of your packed items. Enjoy your opened bottle before you fly, or give the rest to a wine-loving friend, but do not pack a bottle that has already been opened under any circumstances.

Ask the Winery or Distillery If They Ship

If you’ve fallen in love with a certain vintage during a winery tour, ask if they can ship to your home address. Many wineries offer this service, and it’s often less expensive than checking an additional suitcase.

Let the Wine Rest Before Opening It

Whether you packed wine in a suitcase or had it shipped to your door, it’s wise to wait before enjoying a bottle. Allow wines to rest for as long as possible after transport because they can be adversely affected by jostling, elevation changes, and temperature variations. Aim for a minimum of one to two weeks – the wine will be much more delightful when you finally do open it.