Early last Thursday we were returning from Vancouver when someone called with the news. We were scurrying about in the pre-flight frenzy familiar to those with young children, so the news of some vaguely-defined terrorism threat was particularly un-nerving. Fortunately, we made it home with relatively little delay, having been warned in advance about the newly-forbidden carry-on items.
Wine Now A Forbidden Carry-On
My crystal ball tells me there is air travel in your future, so you would be wise to remember that wine is no longer allowed in your carry-on. It is a sad thing to see, the distraught oenophile forced to separate from precious wine by an over-worked TSA agent. But it is put into proper perspective by the reason for needing to do so – these are crazy times when small bands of extremists impact large democracies…
I know our ability to carry wine onto an airplane is not our nation’s deepest concern right now. I know that. But every time we STOP taking wine to enjoy over a nice meal with friends and family, a small group of terrorists has just enjoyed a small victory. With just a little advance planning air travelers can still share their wine with friends – so far, wine can still be transported in the cargo hold of a passenger airplane.
"But Won’t The Cargo Hold Ruin My Wine?"
I have been traveling the wine roads of the new and old world for some 20 years now. In that time I’ve never experienced a problem when placing wine inside my checked luggage where it can be well-padded by my clothing. At first I took the precaution of wrapping my clothes in plastic bags, lest the unthinkable occur and a bottle breaks or a cork leaks, but I don’t even bother with that anymore – plastic bags wrinkle your clothes. But the common fears of theft, broken bottle or cooked wine loom larger in our imaginations than in reality.
Of course, extremes of heat and cold can damage wine. But high-temperature tests conducted on both red and white wines found a bottled wine remains unaffected for several hours of high-temperature exposure. One study I recently read (but can’t find now that I want to link to it!) reported that a bottled wine introduced to 90 degree temperatures took many hours before showing signs of decay. The one caveat from this otherwise good news – wine deteriorates rapidly once it finally reaches the point of no return, it "cooks", resulting in stewed fruit flavors that are most unpleasant. So carrying wine in the cargo hold on a blistering hot summer day is not without risk – your wine can be damaged if you spend hours waiting on blistering tarmac. That possibility may encourage you to leave the Screaming Eagle at home, but it shouldn’t deter you from taking some less investment-worthy but pleasurable gems.
Glass As Insulator
One of the few things I remember from Mr. Downing’s DCHS Chemistry class, where I was introduced to Bunsen burners (and when Downing wasn’t looking, to the basics of glass blowing) is that glass makes a great insulator. A six inch glass rod can be heated to the melting point on one end and remain cool to the touch on the other. So it’s not surprising to learn that when a bottle of wine is placed in a 90 degree room, the liquid inside the glass takes a surprisingly long time to reach 90 degrees.
So please don’t let a small band of misguided outcasts ruin your time with friends and family. Wrap your wine carefully in your casual clothes, tuck it into your checked baggage, then share it over a great meal with people you enjoy.
Despite the week’s events, I say "Cheers" to you,
Dave@SidewaysWineClub.com
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For what its worth, every time I travel to Asia (2X a month) I bring 3 bottles of wine to give as gifts. It always goes in my checked bags, firstly being wrapped inside a hopefully clean sock.
Never a breakage, never a theft from the TSA guys, and the wine always tastes fine. Even if it did get cooked, it would still taste better than any of the local Chinese wines!
As an update to this aging posting, it will be helpful to note that we send many of our wine bar customers onto planes with a case of wine packed in a styrofoam shipper. By taping it securely and marking it with the passenger’s name and address, we’ve had no reports of unsatisfactory incidents.
Although we regret endorsing the use of styrofoam, whose lifespan in a landfill will exceed yours and mine combined, the only better solution is far more expensive and permanent – a sturdy box-shaped suitcase filled with foam rubber cut to support 12 individual bottles. I Googled “Wine Shipping Suitcase” and found several at various price points here Portland Wine Gear.