wine in your checked luggage
 

Back before the ban on liquids, I used to pick up interesting wines on my travels and cart them home in my carry-on. That's not possible anymore, alas.

I vaguely remember seeing an ad for something that supposedly let you safely pack a wine bottle in your checked luggage (called WineSkin maybe?). Has anyone used this? Can you give me any info on what it is and whether it's worth getting? And does it really work? Checked luggage can get really abused!

I wouldn't be buying expensive wine, probably around $20/bottle max. It's just the souvenir value and maybe bringing home a neat little wine that I enjoyed and couldn't get at home.

I'm going to Argentina in Sept and I know there will be good wines in abundance. I do have to transfer within the States, so wine in my carry-on is totally impossible.

I've brought home wine in checked luggage but only 1-2 bottles at a time. I simply put it in a plastic bag and rolled it securely in dirty clothes.

Cindy,

We just came back from Italy. We picked up several bottles from a wine tasting in Tuscany. The store employee placed the bottles in styrofoam containers that securely fit two bottles in each container. All we did for the trip home was tape the styrofoam cases shut and nestled them in between our stacks of dirty clothes in the suitcases. The duct tape we brought sure came in handy!

I almost always bring home wine or beer. You can still find some airports with wine sales after security so you can bring it as a carry on.
Like the other respondents though I usually pack it carefully in my checked baggage and have never had a problem-touch wood ! I always pack one of those air bubble bags for this purpose and to use as a cooler bag for picnics.

Bon Voyage

I've picked up a bottle of wine on my travels before - usually at the last stage of my trip. It made it home successfully in a checked piece of lugagge albeit it was wrapped in a towel (used for the beach) placed inside a plastic bag which was snuggled between layers of clothing.

No problems whatsoever but if you're carting home more than 1-2 bottles of wine, you might want to look into another option.

I've packed wine in my checked luggage without any problems too. As others have mentioned, I put it in a plastic bag and wrap it well in clothes.

Putting 6 bottles of wine in my checked bag was a big mistake, even with all the dirty clothes stuffed around them. Almost immediately after boarding the plane, the FA called to me that they had to open the bag and get rid of the bottles because they had broken. (Funny that there was no red wine on any of my clothes, huh?) She even mentioned that she was surprised that they had broken because they were so well surrounded. Next time I will definitely use bubble wrap and duct tape.

I try to pack lightly, and usually pack some bubblewrap, and a small roll of tape. Comes in handy to wrap wine, etc. Last year, I shipped home several bottles of Scotch from Edinburgh. The cost to ship it was nearly equal to the VAT I saved by shipping directly from the shop. The box arrived home just a few days after i did.

We bought some wineskins in Oregon last month and were told they were leak proof if sealed correctly. Ostensibly, even of the bottle breaks, the contents of your suitcase remain protected. I didn't use them because we ended up checking an entire case using paperboard liners for the box (also obtained at the winery). All arrived in good condition despite a connection in ATL. The wineskins are so cheap, I think they'd be worth a try.

My husband and I almost always pack a bottle of liquor. I put them in a ziploc bag and pack clothes around them. The only time there was a problem was when one bottle had a plastic cap and the cap cracked (fortunately, it was the vodka so it didn't smell or leave a stain). My only suggestion is to pack bottles that have a metal top.

We just recently came across a new wine packing accessory that is really simple to use. It is called the BottleWise Duo. It came with two packs that each hold a bottle of wine. You seal your wine in a liquid tight liner and then it all is zipped into a padded case. It is relatively compact and soft so you can tuck it in various parts of your checked bag. We bought a bag and a few extras pouches so we can easily bring home 3 or 4 bottles when we travel. Well made and well worth the investment.

I always carry some duct tape wrapped around a pen and rubber flip flops. Then put the bottle in a ziplock or other plastic and put it between the flip flops and secure with duct tape. They've always arrived safely (crossing my fingers now).

i rarely bring home wine with me as the wine tastes not as it used to do in vacation environment!

div

I just returned from wine country and had purchased 2 "wine skins" from one of the wineries......I packed my 2 bottles in the skins in my checked luggage and they worked fine.

The Wine Skin (that's the name that is stamped right on the packaging)is a wine-bottle-shaped bubble wrap that fits into another wine-bottle-shaped plastic covering. There are a couple of sticky-strips at the bottom opening to keep it closed. They got our wine bottles home without any breakage or leakage.

I think they were $2 a piece. Probably one could find them cheaper at a place other than a California winery.....but rather than driving around for a good price on our wineskins, we just bought them on the spot.

I've packed wine in styrofoam containers purchased at a wine shop; it holds 6 bottles. For extra safety we plastic wrapped each bottle before putting them in the styrofoam containers. No problems.

We brought a bottle of wine home from Napa in a wine skin purchased at the vineyard and all it was was small bubble wrap shaped like a wine bottle. Just take some bubble wrap and some rubber bands with you and wrap in that. A lot cheaper than buying the "skins".

We brought 4 bottles of wine back from France. My husband used bubble wrap and clear duct tape for each bottle. Strangely, one bottle of red wine in my suitcase was completely crushed to smithereens but the wrapping kept the wine from leaking out. The other bottles survived. How this could have happened is a mystery to me. ???

Bubble wrap and overwrap with corrugated cardboard (I bring the bubble wrap with me). And no red wine! I like dessert wines and those come in those small thick bottles, so I like to bring those back, although they tend to cost more than $20.

If they drop it from a far enough distance, I don't think anything will save it, though.

Anyone tried the Wine Diaper? It seems like a good bet, since it has a zip lock closure instead of just tape. It's supposed to absorb up any liquid if it breaks. I'm going to Europe this summer and need a good suggestion!