Moving your wine

The other day I received an offer from a company asking if I would mind if they contributed some content to my blog. My first reaction was to delete it without delay, but my wife has been advising me to be more polite and open when I get these type of offers. So, I replied, and told the gentleman that if the content was exclusive and something my readers might find useful, I would consider posting it. Then I forgot about it.

Yesterday Ricardo Gonzalez from uShip sent this article on how to pack and move your wine. I have never done this before, but I am posting his article in its entirety as it sounds like some really good information to me. Thanks, Ricardo! All of the other marketers out there should take a page out of your book.

Here’s what Ricardo says…

When you are moving your home, you have a couple of options for your wine. One suggestion is to invite some guests over for wine, and save yourself from the trouble of moving at all. While that may be quite fun, in some cases you may have to pack your wine and bring it with you. Wine bottles can be pretty delicate if not packed correctly, but thankfully properly packing wine is not difficult to do. However, you will need a few materials:

• Cell Boxes: cell boxes are specially designed to transport bottles, and can be purchased from a winery, liquor store, or movers. These come in a variety of different sizes to suit your particular needs. It is important that you do not use worn boxes as they will be inadequate to protect your bottles.
• Newsprint or Bubble Wrap: You can purchase pre-cut sheets of newsprint at a moving store, or you can try to find a bargain by purchasing a roll of newsprint at an arts supply store. The bubble wrap can be purchased at big-box stores or at shipping supply vendors.
• Packing Peanuts and Tape: You will want to get a small quantity of packing peanuts, or alternatively shredded paper. As for tape, any kind will suffice, but packing tape is recommended.

If you are very concerned about maintaining the bottles safe, you should consider reinforcing the cell box by taping an extra piece of cardboard to the bottom. If you are packing opened bottles, make sure they are properly closed and tightened.

Begin by placing the bottle diagonally on the corner of a couple of sheets of newsprint, or a sheet of bubble wrap. Roll the bottle diagonally on the sheet while folding the excess on the sides as you roll the bottle. When you finish rolling, wrap the bottle with packing tape and secure any loose ends. Once you have wrapped all of your bottles, place them in the cell box. Fill the gaps in the box with packing peanuts or crumpled paper and seal the top with plenty of tape, and clearly label the box as fragile.

Although it would be ideal to maintain your wine at 55F, it is not practical for most cases. If you are sending a large quantity of wine, you should consider contacting companies with a climate controlled moving vans. For smaller shipments of very valuable wine, you might consider packing a cooler with dry ice for shipping.

For large quantities of wine, you may need to obtain permits and licenses in order to comply with any state and federal regulations in regards to transporting wine. If you are sending a single bottle through a package carrier, they should be able to supply you with a special wine box. Make sure that they know that it is wine, and you pay any applicable fees or taxes.

While you may be tempted to immediately opening your wine as soon as you begin unpacking your new home, or when it arrives in the mail, be aware that no matter how safely you packed it, it is likely to have been shaken up a bit during shipping. You may want to allow it a few days to settle before pouring yourself a glass.

uShip is an online market place where feedback rated moving companies compete for your business. For more moving tips check out uShip’s page on moving.

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