How to protect wine in luggage

Found a great vintage while traveling and wondering how to get it home safely? Wrapping a piece of clothing around a bottle and placing it in your suitcase is the most common way of transporting wine, but it might not be the best.

Granted, it’s unlikely that inflight turbulence or a tear in the cork will lead to breakage or a leak, but that’s not the only consideration: vibration and shaking can destroy fine wine, according to certified sommelier Elizabeth Schneider, author of Wine for Normal People. Schneider advises immobilizing the wine with thick padding around the bottle. 

Wrapping the bottle in clothing in your suitcase will offer some protection, but if you’re an oenophile, you might want to invest in a dedicated wine-transport product. One option is WineSkin, a flexible, padded plastic sleeve that fits over a bottle and double seals for protection. Another alternative is WineCruzer, a hard-shell rolling case (see photo) that features a molded cell-foam interior to protect bottles from temperature changes, as well as impact and vibration. There’s also VinniBag, an inflatable, leakproof bag that lets you suspend a bottle of wine—or any other fragile item, for that matter—in a thick air cushion.