Following a trip to Europe, I wanted to return with some of my favorite bottles of champagne and wine that I would not be able to find at home. Prior to my trip, I did some research and came across Wineskin.
What is wineskin? Um…pretty much one of the best inventions EVER! It basically is a re-usable leak proof vinyl bag lined with bubble wrap made to fit 750 mL bottles of wine or champagne. So, you pretty much don’t have to worry about the bottle breaking in your luggage and ruining all your belongings from attempting to wrap it in a dirty shirt (I’ve done that before). You can purchase your wineskin directly from their website or from Amazon, which is what I did. I purchased a pack of 6 for $15. You can never have too many wineskin bags.
How to pack your champagne or wine:
- Check TSA guidelines. You can only bring alcohol in your checked luggage, not a carry-on. This is because carry-on baggage liquid restrictions do not allow liquid containers of more than 3.4 ounces (100 ml). According to TSA in the United States, as of today, you can pack items that are in containers larger than 3.4 ounces or 100 milliliters in checked baggage. The only restriction relates to alcohol content. Travelers can’t transport bottles with more than 70% alcohol content, and can only take 5 liters of alcohol between 24% and 70%. There is no limit on liquids with alcohol content below 24%, and wine fits into this bracket.
- Where to buy your wine. Often times, the best place to buy champagne or wine is by going to a local store in the area of where you are staying or the actual winery. Alcohol in the airport is rather expensive in my opinion. Bringing back alcohol on the airplane is not only less complicated, but mostly likely the easiest, safest, and most affordable way.
- Use a proper suitcase. I recommend using a hard shell suitcase. Lets be honest, the airport personnel are not going to gently handle your luggage. So having a suitcase with a strong exterior is best.
- Protect your bottles. I prefer using a wineskin bag and then placing the bottles in the middle of the suitcase. If you’re going to use a canvas suitcase I would surround the bottles with clothing for extra padding. You can never be too cautious in this case.
- Checking your bag. Remember each bottle of champagne or wine weighs approximately 3lbs, so take that into consideration when packing. Most airlines charge a fee if your luggage weighs more than 50lbs. If you are looking to transport a significant amount of bottles I would suggest looking into carry-on luggage that is specifically made to hold alcohol bottles. Lazenne is a company that makes this type of luggage and they meet airlines checked luggage weight limit. Also, this one holds up to 12 bottles of wine and is available on Amazon!
- Unpack and Enjoy! Once you arrive at your destination unpack and sip on a glass of champagne or wine.
