You’ve invested a lot of time and money in curating an exceptional wine collection. Whether you’re a local wine merchant or simply a wine connoisseur, your collection is valuable.
So, when it comes time to move your collection, you want to do it right to avoid damaging your wines or losing a few bottles along the way.
Transporting wine successfully requires extreme care, making it absolutely vital to take the necessary precautions to ensure everything arrives safely and without issue.
If you’re preparing for a move and looking for the best way to protect your wine collection, you’re in the right place!
With tons of professional experience safely transporting wine collections of all sizes and price tags under our belt, we’ve put together our essential wine moving tips to help you make your move go as smoothly as possible.
How to move wine like a professional
1. Take inventory of your wine collection
No matter how large or small your collection is, it’s worth a lot. Not just in monetary value, but sentimentally, too.
Plan ahead for when your collection will be in transit to be sure everything is accounted for and nothing slips through the cracks.
Take a detailed and precise inventory of your entire collection, counting the exact amount of bottles and breaking them down into categories before you even start to think about moving them.
If you’re dealing with a particularly extensive collection, make sure to complete a high value inventory form – we’d recommend getting insurance too, to be extra secure!
Getting a wine appraisal company to estimate the value of your collection is also a good idea when dealing with large quantities of wine. While appraisal fees vary widely, it’s always best to look for the most reliable services to ensure you receive an accurate reflection of your collection’s worth.
2. Gather the necessary packing supplies
Now that you’ve got a clear picture of exactly what needs to be accounted for and transported, you’re ready to gather the packing materials you’ll need to protect your collection throughout the moving process.
Don’t skimp on your supplies! High-quality packing materials are absolutely crucial for safety, and it’s important to have adequate supplies to get the job done right.
Here are the essentials that you’ll need to get started:
- Sturdy wine packing boxes with bottle inserts
- Bubble wrap that’s suitable for glass
- Packing paper and foam peanuts
- Plenty of strong packing tape
If you’re unsure as to what packing materials you need for your specific collection, your local wine vendor will be able to offer advice depending on the age and size of your collection, as well as how to transport specific red and white wines.
3. Pack wine bottles securely and carefully
It goes without saying that glass is highly fragile, so take your time and handle bottles with extreme caution when you’re packing wine.
If glass bottles are directly touching while in transit, they’re at high risk of cracking and damaging or spoiling other bottles in your high value collection.
Individually wrap bottles and put them into their own inserts, clearly labeled as “fragile” with a note for “this way up”, so those handling the boxes know how to transport and store them at all times.
How you store your bottles can impact the flavor and integrity of your wines. Packing red and white wines upside down or on their side will keep the corks wet, which prevents the oxidation of the wine and keeps them from spoiling.
Excessive movement on the road can also cause bottle shock, which impacts flavor, too. So make sure to tightly pack each box with enough packing paper and foam peanuts to eliminate as much moving around as possible within the inserts.
4. Don’t forget about temperature control
Did you know that the optimal temperature for wine storage is 52-57°F?
Wine is highly sensitive to its environment, and exposure to harsh temperatures or extreme temperature changes can ruin an entire wine collection during a move.
If there’s a possibility that your collection will be exposed to harmful temperatures in transit, use insulated shipping boxes or thermal packaging at the very least – or better yet, organize your collection to be transferred in a climate controlled van that’s specifically designed to transport alcohol.
Regardless of where you’re moving your wine to, it’s wise to avoid keeping your collection in transit for too long. It’s inevitable that temperatures will fluctuate in any mode of transport, so plan out the optimal route to safely transport your wines while maintaining their superior quality and taste.
5. Leave it up to the wine-moving professionals
With so many important variables involved in moving your collection, sometimes it’s easier to just hire a wine moving company to take care of things for you.
When you work with a wine relocation professional, you don’t need to worry about the logistics, so you can just relax and focus on what’s next.
At The Wine Mover, we handle and transport wine with extreme precision and care, understanding exactly how to look after each specific bottle in your collection – no matter how rare it may be.
We’re passionate about wine and are dedicated to upholding the quality of your collection while delivering it on time so you can enjoy a seamless moving experience.
Whether you’re moving house or relocating your wine store, you’ll feel personally supported by our friendly team of experts, ready to help you with every part of the process.
Let us take an accurate inventory of your wine collection, carefully pack and load your bottles, transport your boxes in refrigerated vans, and unpack your collection on delivery. A complete door-to-door service like no other!
Take the stress out of your wine move. After all, it’s what we do best – and your collection is precious. So why take the risk?
Get a quote for your collection today.
