The Clever Way To Fly Home From Your Vacation With A Case Of Wine

Whether you've just had an amazing wine-tasting vacation at award-winning Napa Valley wineries, or you're coming back to the U.S. from the absolute best Italian wine destinations, you probably have collected a bottle or two (or 12) to bring back home with you. Shipping wine, particularly from coast-to-coast or international locations, can cost as much as $80 per box (often more for longer global distances), and the customers are usually the ones on the hook for this extra fee. Not to mention that some wine connoisseurs believe that shipping wine adversely affects the bottles' optimal temperature zones, which at best discolors it or affects the cork or at worst, cracks the glass bottle. If you're flying back home, though, checking your wine in your luggage (or as your luggage) may be the most cost-effective and safe option to ensure your bottles get home for future enjoyment.

Before wine enthusiasts gasp in horror, we're not talking about stuffing your luggage with wine bottles wrapped in old socks or sweaters. There are much safer and flight-savvy ways nowadays to check in your favorite cabernet without fear of damage or compromising its taste. In fact, from wine sleeves to full-on wine suitcases, the options for transporting your sauv blancs just got a whole lot easier than figuring out shipping. Just be sure to pay attention to alcohol importation regulations, and you'll be able to enjoy your wine at home, bottles intact!

There are wine luggage solutions that suit all levels of wine buying from the low-key enthusiast to the wine expert. For the former, inflatable wine sleeves, also called wine bottle travel protector bags, are perfect if you're planning on bringing home just a bottle or two. Usually, these bags will come with a manual hand pump to blow them up, and once inflated, you can slip your bottle of wine inside — essentially the bag serves as a cushy cuff around the bottle to protect it from bouncing around or hitting hard surfaces (like the sides of your suitcase). Bottle Shield travel bags are another fantastic option for a bottle or two in the suitcase. With these sleeves, you don't have to inflate them, but rather they have a slimmer, bubble-wrap-like interior to protect the glass.

But for those of us with a little less self-control around wine (guilty), try a wine suitcase for much easier and much safer transport. Ranging in sizes accommodating anywhere from six bottles to a dozen, these suitcases house your wine in soft, foam-like cavities, cut out in the shape of a bottle. There's a wide variety of suitcase styles, with some cases resembling traditional checked bags, like this airplane wine suitcase, while others look more like industrial crates, like this Case Club model. Choosing between styles will largely depend on how many bottles you intend to purchase and if you prefer your wine to stand up or lay down during transport. 

Once you've landed on the right luggage style for your bottle-purchasing tastes, remember to check on regulations and protocols from both the government as well as airlines before checking the bottles in. While U.S. Customs and Border Protection does not place a federally enforced limit on the amount of wine you can bring back into the country from abroad for personal use, you may raise a red flag to customs officers. You might also be liable for import taxes; U.S. residents can bring home one liter of alcohol duty-free, however, anything beyond that is subject to import taxes.

Also, pay attention to your airline's baggage policies. Your large wine suitcase will most likely be counted as your one checked, complimentary bag on international flights, therefore if you have a second checked bag, prepare for additional baggage fees, dependent on the airline's policy, or of course, your cabin class. Don't forget your suitcase's weight as well, as additional fees may also apply to overweight baggage if the bottles aggregate over a certain weight. It may be savvy to save space in your luggage and pack smartly into a carry-on for your non-wine belongings to avoid any additional fees, particularly if you're using wine sleeves in your regular checked luggage. Above all, never put your wine in your carry-on since it'll more than likely violate security liquid limitations. With all of this in mind, wine luggage or bags are still clever ways to fly home with wine safely and relatively inexpensively.