Moving... with wine
So I’ll be honest... moving with a wine collection has got to be one of the worst things that happens to anyone with a large wine collection. Moving across the country... is even worse 🙃
I just moved from Los Angeles to Orlando with over 200 bottles of wine and I’m going to share some tips, in case any of you find yourselves in a similar predicament one day!
Do your research. There are a lot of options you can go with, whether it’s hiring a temperature controlled moving company, hiring professional wine movers, shipping your wine, or trying to pack as much as possible in your car.
Be willing to say goodbye to some of it. I had to prioritize which wines I really wanted to bring with me. I ended up giving away about 20 bottles (but I probably should have given away more... oops!)
Think outside the box. I felt like I had hit a wall because I couldn’t afford any of the options I was finding. I ended up calling a couple of wine retailers and one of the ones I loved not far from me was willing to ship my wine for me, I just had to pay the shipping fees! This enabled me to send 8 cases of wine, almost 100 bottles. I didn’t think I’d find anyone who’d be willing to do that for me, but it’s worth trying to call around and figure out if anyone’s willing to help!
Wrap those bottles up! We still packed probably 120 botles in my car (🙃) on the road trip with us. Pack your wine in wine sleeves, wrap them in bubble wrap or t-shirts, just keep them really well insulated so they aren’t banging or vibrating against each other!
Once you’ve moved, let the wine rest. Vibration, heat, sunlight and excessive movement can cause wine to need a little rest before it’s opened. This should be a hard and fast rule for wine shipments anyways, but give your bottles a few days to settle before trying to enjoy.
Have you ever made a big move with wine before?