Ode to Broken Bottle of Canadian Wine
posted by Annie in Guest Bloggers
As if stained clothing, a dripping suitcase, and money down the drain isn’t enough, a broken bottle of souvenir/gift wine is never cool.
Bringing home wine presents is a common thing - we go to a foreign land (say Canada for example), we purchase wine for drinking at home upon returning from the foreign land, and we try our darnedest to pack the wine in such a way that checking the bag (since a wine bottle is way more than 3oz and the duty free selection is never any good) won’t break the bottle. Sadly, its never a sure thing.
My previous mentioned boyfriend, one with good knowledge of my palate, brought me back wine presents in a similar fashion from a foreign land. (Canada) He returned with a Cabernet Franc and a Canadian Bordeaux-style blend from British Columbia packed in clothing, paperbags, and a cardboard bottle separator. He was so excited to give me the wine, but when he opened the bag to get them out, the telltale scent of Cabernet Franc wafted out, and some newly pinked undershirts were there. Disaster. Wine everywhere. Gift destroyed. Boyfriend depressed.
I said it to cheer him up, but it was really true. At least I got to smell it. The thought was there, and I saw the bottle’s label so I knew it really was an un-exported British Columbian wine. A pity though really. It was thoughtful and smelled like it would have been tasty.
I think its now clear that the number 1 rule of packing wine in a suitcase is plastic bags. In the event of bottle breakage, at least there is a barrier between liquid and your white boating outfit from Berdorfs. Rule number 2 is padding. Clothes are nice, but so is packing material, bubble wrap, and/or poofy jackets.
Has this ever happened to you? Are you still cursing the ever-so careful luggage handlers at American Airlines?
Dan Petroski was telling me that he uses those styrofoam wine carriers and checks them separately. At least then if they break (unlikely, given that they are enclosed in a protective layer and its clear they are liquids, so there may be less manhandling) they dont spill inside your bag.
The fact that if they broke they’d leak all over the inside of the planes hold or inside the airport might make people more careful with them as they, or their friends, may be called in to do some clean up afterwards.
It wasn’t even three years ago when I returned from Sonoma with a few bottles which I carried onto the plane. Now I don’t even bother trying to bring wine on the plane at all. All the more reason to place a larger order online with my favorite store or winery.
Still, it’s sad. Maybe I’ll drive out to Long Island to satisfy my craving for “the haul”.
Almost all the wineries I go to now sell a product that is bottle shaped bubble wrap. You just stick your bottle in and seal it. I always buy too much to make this cost effective, but if you are buying a few bottles, this seems the way to go!
@oceank8 … the product you are thinking of is called ‘Wine Skin’ http://www.ftscontent.com/.
Most wineries do sell them along with shipping containers. Shipping containers are the best way to go as they are what most shipping companies use to transport wine. As Philip indicated these shipping containers can be used as checked luggage.
@akops41 - being Canadian, I’m curious to hear what BC wine you were supposed to get.