Wine in checked baggage?

[Mark in CA]

I don't usually recommend putting wine in checked baggage, but recently I've been introduced to (good) wine sold in 5-liter Mylar bladders with spigots. In this form, they would appear to be quite suitable for transport in checked baggage.

What I'm wondering though is whether they might set off any alarms during security procedures (such as baggage x-ray), and what the checkers might do to it if they find them suspicious. Does anyone have any experience transporting something like this in their checked baggage?

[Espada III]

There are all sorts of bizarre things in hold luggage so a mylar bag is unlikely to attract significant attention.

I have shipped many bottles of wine in hold luggage without any breaks, The secret (obviously) is to wrap in plastic bags and then wrap again in clothes and then place in the centre of the bag snugly against other soft items. A good idea is to have a wife who likes wearing boots whilst on holiday. You can carry two bottles very safely.

[parabellum]

Used to do it regularly, never spilled a drop! The card-board cow container is very resilient.

[vctenderness]

Since the liquids ban I have carried more bottles of wine and spirit in my checked baggage than Keith Floyd could drink in a day!

Never had an accident or a problem with security.


Just dont try it to Saudi.....

[Tableview]

No problem at all, have been doing it for years. The biggest benefit of my top level LH FF status was the 40kg. baggage allowance. A standard bottle of wine weighs about 1.2 kg (full of course - there'd be sod all point bringing them empty!) and used to get up to 12 in a suitcase suitably wrapped and padded.

The only place I've had a minor difficulty was going into France when Pierre Le Douanier says . "Why do you bring ze wine from Afreeka to Fance where we make zee best wine in zee world?" He wan't in the slightest bit interested in charging me duty, just being curious. I explained that they don't and offered to give him a bottle of my Muratie Shiraz to prove it. He explained that he wasn't allowed to take it so I wished him goodbye and he said : "The blonde lady in the information desk when you get outside is my wife ....."

I duly handed her a bottle of the stuff, he'd already contacted her, asked for my phone number, rang me a couple of days later to say he'd enjoyed it, and Pierre Le Douanier is now one of my buddies!

[Piltdown Man]

Wine in your checked in, hold baggage is fine. Obviously it becomes a WMD if you have it in your hand (cabin) baggage.

[TightSlot]

Nice story Tableview

[Agaricus bisporus]

Just pack it to withstand a 3 metre drop onto concrete. Personally I wouldn't take the risk of ruining everything in my case.

[givemewings]

If you pack smartly and it breaks, you won't ruin everything in your luggage. The jumbo size ziploc bags work well. I had a bottle of red leak in my bag. The double ziploc contained all of the mess. If you really love bottled wines there's a scandinavian co who makes an inflatable wine carrier designed for hold luggage, to contain spills. Can't recall the name at the moment.

I don't think it'd be a problem in hold luggage, I sometimes carry washing powder (long story) and I just bag it in case of any spills. Thought being 'white powder' they might want to look at it but I've never been asked about it at all...

[Rush2112]

Whenever we go to France now we take a few sheets of bubble wrap and generally bring 4 or 5 bottles back in the check in baggage (hard case Samsonite). I also slip a 3l box in there as well. So far, never had a problem either with customs here or with breakage.

[harryzimm]

Kind of off topic, but not…

Not too long after the liquids ban started... when my carry on bag went through xray I was told by security to “throw that bottle” in the provided trash bin.

I did as ordered… I dumped the bottle of gin (bummer), but left the 6 boxes of wine in my carry on bag. It always pays to follow instructions. :)

[gdiphil]

I very rarely take bottles with me but have if there is something really special and I want to have it back home. This last weekend was one of those rare occasions. A group of us were in Porto last weekend for various birthday celebrations including my 60th this weekend. To my amazement it was possible to get a 60 year old port, for 300 Euros, and I just couldn't resist it. Packed it in clothes and TAP took it back in my hold luggage with no problems at all. No problems with LGW immigration either regarding queues for the EU lines.

Another story was not quite so good though. Years ago when the British Army were in Germany I was often visiting my serving brother in Dusseldorf. I often brought back packs of 36 cans of Bitburger beer, one of my favourites. The airlines were quite happy to have it checked in. However on one occasion it had obviously been dropped and each can came out individually on the belt and not all at once. They were dotted between the luggage and I had to scurry around getting them before some kind hearted squaddies managed to lighten my onward load. All of them came through I am glad to say.

[NutLoose]

I flew to Gib but diverted into Faro, they managed to smash a bottle of spirits in my kitbag that soaked through all my uniforms, I was my popular when I turned up to work the following day reeking of booze unable to do anything about my laundry until the following night.

[easyflyer83]

Since the liquids ban I have carried more bottles of wine and spirit in my checked baggage than Keith Floyd could drink in a day!


Thats not hard considering he's dead.

[vctenderness]

Note the use of the word 'could' as opposed to 'can'....

But I bet he would still be in the top ten boozers even deceased!

[fincastle84]

I brought back 24 bottles from Cape Town in March without any problems, including HMC&E at LHR. The customs officer manning the Red channel was quite happy to let me through after telling him it was for personal consumption. I thanked him profusely!:ok:

[Tableview]

I'm glad to see someone else who acknowledges the superiority of South African wine!

[givemewings]

I remember putting a pax's bag on the belt at check-in only to suddenly notice it smelt like a pub... on inspection the last bag on was leaking, some bloke going to a work site had just casually thrown a bottle of Jack into a duffel bag with a single change of clothes, somehow expecting it to manage in one piece through a fully human-powered baggage loading system!

He was pretty upset when we told him and insisted that *I* should pay for a replacement. Considering he'd been the one to throw his bag down on the scale I told him to p!ss off!

Turned out he was going to dry site so shouldn't have had it in the first place, just a pity security hadn't got to it first as those bottles usually joined the 'weekend kitty' :E

[PAXboy]

Tableview - that is a FABULOUS story on which I shall dine out. Pun intened.

[RevMan2]

Foolproof way of packing bottles:
Corrugated cardboard fruit tray
Wrap each bottle in newspaper
Pack them tightly in the fruit tray so that they can't move
Stow them in your luggage - well padded. (Empty mineral water bottles are ideal if your bag isn't completely full)
Other than that - beer bottle -sock- shoe. Having Size 12 helps...

[beamender99]

I came through the LHR red channel from Capetown with six bottles of Boschendal bubbly completely intact in my Delsey.
I told the customs guy that the only booze my wife could tolerate was Champagne, Cava of similar as there is no yeast in it ( Not a lot of folks know that.)
He kindly waved me through.

On another trip I was asked to bring back from Jamaica some overproof rum and cigarettes for an office pal. The best I could get was 110 proof as 151 was banned on aircraft in those days.I happened to brush the wall, en route to the gate, with the duty fee bag but thought no more about it.
The bag was popped in the window bin of the 747 bubble.
Thinking someone nearby was enjoying their rum, alarm bells sounded and a quick check found a puddle of rum and soggy fags. The CC quickly soaked it up with a blanket and I was left out of pocket trying to do a friend a favour.

[TWT]

I roll up bottles in a beach towel.2 fit nicely in 1 towel.Never had a problem.

Beamender 99,every time I have taken time out to do a favour for a friend it has cost me one way or another due to things that never happen when you're just doing it for yourself.

[Been Accounting]

The other trick that works is to use a few lengths of PVC drain pipe cut to 'bottle' length.