How to haul wine home

You spent the afternoon wine-tasting and discovered an amazing zin. You want to bring a case home--but how do you do it? The rules and regulations for transporting a case from one state to another are far more complex than the wine itself, but these tips should help you bring a bottle home.

Check the state laws. States wine shipping regulations vary so check a reliable source on the legality of direct shipping to your state before wine from another state. You can get up-to-date information on reciprocal and nonreciprocal states from Free the Grapes, a coalition of wine lovers, wineries and retailers with a mission to help wine consumers get the wines of their choice, at freethegrapes.org.

Talk to the winery. The winery might be able to ship the wine for you—especially if you’re looking to mail it to a reciprocal state. Don’t trust a winery that says they can send your bottles to a nonreciprocal state. If they run into trouble, you lose your wine.

Find a local shipping company. If you have to find a shipping company, you need to know that it’s illegal to box your own bottles and send it to a nonreciprocal states. If you’re mailing to a reciprocal state, make sure the packaging is adequate. For example FedEx requires that you package your bottles in molded polystyrene or die-cut corrugated units; bubble wrap, peanuts, and wadded paper are unacceptable.

Don’t carry it on the plane. Because of the federal government’s restrictions for carrying liquids onto planes, don’t even think of stuffing a bottle into your carry-on. But you can consider purchasing an FAA-approved travel wine safe that will allow you to check your bottles along with your luggage. These run $250 to $400; available at portlandwinegear.com, skymall.com, and wineenthusiast.com. Just be sure to contact your airline carrier and check on state laws before showing up at the airport with a safe full of wine.

Buy wine at home. Skip the hassle and ask the winery if you can pick up a bottle at a store in your state.