Have a liquor and wine collection and don’t plan on giving them out or selling them when relocating? Then, you’ll need to know how to pack wine bottles for a move. 

Packing services like Stark Movers make hauling several bottles of wine for long hours easy when you visit them at https://starkmovers.com/services/packing-services/. But, it will be a different story for those considering a DIY route. Wonder why? 

The simple reason is that bottles are delicate and can break even without much pressure. Plus, when they break, they create a mess of broken pieces that can harm the body. Movers with large and valuable wine collections should consider the following when packing them for transit. 

1. 1. Get Packing Supplies 

Like every other part of the packing process, getting essential supplies to pack the wine bottles is a must. These supplies will include: 

• Specialty wine boxes: They act as a shelter or house for the liquors and protect them from breaking. Just make sure to get them in different sizes so they can fit even the smallest liquor bottle you own. 
• Cardboard Cell Boxes: these also work like specialty boxes, but they differ because they come with cardboard sheets that help you separate the bottles. 
• Packing Tapes: they are effective for closing the open ends of your box so the wine won’t fall on the way. 
• Packing Paper: it’ll help to close empty gaps in the box while serving as protective layers during collisions and bumps. 
• Marker: for labeling box content.

1. 2. Verify Whether the Destination Country Allows Personal Alcohol Import

Before packing liquors, inquire about the local regulations concerning alcohol shipment in the destination country. 

Many movers think that because they know what their residence allows it'll also apply to other states. Rules differ with the association, and that also includes States. Some states in the US may allow only 1liter of alcoholic beverages while others may allow lower or higher. Learn everything you can about rules guiding liquor import before the D-DAY. 

1. 3. Create a List Detailing Your Collection

In summary, make a wine inventory. 

The chances are that there are hundreds of wines in storage. Moving long-distance or with a rented truck means out of 12 wine boxes packed, only 10 might get to the new house. An inventory will act as a checklist to track liquor stock. This way, it becomes easy to know when something happens to them or when they get missing. 

1. 4. Appraise Them 

Every wine differs in taste, production date, and label value. For movers with an expensive collection, especially those with alcoholic beverages produced in the ‘90s or ‘80s, make sure to appraise them before move-out. An appraisal will clearly make a stamp on their worth. Don’t risk transporting them without an appraisal because they might break on the road, and the shipping company may only pay so little for what they are worth. 

Visit some local appraisers to know their current market value. Then, contact the shipping company and be sure they know how to value the collection by getting valuation protection cover worth their value. 

1. 5. Packaging

By now, the process of learning the local rules for your destination country, buying packing materials, appraisal, and inventory is done. Now, it's time to wrap them up for the move. Here’s how to wrap wine bottles for moving. 

1. Preparation 

As mentioned earlier, packing supplies will help to easily wrap alcoholic beverages. Items like specialty boxes or cardboard cell boxes will do the work of housing them so that they don't get exposed to excessive temperatures. A tap will help secure the box, packing paper adds extra protective layers to avoid breakage, and a marker will help you label the box. 

Regardless, the most important thing to remember is to prepare the box. The box is the single most important packaging material with 50% responsibility to ensure the safety of the wine. Using worn-out boxes would welcome possible damage. Also, don't forget to seal the bottom and top openings of the box. This way, the bottles don't fall and break when lifting them to the van. 

1. How to Pack

After preparing the supplies, it’s time to get started with the packing task. Here is how to pack wine bottles for a move the right way:

• Make sure the caps are unopened. If they are, use plastic wraps to secure them. 
• Place two to three layers of packing paper on a surface and use it to wrap bottles.
• Place the bottle sideways so they are at the corners of the paper. But, leave enough room at the corners to allow you to roll the sheets.
• Wrap the paper in a rolling motion and mold the paper around the bottle’s neck while rolling to disallow it from losing. 
• Secure the rolled corners with tape to avoid loose ends. 

Other tips to consider when packing wine bottles include: 

• If boxes are too large for the wine bottles and you can’t find specialty cell boxes, cut out cardboard sheets to create cells before placing bottles in each. 
• Shake the box to see if there are clanking sounds. If present, it means there are empty spaces. Fill them up with packing paper. 
• Make sure to label each box as fragile to help lift them properly. 
• Avoid stacking boxes with alcohol together because they might fall and break. 

Conclusion

Fragile items like alcohol bottles won’t be easy to transport. Hence, it’s important movers give them extra attention when packing it up. Else they'll damage and increase stress levels, especially if their market value is quite on the high side. Hopefully, these tips on how to transport wine bottles in a luggage will help you avoid broken bottles when moving as much as possible.