Wine. Now that we have gotten your attention we presume that you are a lover of wine, whether it be a person who is a wine collector or even someone who has their favorite bottles that they do not wish to leave behind while moving to their new home. But, how do you relocate your wine bottles safely when they will be in the back of a moving truck? Read more to find out how to safely transport wine bottles.
Moving companies and even professional packers are a great source of information. Therefore, speak to your moving company as soon as you meet them about your wine collection and how to move a wine collection. This is so you can find out if your moving company does move wine from one place to another since not all movers do.
Furthermore, if your moving company does move liquids, then you would have to fill out a High-Value Inventory Form since general coverage may not cover your wine collections. If the moving company you are working with does not transport liquids, because they are not equipped to do so, then you have time to search for a specialized team that does move wine.
Also, ask if the moving truck is a climate-controlled one since wine is very picky when it comes to its temperature. If not, then you would have to consider going with a wine moving specialist or if you are driving down, place the packed wine bottles in your car with the air conditioning running during the drive.
When moving to a new place, be it a city or a country, it is important to research what are the regulations when it comes to wine transportation, as known as the legal limits. There are rules and laws when it comes to the amount of wine that you are allowed to move with you for personal use. It is best to know this first since it can help you narrow down your wine choice, as well as keep you out of trouble.
As you know every bottle of wine can have value to it. Not only in terms of taste but even monetary value as well. That is why you should seek out a wine appraiser to give your collection a look through. This can be more for those people that are experienced wine collectors, but even if you are merely curious you can still ask. However, if you are a collector of wine bottles you may want to research and ask your moving company about a wine collection insurance policy just to be on the safe side.
Furthermore, the value of your wine collection can also help you narrow down which wine bottles to move with you and which ones to give away to friends or family members. Even if you do not need nor want a wine appraisal it is still a good idea to narrow down your collection since full bottles of wine are heavy.
Another important tip, once you have decided which wine bottles to move with you, is to take pictures of the bottles of wine. This can help you keep track of how they look before they go into transit.
Now we are on to the fun part, how to pack your bottles of wine for the road ahead. You should be aware that, obviously, you cannot simply put your bottles in a standard, cardboard box, tape it up and wipe your hands of a job well done. It is a wise idea to find wine packing boxes since these have Styrofoam to keep your bottles safe and in place.
And, you should also make the corks wet (and keep them so) when you pack them into these types of boxes. That is why it is important to label which direction of the box goes up so that they stay upright during the trip. Also, make sure that the box has “fragile” written on every side of it, including the top.
You can also hire a professional packer to pack bottles of wine as they should be, along with the rest of the items that you are moving with you.
While the wine packing boxes are the best way to go, there are other methods of boxing and packing wine that are more on the cheaper side. Such as finding and using cardboard boxes with flaps in them. You can get these types of boxes at your local liquor stores and even for free if you ask nicely. And, if they have. The flaps can separate your bottles while also helping to keep them in place so that they do not bounce around during the long trip.
Before you pack your wine bottles into this box, you would need to prepare them. The first step is to check out the sturdy and quality of the box. And, if it is strong enough to hold the weight of your bottles of wine. You should reinforce the bottom of the box with packing tape. What you can do is, add a layer of stiff cardboard to the bottom of the box and use packing tape to keep it there.
Then the bottom is secure, then make sure your flaps are up to the task. If you want, you can add another layer of cardboard to them with tape to keep them in place. Extra cardboard can be to your advantage as long as you can still put the wine bottles inside the box.
When you are happy with your box and have written that it is for fragile items as well as put where the top of the box is (even on the sides) then you can move on to your bottles of wine. You can use packing paper to wrap around the bottles. You can also wrap the bottles even if you are using a wine packing box. This would be a suggestion.
What you do is that you place a few packing papers, about two to three, on a flat surface. Before you put your bottle of wine down, make sure that the cork is wet. And, that the bottle is tightly closed if you have opened it up already. If you want, you can also tape the opening of the bottle. When your bottle is ready, you place it on its side leaving enough space to wrap the packing paper around it. Much like you are wrapping it as a gift.
You wrap the sheets of paper around the bottle as if the sheets are together as one piece. You should also roll the bottle as you push forward. Also, wrap the ends of the packing paper as you go. When it comes to the bottle’s neck, make sure to mold the paper around it and make it tight. This applies to the whole bottle.
Use packing tape to secure the paper around the bottle, and to cover up loose ends. When you are finished with one bottle, set it aside and start on the next one. Then you can place the bottles into the box. You can give them a little shake to hear if they gently hit each other. If they do, you can add more packing paper or just newspaper to keep them separate and secure.
When all your bottles are secure in the box, you can tape them up. Make sure that the “this side is up” and “fragile” are clearly seen at the top of the box.
If you have very few bottles of wine you want to move, such as not enough to fill a box, you can add other items to the box such as towels, clothes, etc. If you do not have enough packing paper you can try to wrap them in a towel and see if they fit inside the box.
When your wine box is taped up, has signage, and is ready to go then you can load the box or boxes into the moving truck. Make sure that the boxes are placed on the floor of the truck. As well that they are not stacked on top of other boxes. It would be best to keep your wine boxes together. Also, check that the wine boxes are not close to the door since they can accidentally fall out when the door opens for unpacking.
When you have made the journey to your new home, and have unpacked your wine bottles, it is quite important to let them rest before you open up the wine boxes. They will have been shaken during the move and this can have an impact on the taste of the wine. You should keep them closed for one week for every day that you travel. If your relocation took three days then you should keep your wine bottles closed for three weeks, etc.
Moving your wine collection from city to city, or even country to country can easily be done if you ask for help. And, one of the best places that will give you a safe helping hand is Shyft, the world's first tech-driven moving platform. We organize your move while making sure all your items, not just your wine bottles, are safe while they travel. To get started, check out the Shyft Moving website for more information as well as to get in touch with us. We cannot wait to aid you in this new adventure of your life by helping you move with no stress.
On our site, there is a short form for you to fill out. And, from this, we get to work to make your moving process happen with a lot less hassle. Your Move Coach will give you a video call at the time that you say, not before and not after. Meaning we are here to go according to your schedule. This video call will take place through the easy-to-use and free-to-download mobile app, ShyftNext.
It is here that you get to meet your own Move Coach who will guide you through the whole process. What is more, is that during this very first call your Move Manager will begin creating your inventory list. When the call is over, this list will be sent to you within half an hour. It is through this method that we have managed to make 95% accurate inventory lists for the people we help to move. When you get your list through the app you can check it, of course, as well as add items, remove some, and even add notes to every item on the list.
When your Move Manager gets your 100% inventory list back, they take this along with your moving details (excluding the personal ones) to Shyft’s secure bidding platform.
It is on this platform that we gather moving quotes from different moving companies. However, every quote is fixed, with no hidden costs, and every single mover is verified, as well as experienced. Plus, we approve of all the movers that come to our secure bidding platform. We take the moving quotes along with all the information about the different moving companies and send them to you in a handy list where you can compare them. It is here that you can make an informed decision on which company to work with.
And, then we and them get to work to make your move easier, and safer. We are there for you throughout the entire moving process. So much so, that whenever you have a concern or a question, you can contact us every day of the week, including the weekends. And, at any time, even in the evenings.
Let Shyft give you a hand to make your moving process safe, and stress-free, to make sure you, your family and all your items get to their new home safely. Enjoy that glass of wine you have been saving for your new home once you get there with our help. Cheers.
