It’s the classiest welcome gift, a lovely bottle of wine. Europe boasts some of the best and most diverse wines in the world. It’s no wonder that we always want to sample different wines in different places. With Eurosender, you can sample the best regional wines anywhere in Europe and at any time with our offer of affordable international shipping. But before sending wine abroad, you need to know how to pack bottles of wine and send them safely. If you’ve read some of our other blog posts or our terms and conditions, you’ll know that we don’t actually recommend shipping anything fragile or easily breakable, and wine certainly falls into this category. But don’t let this stop you from sending your wine with our courier service providers. Maybe you’re surprising a foreign friend for his birthday, or sending a bottle of regional vintage port home to enjoy over the summer, either way, you should read our short guide we’ve written on how to pack bottles of wine in 6 Easy Steps.

We often tell you how to pack an item suitable for transit but what sort of transit are you actually packing for? Well, here’s an order that we did recently with a package containing 3 bottles of wine:best bottle of wine under 10 Route – the package of wine was transported from Portugal (Porto) to Slovenia (Ljubljana)top 4 wine producing states us Transport – the wine was transported by road, a total of 2.500 kilometers and crossed 6 different countries.best wine for turkey Depots – along with the way the package was stored in 4 different depots.the best pizza wine Drivers – the transit was handled by 3 different drivers.best wine filter

Wrap up the bottles in bubble wrap, tissue paper, felt or any other insulating material suitable for absorbing the shocks that the shipment will experience in transit.top wine companies in italy Once the bottles are suitably wrapped, it’s time to put them into the smaller carton box. Make cardboard dividers and install compartments for each bottle. These will not only limit the movement of the parcels but will also provide cushioning to prevent them from clashing during transit. Use additional foil or material as internal packaging, filling any empty space. Now, take the smaller box and put it directly into a second larger cardboard box. Secure the boxes together and then seal with the tape. Cut up some sheets of polystyrene to fit all the sides of the cardboard box, this will act as external packaging to absorb the shocks of transit. Secure these sheets to each side of the box. This structure should now go straight into a larger cardboard box.

Any space should be filled with internal packaging and polystyrene again used to cover the boxes before the sides are closed and secured. Close up the box and secure every opening with tape. Add ‘fragile’ on the top and on the sides of the box. Although this won’t guarantee it’ll be treated as such, it’ll be a clear indication of the nature of the contents. Your shipment will now be properly packed and ready for pick-up! The pictures used above are from a shipment prepared by the Burmester company based in Porto, Portugal. Many other small wineries too from Italy, France and Slovenia use our platform to ship their products abroad. Eurosender doesn’t offer compensation if bottles get damaged through transit but with these packing tips, you will know how to pack bottles of wine. You can relax afterward, knowing that your wine shipments will have a much better chance of reaching your destination in the condition you’d want to drink them! Last modified: March 1, 2017

Mailing and shipping alcohol carries certain restrictions based on the carrier you are choosing. In this article, we go over shipping alcohol through the main three carriers: USPS does not allow for the mailing or shipment of alcohol, domestically or internationally. On top of this, if you are using packaging that was once used to carry alcohol, any and all labeling or branding that shows it could carry alcohol should be covered or else your package can be denied shipment. UPS permits the shipment of alcohol; however, they have a few specific requirements: You must have an account with UPS. UPS allows for the shipment of wine, beer, and other alcoholic beverages on a per-contract basis. All shippers of alcohol must be licensed and authorized to ship according to the applicable federal or state laws and regulations of the origin and destination states. UPS does not accept shipments of beer or alcohol for delivery to consumers. UPS accepts shipments of beer or alcohol only among and between selected states.

The ability to ship wine depends upon the nature of the shipper's license to sell wine, and the laws of the destination states. Inner packaging of molded Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) foam, folded corrugated tray, or molded fiber tray. Each packaging component secures the bottles into the center of the shipping container away from the side walls of the shipper. Use of sturdy outer corrugated containers. UPS requires a special label signifying that the package contains alcohol. These can be obtained from UPS.  In addition, other labeling may be required by the origin or destination state. You must create your shipping label with a UPS Compatible Shipping Solution such as WorldShip or any approved third-party vendor system, such as ShippingEasy. An adult signature is required for the final delivery of the package. It cannot be dropped off at an address unless someone over 21, with proper identification, signs for it. For all requirements, read UPS' guide to shipping alcohol with UPS.

While FedEx permits the shipment of alcohol, unfortunately compliant labels cannot be generated through ShippingEasy. For your reference, here are the specific requirements when generating the label with FedEx: You must have an account with FedEx. You need to sign an alcohol shipping agreement with FedEx. This can be completed by contacting your FedEx account manager. Packaging that ensures your alcoholic shipment is secure. Completely covered in something soft to prevent glass breakage. Can absorb liquid if the bottle happens to break. Fedex requires a special label signifying that the package contains alcohol. These can be obtained from FedEx. You can create your shipping label using a FedEx Ship Manager® electronic shipping. This allows FedEx to readily report wine-shipping activity to state authorities as required. All wine shipments must be identified by entering "$AW" in the Your Reference field or the Customer Reference field on the shipping solution.