How to Move Your Wine Collection

Your wine collection is surely something precious that you’re really proud of and you value it greatly. It is usually a big investment made over a long period of time with a lot of preliminary research and special attention. And when it comes to moving it, knowing how to organize the relocation properly is crucial for the safety of your wine cellar.

You have the option of moving your wine collection yourself or using professional removals. Here is everything you need to know so that your wine collection arrives safe and sound at its final destination, whichever option you go for.

How to Move Your Wine Collection Tips

Before you decide whether you want to move your collection yourself or have it shipped in a climate controlled vehicle, you should be aware of its cost. For that purpose you could consider a professional appraisal. These numbers are also important in relation to purchasing a moving insurance – you should select the right coverage when moving wine collection across country. Our advice is to insure your shipment for its full value, just to be on the safe side.

For a small collection, you could consider doing the job yourself even though there are still risks for the bottles when they are handled by non-experts in this job. That is why getting quality professional shipping services is vital for the success of your wine collection relocation. A reputable removalist will be able to guide you through the entire process and will have rich experience in handling wine. Using wine collection movers will give an extra guarantee for the safety of your wine cellar.

The cost for moving a wine collection will vary greatly depending on the size of your collection, the destination, and the timing. Be sure to book your chosen removals at least 2 weeks before the moving date so that they have time to organize your wine collection move.

Keep in mind that you need to use quality packing materials to protect your wine during transportation. If you want to do the job yourself, use special wine-packing boxes. They are made out of cardboard or styrofoam and are perfect for protecting your wine during transit. You can buy those boxes at stores that sell wine. When you obtain them, pack the wine bottles just like you would if you want to store them at your own home – on their side.

If you have a larger collection and hire removals to ship it, they will know what packing materials to use so that you wouldn’t have to worry. Professional movers are qualified to do this job well.

Using professional moving services is a must when moving to another country. The movers that have packed the wine at your home will certify that at the customs. Otherwise, at the customs it could be easily inferred that you are importing the wine for trade. Each country has different regulations when importing alcohol so check those first in order to preserve your wine collection.

It is best to move your wine collection in a climate controlled moving vehicle, especially in the summer and winter months when the extreme temperatures could influence negatively the condition of your wine. For a small collection, you can ship it in your car where you can control the temperature. For bigger collections, you should hire professional removals do transport the wine in climate controlled moving trucks.

After the moving is over, leave the bottles to rest for at least 7 days. During the relocation, the wine will shake inside the bottles and if you open it too soon after the move is over, it could have changed its flavour, so let it rest for awhile. That goes true especially for older wines – there are opinions that wine should not be moved long distance from where it originates because it will lose its good taste. Some wine collectors would even suggest leaving the wine to rest for a whole month before opening it.

Enjoy your wine and celebrate the start of your new life!