Have a shipment pending from Southern Ca Orange county area to Connecticut. Styro will be used and the sender is willing to put the bubbly in fridge to help. My question is what route the trucks travel through. If it’s Midwest and the trucks go North of NV then I think I will be ok as the weather in Ill is forecast to be in mid 80s which I think will be ok for a short stretch considering they will start out very cold. If they go through NV on the other hand the forecast is over 100 for the foreseeable future. Does anyone either itb or who has a lot of experience with this matter know the routes ? I Just tried calling fedex but all I got was a recording for that dept. Thanks in advance for your help !!
Honestly, I think you are crazy to think you can ship ground at this time of year and have any belief there won’t be heat damage. You are “saving money” on shipping, only to lose money on bad wine/champagne.
Thanks Brad for your candor. You are probably right. Even if the trucks go further north mid 80s is not great and it could easily hit 90 if forecast is wrong. As I would rather not spend $26 per bottle for 3 day delivery, or even more for quicker, on a $120 bottle, I think I will wait until the end of the summer.
Not sure about FedEx routes (I think someone posted a route map here once), but UPS tends to containerize the shipments going east and set them on trains for about half the route, usually ending up outside of Chicago and then going east by truck. FedEx will usually route from CA-origin to Columbus OH before continuing on. They might do the same as UPS, might not, but chances are a good portion will need to go through the Mojave (if by train). This time of year, you are better to hold.
Looking at a map you are likely correct and even if it travelled a bit north and went through Bakersfield that would be lousy. It might be safe travelling from the northwest, but it looks like I am way too close to the hottest part of the country.
Thanks for the feedback I will definitely wait until after the summer or whenever temps are safer.
Heck, it’s supposed to hit 95 in Connecticut next week.
I advise against ground service as well, one week travel time in summer weather is way too risky. You should be hearing this universally. I am sure that bubbly will be warm in a matter of hours, offering very limited protection.
There is sound reasoning behind why wineries release in the Spring and Fall months for ground shipping; you are too late to do so safely.
I just ordered something from outside of LA (a baseball bat for my son) that went through Utah, Illinois and PA.
Wait until the fall…period!!
Unlikely to suffer heat damage, but let us know if it’s corked!
For wine, I agree with all of those saying you should wait until fall.
I’ve purchased several bottles from wine retailers in LA and Southern California and they have typically taken the I-10 route through AZ and NM. From there went through Dallas to Nashville to Pittsburgh then NYC. I would highly advise against ground shipping and do 2-day if you need it now.
+1
For long hauls, both UPS and FedEx use the railroads. And from Southern California, that means going across the Southwest.