Where to keep wine purchased when tasting?

I’m not sure if I’m searching the threads correctly, but I cant seem to find answers to this question.

I know it’s a big no-no to keep wine in a hot car when tasting, and that most tasting rooms won’t mind if you bring the wine in with you, but what if you have several cases of purchased wine? Do you bring them all into each tasting room that you have planned? Do you keep the wine in stryofoam inside wine checks in the car with ice packs? Perhaps bring a cooler and keep wines inside?

Looking for some help as I plan my trip to Napa (planning to bring back around 6 cases). Of course the first couple of days is relatively easy - less wine to manage, but what about later on? Of course I could ask wineries to ship, but I would prefer to take them with me.

Any thoughts and ideas would be appreciated. Thanks!

1. How many days will it take you to accumulate 6 cases of wine?

2. How far do you live from Napa?

3. Will you cross any state lines on your way home? [In some states, importing 6 cases without a distributor’s license could be a felony.]

4. What market segment will these wines be coming from? $15 Gallo or $300 Kapcsandy?

I’d opt shipping and travel easy.

If you are planning on buying 6 cases, then simply have the winery ship them to you. Can’t imagine lugging around more than a case of wine while traveling, but that’s just me.

From the answers I’ve accumulated, I guess shipping is the way to go. But just to answer these questions:

1. It’ll be over the course of 3.5 days. Will be visiting 12 producers total - 8 for pick up (including quick tastings of newer vintages of wines I enjoy and buy by the half-case/case), and 4 for full-on tasting appointments of new labels that I want to experience and grab a few bottles out of courtesy (planning to also bring a bottle or two to share)
2. I live in Los Angeles, but I drive up about twice a year so I try to grab all the Napa wines I need for the next six months - for gifting, entertaining, creating a vertical etc.
3. No state lines crossed!
4. On average I expect the bottle cost will be about $100 each (ranging 50-175).

Would it be possible to collect and ship them together myself (at a authorized shipper) in order to save on separate shipping costs?

A lot depends when you’re going; it might not be that hot.

Hi, Frank! Sounds like a jolly good trip! Which places are you going to?

I love how us winos call it “wine tasting” but everybody knows we are just “day drinking.”

I vote ship, as well, and there are places you can consolidate, but don’t know if you’d really be saving that much.

If you decide to carry them: stryo-shipper boxes with the slots for “blue ice” are pretty awesome. They can get you through a morning or afternoon session and then pop the bottles into your hotel room (set at 65 degrees) in between.

We do that and have had perfect luck.

If you are going through St. Helena, don’t miss the T-rex skeleton ‘Roosevelt’ on display in the Erin Martin Design showroom! Amazing and I want it.

I’m planning to bring a couple large Yeti coolers when I got to Paso in June, but I wont be buying nearly as much wine as you.

Very good point. I will be in the Valley in mid-May.

Thanks for the recs Anton! I will definitely check it out (both the styro and the dinosaur), especially as most of my time will be spent in St. Helena this time.

And to answer your first question, I’ll be hitting up Vice Versa, Arkenstone, Maxem, Dakota Shy, Myriad, among others in Napa, as well as Jean Edwards, Bedrock, and Occidental over in Sonoma. An overall good mix of both old and new!

mid-May can be fairly warm. Do I understand correctly you’ll be driving up/back? If so, you can leave whatever wine you’ve already picked up in your hotel, then if you can’t make a stop back at the hotel to drop off any wine you got that day, keep it in styro. If you can find shade to park your car for the next tasting, you’ll be fine, otherwise worst case drag that wine in with with you. For the drive home I’d want to keep the wine in passenger area (not trunk), so you can know the AC will keep you and wine comfortable.

I’ve sometimes bought at wineries and left the box there to be picked up at the end of the day, so I’d guess if you’re going to be there several days, it wouldn’t be a problem to pick things up on the last day.

Also curious why you wouldn’t be keeping previous days’ wine at the hotel.

The ‘no wine in the trunk’ rule isn’t universal. With my hatchback and a friend’s SUV thingy, the “trunk” is cooler than the cab.

Styro, for sure. Blue Ice-type stuff is a good idea. (Freezer in your hotel room?) Definitely look to park in the shade. Also, heat reflective sheeting. I have an old heat reflective car cover in my trunk. I put groceries and all sorts of other stuff under it, not just wine. It makes a big difference.

Buy a wine check with styro and put blue ice in one of the slots. It will stay cool the whole day. If you want to ship back home, recommend Bodega Shipping in Sonoma. And, we are looking forward to your visit!

As a person who lives down here, I always have wine shipped in fall, winter, spring. It’s a pretty wide window for shipping. Even over night in the summer is ok. But leaving stuff in your car in the sun is likely a bad idea for wine that is not cheap.

Get two styro shippers.

Freeze 4 500ml plastic bottles of water. They become ice basically.

Put two in each styro. Leaving Each styro with 10 slots for wine.

cheaper than having to bring / buy blue ice.

What they said above. Why would you carry yesterday’s wine around in your car today? Put it in the hotel.

If you have some shippers and ice packs, you’re good.

And if there are places you can pass by on your way home, leave those wines for pick up in a few days when you leave. Really for driving from Napa to LA, I wouldn’t sweat it too much. It’s not like you’re going to Florida.

I bring coolers with towels to separate bottles and some of those plastic blue cold things. When we stay overnight, I drag them into the room. Those days are gone for me now though. Plenty of Ceritas transported that way.

Got it! Thanks for the recommendation! Looking forward to meeting you and John!

Yes, I’ll be driving up and back! Also, I did initially think to stop back at the hotel between tastings, but thought it would be too time consuming (St Helena to Napa back to St Helena is over an hour drive)… however, after reading everyone’s comments, I think that’s what I might just do especially to make things more convienent at the next tasting!