Ok to ship FedEx Ground from east coast to west coast this time of the year?

There are a few bottles I would like to purchase but they are in the east coast. Ground shipping is much cheaper, but wasn’t sure if its too cold to ship ground this time of the year from east coast to the west coast.

I would definitely not do that.

It’s a crapshoot this time of year. Unless the vendor is willing to take responsibility should they be damaged by freezing.

Wine that has about 13ish% alcohol freezes around 20 degrees F. If the shipping route is nowhere near 20 you are ok. I had wines shipped where temps were in the low 30s. Perfectly fine. However, if you dont need the wines promptly then no rush to get them shipped now.

I’ve had wines I’ve needed shipped and not had any freezing problems, but I’d always rather not. I’m having some bottles shipped east on Monday as temps look tolerable, the worst will be Chicago with overnight lows in the low 20s. But the wine’s fortified so that will help.

The worst with Fedex ground coast to coast is it usually takes a full week, so there’s probably a weekend stop along the way, who knows where.

As a winery, I would not and do not take the risk. As a consumer, the only shipments I take this time of year are from California.

Rockies are the only seeming bad spot right now and temps in the east above average for the moment, so if they can go through the mountains quickly (i.e. no massive blizzards), should be alright.

I had a case of Bordeaux shipped in the winter a few years back, and the shipment got caught in a cold snap. 8 of the 12 bottles froze, with the corks protruding anywhere from 1/2 inch to 1 inch. The corks burst right thru the capsules in a couple of bottles, many leakers. My recommendation would be to wait until spring, based on personal experience.

I’ve shipped from CA to CO without problems but check the weather for a full week to make sure highs are in the 40s-ish and try to get them to ship on Monday so it hopefully arrives by Friday and doesn’t sit in a cold truck somewhere over the weekend. Other option is to cough up the $ for 3 day if available, sometimes it’s not that much more and a few bucks added to expensive wine may be worth it in the long run.

If you want them now, pay for two-day air.

I just had a case of wine shipped FedEx ground from California and it took a full week to get to Ohio. Temps had been mild and I checked the predictions and temps were >30 all the way so I had no issue. But it always gets really cold in January.

Just had a few bottles shipped ground from WA to DC, left Seattle today and arrive on the 9th. I’ll pop one for science and report back.

Actually, right now looks like a bit of a window to ship ground. Only projected temps much below freezing at night are in the Rockies, and that’s probably not on the transport route. I use this site to look at forecast temps across the country:

There is always a risk this time of year, of course.

Depends where, but from Northern California I think it’s fine. I usually check a few specific cities on the route, like Provo, UT and Omaha to make sure temps will be ok. Lows in the 20s are fine in my mind.

Joe - You didn’t say where you are. If you’re in California, I think it’s pretty risky.

Coast-to-coast ground will go on containers by rail. (UPS and FedEx contract with the railroads.) The forecast for Laramie, Wyoming (elevation 7,200 feet), which is on the Union Pacific mainline between Chicago and Oakland, calls for lows in the single digits and teens Fahrenheit this week. Even Omaha (elevation 1,000 feet) is forecast to get down to the low 20s.

The main rail route from LA to the East (BNSF, former Santa Fe) will see lows in the teens, too, around Flagstaff (elevation 6,900 ft).

Roll of the dice. If you don’t absolutely need it, wait until Spring. If you do absolutely need it, spend the money for faster shipping.

RT

I never really thought about rail but if the wine is in a car, wouldn’t it be moving through the cold areas rather than stopping overnight? So the exposure wouldn’t be too bad, right?

Glad i read this, ordered some wines from FL and they were going to ship Monday to me here in CA. Told them to go ahead and wait till spring.

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Larry, did the shipper or winery/retailer have any sort of insurance that covered your losses? To my knowledge most shipping companies like FedEx and UPS have insurance as an option, but excludes heat, freezing or popped corks (kind of defeats the purpose).

The UPS and FedEx containers usually go on trains that run on fairly tight schedules (by railroad standards) and get priority over other traffic, but it still takes 12+ hours from Flagstaff, NM to Clovis, AZ on a priority train (47 mph average) versus 8 hours driving time. The best freight trains are slower than passenger trains, and passenger trains only beat trucks and cars on long flat stretches.

Also, trains can stop on sidings to let other trains pass and, since there are no transcontinental railroads even today, the train has to be handed off to an eastern railroad someplace along the Mississippi or at Chicago.

Bottom line: In a container on a train, your wine could easily sit out in uninsulated conditions in very cold temps for extended periods.

I think if the shipment is in styro, given that containers are big and full of other stuff, it’s going to take a lot longer to reach ambient temperatures than the time it’ll be sitting around in the coldest parts of the country.