Tips for a road trip?

I always try to avoid transporting wines any considerable distance in the car, but am heading out on a 16+ hour journey from MA to GA in search of some sunshine. We rented a place for the month of Feb; arriving empty-handed is not an option! Current plan is to drive ~7 hours to DC, hotel for the night, then ~9 more hours to the finish line.

Any advice for how to pack/protect wine for an extended road trip like this? Thanks all!

Just don’t leave the wines in the car overnight if it is near or below freezing. A standard shipping box with Styrofoam is fine.

I just brought 2 cases on a 3-day road trip from NYC to FL. I used standard good quality boxes but not shippers. I left the wine in the car overnight after making sure temps were expected to stay high enough to avoid a freeze. Otherwise they would have come into the hotels with me. No issues.

This is right. Don’t be concerned about transporting wines in the car (plane, boat, train or anything else) per se, just try to avoid prolonged times in temperatures that are significantly too high or too low.

I’ve traveled with wine a lot too and have had no problems. My only concern would be older wines with lots of fine sediment (like Nebbiolo) that would get shaken up. I have traveled with some older bottles but try to let them stand for a couple of days on a long trip to let the sediment re-settle.

If you have any wine shipping boxes, I’d pack them in that. Otherwise, you should be OK in normal wine storage boxes like many folks use in offsite storage or what you would get at a retail store. Don’t leave in your car overnight if it is going to be cold or hot. Not sur ewhat the weather is like in Georgia right now, but do be careful about leaving your wine inside your car if it is hot / sunny outside. Cars get hot super fast and wine can get heat damage surprisingly quick - I’d recommend bringing the wine inside once you arrive straight away before going on any adventures in the sun.

Please make sure to enjoy it for all of us that are trapped in the frozen north! Just got a good bit of snow here in Chicago with more on the way this weekend… jealous of your plans!

Pack in normal cases boxes, maybe standing up is best for sediment. Throw it in the trunk and stop worrying about it

Thanks all! Fortunately I have a few styrofoam shippers in the basement (including a 6-magnum pack ).

Appreciate the timely, helpful feedback!

I have a car plug in cooler that works great. Fits a couple of cases and keeps them cool.

Cool! Mind providing a link to the product? Too short of notice for this trip, but sounds like something handy going forward.

There are many many many models. I have this one here. We’ve been using it for years and its great. Both for wine and/or water/food for road trips.

I have done this many times for much longer trips and in the winter (from NC to CO). You don’t need to do anything special as cold is your friend. Now if it is going to get below 10 degrees F at night then I would bring them inside. I generally just cover the cases under a moving blanket which keeps the sun off and provides a bit of insulation as well.

I’m not sure why you would need a plug in cooler in the dead of winter for wine. Plus I would personally not run a cooler off my car battery when parked overnight as it would likely drain the battery. Conversely during the day, you already have climate control which is fine for short term storage.

Enjoy the sunshine.

I used mine when I was traveling in Napa and driving back up to Seattle in summer. While driving from winery to winery in the summer in Napa, the car would get hot…very hot. This thing ensured that my wine stayed cool. I would never suggest/recommend leaving this plugged into the car at night. Folks that use this should bring it into their hotel room.

I travel between NYC area and FL several times a year. Prior advice here is all good, but I will add one. I do not like to do the drive in one day, and so, stop for a night halfway. Then the extra consideration becomes ease of portability if you want to bring the wine into your room. I have a wine suitcase and can just roll it in. Can also luggage check this onto a plane.

I used to use the styro shipping case boxes all the time. The only issue is the styro makes noise as you drive. It’s not a problem but gets old after a few hours. We now have an insulated suitcase we can use for the car or a plane. I use that along with an old wine sales rep 6 pack bag.

On the road this week in NC for some mountain time. That warm Florida sunshine can get old after a while