Hi – quick poll
I had a wine order arrive this Monday, via ups ground.
I do not wish to mention the winery, but the bottles are over $100.
I am concerned that every day of shipment, the temperatures were subfreezing, and the wine likely sat in a ups warehouse over the weekend.
I know I could have selected 2/3 day, but have only had one prior occurrence of wine arriving on a monday, about 5 years ago, as it is usually shipped on a Monday, and arrives Thursday or Friday, even with ground shipment.
I have also never had wine shipped with subfreezing temperatures.
Do I have a valid concern?
Thanks
Bob
How were the bottles packed and how do the bottles/corks look?
I just received wine (also collectable) this Monday that came across country (sent prior Tues via ups ground) and I’m not concerned at all (they were packed v well and look great).
I’m generally much more concerned by heat than cold. But that’s just me.
You say the wine sat in a UPS warehouse over the weekend. Do you really have a concern that the wine was subjected to subfreezing temperatures at the UPS warehouse over the weekend?
Bruce
If I didn’t see any signs of damage (protruding corks, leaking, etc.), I wouldn’t be concerned at all about cold weather during shipping. But that’s just me. Anyway, what is there to do about it?
Unless they were winecicles when they arrived or showed signs of freezing en route I would not worry for a second.
As said above, if it didn’t freeze, which requires extended temps in the mid-twenties, then your wine is is fine. If it froze, the expansion would cause the corks to be pushed. No protruding corks, no problem.
Good. I won’t be worried then.
I just figured a high end winery would not ship ground through a blizzard.
Thanks guys
Bob
Again, when cold, alcohol is your friend. They will be just fine.
What is “subfreezing” to you? Under 32F? You need to chill (seriously). You’re freeking for nothing.
No worries unless they actually froze. If they were left in ambient temps of teens to low twenties (the freezing point of wine) without insulation (styro shipping packs) for a couple of hours (longer if in styro), they could have frozen. But the UPS warehouse isn’t that cold, and neither is the inside of any of the transport vehicles used. Pretty unlikely they were left outdoors unprotected long enough to freeze.
If they had frozen the corks would be pushed and you would know it.
It’s standard for UPS ground to take a full 7 days to get across the country – coast to coast. Shipping on a Monday doesn’t enable me to avoid having the wine sit with UPS over the weekend.
I had a chance to test the effects of shipping through the cold this past January when I shipped to myself via UPS ground for the NYC Pinot Days during a severe cold spell – through lots of oughts and teens. On arrival, the wine showed just as well as the day I shipped it. I’ve since relaxed a bit about shipping in the cold, and I’m more concerned about freaking the customer than I am about the wine when it comes to shipping in Winter.
Could always ship Friday. I see a lot of retailers doing that now
This is the best option, coast-to-coast. I think even Thursday may be better because that way the case will be on the train by the weekend. I would worry more about Spring in the Mojave than winter in New York.
FedEx Ground Home Delivery - Same transit days (sometimes a day faster or slower depending on lane) as UPS but Saturday is a standard delivery day (at no extra charge) for FedEx Ground Home Delivery.
So a package shipped on a Monday from the Bay area (that takes 5 days) to get delivered back east, are delivered on Saturday, not Monday.
full disclosure: I work for FedEx
Just looked into the cold temperature issue yesterday.
As others have said above, the presence of alcohol lowers the freezing temperature of wine to something below that of water. Using 12.5% alc as a benchmark, freezing would be in the high teens to low 20’s F. It would have to be in an environment at or below those temperatures long enough to pull the temperature of the wine down to that level.
Totally prefer Fedex ground versus UPS. Faster and can redirect to local FedEx Shop (old kinkos or was it MBE stores) to be held at no charge!
As Patrick said, plus its jiggling or mixing in the bottle which will cause the water and alcohol to not separate versus being idle. This may give you an extra degree or two of cushion. Also the bottle is under some level of pressure, albeit it is small, I believe this also changes the dynamics.