Freaking out about wine shipping heat damage

[NickRut]

Brian - so you’re saying this holds true in your mind assuming cold chain shipping, for normal ground shipping, different story in your mind?

[J_D_o_v_e]

Here’s my experiment. Wine Library for some reason thought it was a good idea to ship a case of Langhe Neb on the HOTTEST day of the summer. It sat out on my back porch a while until I got home. I opened it (styro packed) and what do you know? The bottles on the outside were very warm to the touch.

I guess if there’s some reason you NEED to have your wine shipped in the middle of the summer, knock yourself out. That may be especially true if you’re just going to drink it soon (even then…). But why anyone would ship a case of wine that they are going to keep in their cellar for years in the middle of summer is just beyond me.

FWIW – they were very good about it.

[Greg_K]

By my reading, your frozen bottles were shipped in pretty good weather and stayed frozen. I am genuinely confused as to what point you’re trying to make here.

Let me type slower so you can figure it out. There was a thread just yesterday where people were concernd that their wine was delivered to them from a winery and the temps were in the 80’s that day. It turns out that the winery in question sent the shipments cold chain. In my example i pulled wines out of my cellar in the morning and boxed them up temps that day were in the high 80’s. When I got home from work I put the water bottles in the box. 24hrs later the water is still frozen even though they were transported and subject to high ambient temperatures during their trip. I really don’t think I came close to simulating cold chain delivery since my wines started out at room temperature.

Note: Of course this thread applies to all wines regardless of who shipped or sold them and regardless of what temperatures they may have been subject to, not just wines shipped from winery cold storage and sent in refrigerated trucks all the way to your local hub. Because, damn it, you all have to be right and I have to be wrong! [sarcasmsmiley.gif]

Glad I was anle to help.

You shipped frozen water in decent conditions, and you’re trying to draw inferences from that experience to wine?

That seems like a bad idea.

[Brian_Tuite]

Brian - so you’re saying this holds true in your mind assuming cold chain shipping, for normal ground shipping, different story in your mind?

Well, that’s where I was going with this at first but it’s seemed to have derailed a bit. Shocking!

[Brian_Tuite]

By my reading, your frozen bottles were shipped in pretty good weather and stayed frozen. I am genuinely confused as to what point you’re trying to make here.

Let me type slower so you can figure it out. There was a thread just yesterday where people were concernd that their wine was delivered to them from a winery and the temps were in the 80’s that day. It turns out that the winery in question sent the shipments cold chain. In my example i pulled wines out of my cellar in the morning and boxed them up temps that day were in the high 80’s. When I got home from work I put the water bottles in the box. 24hrs later the water is still frozen even though they were transported and subject to high ambient temperatures during their trip. I really don’t think I came close to simulating cold chain delivery since my wines started out at room temperature.

Note: Of course this thread applies to all wines regardless of who shipped or sold them and regardless of what temperatures they may have been subject to, not just wines shipped from winery cold storage and sent in refrigerated trucks all the way to your local hub. Because, damn it, you all have to be right and I have to be wrong! [sarcasmsmiley.gif]

Glad I was anle to help.

You shipped frozen water in decent conditions, and you’re trying to draw inferences from that experience to wine?

That seems like a bad idea.

Yeah, that’s it exactly.

[NickRut]

Brian - so you’re saying this holds true in your mind assuming cold chain shipping, for normal ground shipping, different story in your mind?

Well, that’s where I was going with this at first but it’s seemed to have derailed a bit. Shocking!

Always happens that way. I don’t think a lot of folks ship cold chain unless you pay an arm and a leg. Living in Atlanta makes it hard to ship wine about half the year because of this, then again Vinevault will pick up monthly and travel in a heat controlled truck for a reasonable price.

[Chris_Seiber]

This does make me feel better about all the frozen water I have scheduled to ship tomorrow.

[Markus_S]

The frozen bottles are not the test, they are cheating. A block of ice stays colder well longer than 50 degree wine. Before refrigerators, there were ice boxes

Exactly. This “experiment” proves nothing. SO what’s the point - that wineries/retailers can and Should ship any freekin time they want, and the onus should be on the customer? Sounds like the bad old days to me.

[Greg_K]

Let me type slower so you can figure it out. There was a thread just yesterday where people were concernd that their wine was delivered to them from a winery and the temps were in the 80’s that day. It turns out that the winery in question sent the shipments cold chain. In my example i pulled wines out of my cellar in the morning and boxed them up temps that day were in the high 80’s. When I got home from work I put the water bottles in the box. 24hrs later the water is still frozen even though they were transported and subject to high ambient temperatures during their trip. I really don’t think I came close to simulating cold chain delivery since my wines started out at room temperature.

Note: Of course this thread applies to all wines regardless of who shipped or sold them and regardless of what temperatures they may have been subject to, not just wines shipped from winery cold storage and sent in refrigerated trucks all the way to your local hub. Because, damn it, you all have to be right and I have to be wrong! [sarcasmsmiley.gif]

Glad I was anle to help.

You shipped frozen water in decent conditions, and you’re trying to draw inferences from that experience to wine?

That seems like a bad idea.

Yeah, that’s it exactly.

BD322CE5-54E6-429E-8B30-33D733E94B24.jpeg

Whatever. I’m glad your home chemistry experiment was a success by your metrics.

I continue to be glad none of the California retailers I buy from or the one California producer whose list I’m on ship to the East Coast during hot weather.

[Richard_Albert]

For the time spent in the back of a UPS delivery van, wouldn’t the translucent plastic roof allow the temps inside to exceed those outside?
Sure would not want a late PM delivery on a hot day.

[R_Gilbane]

This does make me feel better about all the frozen water I have scheduled to ship tomorrow.

SCIENCE!!!

[s.nellessen]

Aquafina = plonk
Get on the mailing list for Aqua di Crystallo Tributo E Modiglina

$60K/750ml; so 2-3x DRC RC

[Bud_Carey]

Huh???

[Scott_G_r_u_n_e_r]

I agree that some concerns over heat (or cold) during shipping are overblown. However a conclusive result based on the scientific method, this was not.

Please dont do a study on vaccines.

Plus styro sucks.

[Brian_Tuite]

I agree that some concerns over heat (or cold) during shipping are overblown. However a conclusive result based on the scientific method, this was not.

Please dont do a study on vaccines.

Plus styro sucks.

Thank you for reading about and commenting on my controlled experiment that proves once and for all that wine shipped on the hottest day of the year has no chance of ever getting heat damaged.

Glad I was able to share my “experience” with you all. It showed me that I really didn’t need those frozen water bottles, winery direct cold chain shipped wines delivered on 80 degree days are pretty darn safe from heat damage and wine geeks unnecessarily freak out in these situations.

[Shan_A]

there are temperature loggers one can use that would be more accurate.

Products - LogTag

[Tom_G_l_a_s_g_o_w]

I agree that some concerns over heat (or cold) during shipping are overblown. However a conclusive result based on the scientific method, this was not.

Please dont do a study on vaccines.

Plus styro sucks.

Thank you for reading about and commenting on my controlled experiment that proves once and for all that wine shipped on the hottest day of the year has no chance of ever getting heat damaged.

Glad I was able to share my “experience” with you all. It showed me that I really didn’t need those frozen water bottles, winery direct cold chain shipped wines delivered on 80 degree days are pretty darn safe from heat damage and wine geeks unnecessarily freak out in these situations.

Thanks, wine country boy.

[Dale_Bowers]

Recently got an email for K & L saying they can only store wines for 6 months and please make arrangements to have your wine shipped. It was 92 degrees the day the email arrived. Give me a break.

[james_l_moleberg]

have to disagree with the gist of your post entirely. foremost, if spending $100+ / bottle, there is no reason whatsoever for the winery to be shipping at this time. second, freezing a bottle is in no way relative to shipping a bottle of wine at room temperature. lastly, it is a known fact wineries lie about “cold chain” all of the time.

[AAgrawal]

Recently got an email for K & L saying they can only store wines for 6 months and please make arrangements to have your wine shipped. It was 92 degrees the day the email arrived. Give me a break.

That may have been an automated e-mail. I’m sure if you requested a ship date in the fall, they would hold it an additional few months for you.