I just wrote up the results of a shipping test on my blog yesterday. Vinfolio shipped a case of wine via Fedex overnight priority to a destination city that experienced a 102 degree high temperature for the day of delivery.
When we launched the Vinfolio Marketplace this summer, our inbound shipping rules (which we determine) trigger overnight and 2-day shipping based on certain temperature thresholds being met (as explained on our site). Some people on various online wine discussion boards raised the issue of shipping wine to Vinfolio in extreme heat, fearing the wine could be damaged prior to Vinfolio’s inspection.
Parameters of Test #1
We commenced a series of tests in August using bottle probes kindly lent to us by Cellar Central (see prior post “Web-based cellar monitoring”).
Fedex overnight priority service (mid-morning delivery).
12 bottles shipped in Styro shipper from our San Francisco warehouse (SF high was 68 F that day) to a “hot weather” destination city (temperature range the next day from 77-102 F).
Bottle temperature probe placed in a single bottle in a corner of the box.
Ambient temperature measurement device inserted inside the Styro to measure air temperature inside the box.
The package was routed through Memphis (Memphis temperatures were 74/92 on the departure date and 75/90 on the delivery date; we were not aware ahead of time where the package would go).
Maximum wine temperature reached of 69 F
A few observations on the chart below:
While Vinfolio’s warehouse is at 55 F, we deliberately allowed the bottle temperature to float upwards to 61 F before transferring the package to Fedex to simulate the high end of the range of any home cellar.
Fedex picked up at approximately 4:30 pm PST. Therefore, the maximum time before delivery was about 18 hours .
Despite significant variation in air temperature inside the box as it moved through Fedex’s system, the bottle temperature rose at a steady pace without reaching the highs of the ambient air.
The ambient temperature in the box stayed well below actual highs for the day (and generally below the low for the day).
At 10:30 am, the wine had only reached 69 degrees, or 8 degrees above the starting temperature.
Additional information
The thermal mass of 12 cooled bottles inside the Styro buffers against air temperature fluctuations.
We ran other tests with higher and lower starting temperatures. The impact on the final temperature was insignificant (a few degrees).
More tests coming
We plan to run several more tests:
6 bottles shipped overnight to a 90+ degree destination (to test impact of fewer bottles on maximum temperature reached)
6 and 12 bottles shipped with 2-day service to a 80-90 F degree destination (consistent with our Marketplace inbound shipping rule)
Bottom line: Shipping overnight priority in Styro (at least with 12 bottles at cellar temperature) protects your wine in even the most extreme heat.
Unless I misunderstood the experiment, I think that should say:
Bottom line> : Shipping overnight > PRIORITY > in Styro (at least with 12 bottles at cellar temperature) protects your wine in even the most extreme heat.
Which city was the final destination? What was the low at that city?
A few things to take into account. Your shipment was traveling east and the ambient temperatures on the trip probably never got over 90 degrees since it was delivered in the morning. Your store is relatively close to the SF airport which minimizes some of the time that the wine spends in the heat of a FedEx truck.
The 92 and 90 degree high temperatures on Memphis do not seem that relevant since the ambient temperature at any point on the trip probably did not reach those temperatures since high temperatures are usually later than noon. The same experiment done from east to west might yield different results. The same will occur if the origin and/or destination city is not a major city and the shipment has another connection in the trip. The same applies if the traveling time from the airport on the receiving end to the final destination is substantially longer. Long drive from drop off point to airport also changes the results.
I think Rob Garner and some other folks did an expeiment on shipping and temperature probes on eBob a few years ago and posted their results.
This is what I’d expect. Unless the case spent some significant time in a warehouse at high heat you shippied it from somewhere where it was 68F to a place where it was probably no more than 80 by delivery time. The max it would have spent at the higher temp would be ~18 hours, more likely less than 12 hours. I’d expect this result since the bottles where cellar temp to start and stryo is a good insulator.
What people are worried about are the folks who ship ground or even 2 day where the case seems ~24 hours or more at temps significantly above the mid-80s. I’m looking forward to the results of those tests.
to the wine dork in me, this is an interesting test. in practical reality, its silly. first, priority outside the pacific time zone from SF is outrageous. second, as someone who runs a warehouse that receives fedex, ups and fedex ground deliveries nearly every day, the inconsistency of transit and delivery times is vast.
i can think of an occasion where you need a bottle STAT for a tasting the next day, event, etc. but a case? hedge and ship one btl priority and sit on the others in storage.
I had 4 bottles shipped to me in mid-July ( I’m in Las Vegas ) it was probably close 110. I had no idea these bottles were coming. They were shipped from The Central Coast, so probably was 2nd day. I have opened 2 of the bottles and both were fine, this has really eased my mind about shipping ( if these were fine in the most extreme situation why worry ).
Agree with all of this. The most important factor here being that the wine was delivered by 10:30 a.m. The risk with the other methods is that unlike Priority overnight, the package isn’t guaranteed until mid afternoon. When shipping to FLA, the biggest risk is the time on the truck in the heat. Styro is great - but a 3:00 delivery means it was driven around in the heat for a good 6 hours, and the wine will still warm up past what I’d like if it is a hot and sunny day.
Also, when you do the 2 day air tests, remember that they go through different places depending on the destination. CA to FLA goes through DFW, usually around noon on the day after shipping. So when I am arranging shipping, I always have to look at temps in TX as well as FLA.
If the function of the air temperature probe is to measure ambient outside air temperature, then it should be placed between the cardboard box and the outside of the styro container.
The test parameters indicate the probe is actually located inside the stryo container. If this is the case, it is amazing how quickly the air temperature inside the styro spikes once the package arrives at the airports in Memphis and the destination city. It is almost as if the styro is providing little or no insulation value. The test results may rely more on thermal mass than the effectiveness of the styro.
I understand the purpose of this test is to determine if wines can be safely shipped to and from Vinfolio’s SF location during hot summer months. Would sure like to see this experiment repeated with package origination from a hot city, rather than chilly San Francisco! My guess is that the wine would heat up to at least 70°F before it ever saw an airplane. Also, shipments smaller than a case would have less thermal mass and may well warm up faster.
Depending on the wine, you might not see any real difference if they’re drunk soon after being recieved. The risks from heat in shipping aren’t to young, robust wine that you’re consuming within weeks or months after getting it. Unless the wine has leaked, it simply doesn’t matter much if your new release Cali Syrah saw 82F for a day or so if you’re going to pop it soon. The cases where temps do worry me (aside from leakage) are:
With older wines.
With wines I anticipate aging for several years or more (not 1 year).
With more delicate wines where the aromatics are a large part of the appeal.
If you don’t run into these situations, then no, don’t worry. But why the hell would anyone ship wine when it’s hot and take the risk? I’ve never understood that - if you care enough about wine to pay attention to details of flavor and aroma and you differentiate between one wine and the other… why risk the very things that you’re paying for {NOTE: by ‘you’ i’m being general, not directed at Joe specifically}? There are plenty of good to very good wines that anyone can buy locally as long as they live in a medium sized city or better.
We don’t mind links to blogs, but we don’t want just links, taking people to a blog, particularly when the poster is also the author. Please edit your original post to include the text, and you can still keep the link there.
(Edit - I couldn’t wait any longer for the edits to take place, so I added the text)
Rick, just to be clear I purchased this wine at least 3 months prior and just assumed the Winery would be holding till Fall, I was shocked when UPS knocked on the door at 5pm in mid-July ( not a single e-mail shipping notice ). I agree with you about it being a young Syrah and not as fragile as an older wine, but it was HOT!!! and at 5pm in the back of a UPS truck I’m sure it was over 120 yet not one cork was pushed. I now think most people ( including myself) have believed wine is much more fragile than it really is.
I would like to see the same experiment done with the wine starting its journey at room temperature, since I think that’s the temperature at which most individuals and retailers will ship their wine. (Even if I am selling wine right out of my own cellar, I will be taking it out the day before to pack it. As for retailers, most of them don’t have anything at cellar temperature anyway.) Also it’d be nice to get some results for 2-day shipping since the cost difference between 1-day and 2-day is huge. I have never paid to ship wine next-day.
I think you’re making the mistake of generalizing from one incident.The thing is, you don’t know whether the wine’s been damaged since you haven’t aged it at all (what will it be like in 5 years?) and even for the bottles you’ve opened you probably don’t have a control bottle that hasn’t been heated so you can’t tell if any of the subtleties the wine had have been lost. Those subtleties are what wine geeks are after though. There are any number of decent Syrahs you could get in Vegas, but you wanted THAT one because of something about THAT wine that you decided you liked.
I think this test is terrific…However, I fear it will only be used to justify wine being shipped at the sellers convenience or whim
However, I’ll still wait till late October/ early November or early April to request my wine be shipped…
and continue to refuse to accept if it is shipped at high ambient temperatures at a time other than when i requested it…
After all guys, who the heck paid for the wine in in the first place and why should i accept it not when I feel comfortable about receiving it, but when the seller feels like shipping it
Ignoring the need to test 100’s of bottles over at least a decade of cellaring to achieve any meaningful stastical significance, and ignoring overnight temperature and humidity unknowns depending on the specifics of the situation, I am willing to accept the conclusion that 12 bottles of wine sent at 4 pm and received by 10 am the next day will suffer no harm.
But what is your contigency plan when Fed Ex f*cks up and doesn’t deliver until 4 pm the next day (or later), whereupon temperatures could exceed your current simulation parameters? Do you make certain the wine is received at the time expected, and what will you do if it is not? What about when one bottle is sent, which can insulate itself less against the heat than a case?
FYI, the original post in this thread might have to be removed, as our policy with blog entries needing to be fully reprinted here (when the poster is the author of the blog entry) conflicts with the search engine optimization goals of Vinfolio. I’ll see if I can come up with a summary of some sort to keep it going, as it is a valuable thread.
No, therein lies the problem. I put it in the OP as I couldn’t wait for it to be inserted, and now the SEO needs of Vinfolio are not really in alignment with this policy, so it looks like we might have to take down the OP altogether.
If someone has a nice summary to suggest, I’m open to posting it in the OP.
