How Can You Safely Move Your Wine Bottles

France&Co Wine designed by Grantipo

Written by James Levine. CEO of New Haven Moving Equipment.

How Can You Safely Move Your Wine Bottles: The Right Packaging is Your Answer

From offering a toast at a wedding to sitting down for a gourmet meal with friends or family—perhaps no drink has as much symbolic status as does wine. For centuries, wine has cultural, romantic, familial and to some religious meaning, and many people consider their wine and wine collections to be among their most valuable possessions.

Therefore, when preparing for a move, it’s of vital importance to plan for the right packaging of your wine in order to ensure their safety during the ardors of the moving process. This is true whether packing yourself or when hiring movers to pack for you.

1) Know Your Packaging

To understand the importance of the right packaging—here is a quick summary of the differences that persist among moving boxes, differences which are not perceptible to the untrained eye.

Moving boxes, also referred to in the trade as corrugated, are composed of differing amounts of several primary components—namely wood fiber from trees, sawdust, recycled paper, and wood chips. The type of wood fiber utilized in the production of the moving box is of utmost importance in determining the strength and protectiveness of the box. Many people may be misled into thinking that for environmental purposes, buying boxes made mostly or exclusively from recycled paper is a great choice. However, these boxes are more prone to ripping and sagging, and can put vulnerable contents (such as wine bottles) at risk.

Another key factor in determining the final quality of a moving box is the means used by the corrugator to separate the wood fibers that comprise the flat surface (the linerboard) of the moving box. The Kraft process (a chemical process) is considered by many to be the best at assuring the ultimate strength of the wood fibers; however, there are other processes available.

Another major factor in creating the protectiveness of the moving box is the amount and type of fluting utilized in the creation of the box material. Fluting, which is designed as an arch to provide cushioning and support, is attached with an adhesive to a liner board on both sides. Fluting is designated by a letter (Generally A to F) and tells you how many flutes there are in a linear foot. The more layers of fluting and liner board in a moving box, the stronger and more protective the box tends to be. Each layer of fluting and liner board is called a wall. Hence, a moving box that is composed of three layers of fluting and linear boards is called a Triple Wall. To strategically manufacture a particular type of specialty box, a corrugated may combine different types of fluting together—as each type may provide specific advantages, and choose to use a double wall or triple wall. Ultimately, the type of adhesive used to attach the fluting to the Liner Board, the type of fluting used, and the number of layers of fluting and liner boards within the box (the number of “walls) will greatly determine the quality of the packaging.

Moving boxes made from even slightly sub-standard components are at risk of sagging and breaking when stacked in the moving truck or in your home. Putting the contents at tremendous risk. Moving boxes composed of optimal wood fibers, the right type of adhesive, the right size and type of fluting, a sufficient number of “walls,” and its wood fibers separated in a manner that protects the integrity of the wood fibers all contribute the the box providing you with the protection you need.

2) Use a Specialty Box that Provides You with the Right Protection

Stieb Cellars designed by Paige Speights

The first step is ensuring that the box itself meets the standards descried above in terms of the integrity and strength of its corrugated packaging material. You want a box that meets high objective standards for strength (such as a box with a Mullen Test # of 200 which indicates its ability to withstand bursting).

In addition, the moving box should ideally be designed for wine. Specialty wine boxes, such as the Wine Shipper designed by New Haven Moving Equipment, comes with a two piece cushion of molded foam that wraps around each bottle—providing the utmost in protection and security. Cartons designed for wine come in 6 and 12 bottle configurations.

The combination of a strong corrugated box, the foam and the interior configuration of the packaging protects the bottles from any type of rolling—and dramatically helps to protect the bottles from breakage.

It is vitally important to keep in mind that wine must be moved in a climate controlled environment, whether your move is a long distance or around the block. This may require a refrigerated or heated compartment on the moving van (ask for a climate controlled van).

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About the author
James Levine is CEO of New Haven Moving Equipment. Together with his two brothers, Roger Levine (Co-President) and Larry Levine (Co-President), Mr. Levine manages the executive and daily operations of New Haven. Mr. Levine has his Bachelor Degrees in Journalism and Business Administration, and prior to going to work in at New Haven, served as an AP reporter overseas. Mr. Levine has served at New Haven for forty years. He has had several positions within the company prior to becoming CEO, including serving as General Manager of the Louisville, KY office; Vice-President of the Texas Companies, and President of New Haven. Get in touch via Facebook.