This Must-Have Wine Suitcase is a Game Changer for Packing Alcohol in Checked Luggage
Updated: 3 days ago
Are you looking for a clever way to bring home your wine or liquor purchases? Wondering how you can bring home your alcohol souvenirs safely? It starts with the right wine suitcase, accessory or bag for you.
Raise your hand if you've visited a winery without buying the wine because you didn't know how to get it home safely.
Keep your hand raised if you've been sacrificing your wine to the shock and elements of air travel wrapped up only in your dirty underpants and tshirts, finagling bubble wrap sleeves or worse - hand carrying alcohol from Duty Free only to have it taken from you at your connecting airport?
Guess what? You're not alone, and there IS a solution built just for you.
Let me introduce to you a girl's best friend - and it ain't diamonds - no no, it's her wine suitcase.
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In this article:
What Is a Wine Suitcase?
I've been to the world renowned regions in France, Italy and Spain, driven in an Audi top-down through the German Weinstrasse, visited the vineyards of Chile and Uruguay, and even sought out the strangest of wine locales in Morocco, Mexico and Quebec.
But with all this wine travel I've never really been able to bring home the wine, making me one of those guilty tasters who says at the tasting table "that was great, thanks!" walking out empty handed. But no more.
Flying with wine has always been simply too tough and not worth the hassle or the luggage space. Back in the yesteryear when checked bags were free, I'd wrap bottles in my laundry and hope they made it through the multiple legs back to home base.
I eventually graduated to the bubble wrap style wine sleeves, and have even grown accustomed to buying wine at the duty free shops in the airports, but
all of these were classless and backwards ways of flying with wine once I learned about wine suitcases.
Wine suitcases, in short, are regular suitcases that are built with specially cut, removable foam interiors that can fit a variety of bottles and even glassware.
The BEST Wine Suitcases on the Market
A company called VinGardeValise has created a whole suite of products serving the wine loving community, including large and small wine suitcases, wine bladder backpacks for picnics on the go, carrying cases for glasses, beer, liquor, and more.
Skip on over to their website with my code ALWAYS20 for 20% off, or read on to learn about their products and uses.
Wine Travel Luggage Products
Thinking about purchasing? Use ALWAYS20 at checkout for 20% off.
Wine Suitcases come in three sizes:
The 8 and 12 bottle suitcases are checked bag size, while the Piccolo is a standard carry-on size (when you don't have alcohol in it). Remember, you still have to adhere to the TSA Liquid Rules.
I have the 12-bottle Grande VinGardevalise and I absolutely love it. It's the best suitcase I own. It has great features like 360 wheels, TSA secure locks, and customizable (removable) foam inserts for packing both clothing AND alcohol souvenirs. More about this below.
Wine Accessories
As if life weren't sweet enough with a wine Suitcase, they also make the VinXplorer wine backpack. It's kind of like if you bought a giant boxed wine and then concealed it in a super stealth, super sleek and comfortable backpack.
Simply pour wine into the bladder, and use the spout to pour on the go. Dreamy!
So many (totally appropriate) uses for the wine backpack come to mind:
Picnics in the park
Backyard BBQ with friends
Beach days (when you want to be sneaky!)
Tailgates for the big game
Mountain peak celebrations after a moderate climb (let's be honest, you'll still need to hike down)
Sailing on a catamaran
Sunset proposals, perhaps?
Active sports that obviously need to end with wine
Or if you're like me with a five year old, perhaps this is the after school party pack you bring to the playground for you and the other moms to share. No? That's just me?
Well, alright.
There's also a few more products, like their two bottle carrier, which is a classy way to show up at the Melting Pot with your fave bottle on your anniversary (they have such great corkage fees near me!) and also fancy carrying cases for your most special wine glasses.
They also sell a metal hardcase two bottle carrier too, if you want to feel like a beast walking into your next business happy hour. You'll impress the whole room, I promise.
Traveling Liquor Case
The VinGardeValise wine suitcases above are also suitable for many styles of liquor bottles!
However, if you have an odd shaped bottle (like a Maker's Mark), you can also purchase what is called a DIY Insert. This insert allows you to customize the foam cushioning to fit whatever bottles you need.
Large bottles like Magnums can also fit nicely in the Piccolo and Grande suitcases, but require the Magnum Insert.
Gifting a Wine Suitcase
Listen up lads and lasses, this should be on every holiday gift list, anniversary list, birthday and 'just because' gift list.
(And psst...if you use my code ALWAYS20 at checkout, I can get you a smooth 20% off). Keep that in your back pocket, friends, as you read further.
Uses for a Wine Suitcase - They Aren't Just for the Wine Industry
Who might want this bag?
Casual or professional wine drinkers interested in enotourism
Beer or liquor enthusiasts - just buy the proper inserts to fit your bottles, each bag can be customized!
Anyone who travels
Just take the inserts out and it's a regular ole' suitcase with some pretty fab features.
Lovers of odd shaped or delicate travel souvenirs, like Modena vinegar, or limoncello!
Unique item collectors - vases, maybe?
Makes a great corporate gift - sell it in your gift shop or even personalize it.
Fun Holiday Idea
...And while you are thinking of gifting, what about stocking up for your ski adventure or cabin getaway at the holidays and use the 12-bottle case as a wine advent calendar?! Label the bottles 1-12 for the 12 Days of Christmas, and unzip pure joy each day!
I love this idea so much, I might have to try it myself....
Just don't forget, 20% at checkout with ALWAYS20!
Wine Suitcase Dimensions and Features
The VinGardeValise Grande, which is what I own (and pictured throughout) is built for the road. It's taken tumbles, it's traveled rocky terrain, and my wine has always survived.
Dimensions: 18” x 13.5” x 27” (checked bag size)
Weight: 14 lbs. unpacked, 50lbs fully packed with 12 bottles of wine, perfectly meeting the 50lb luggage limit on most airlines.
Need security? This has a TSA compliant lock.
360 wheels
Six removable inserts and three foam pads
Did I mention it comes with a 10 year manufacturers warranty?!
VinGardeValise Wine Suitcase Review
When I unboxed it for the first time, I was so impressed. I still think several years later that this is one of my best suitcases.
Inside find plenty of zipper storage in the interior panels, she also has a foam pad that goes in between both halves of the suitcase. Each respective half has two straps holding down another protective foam pad before you get to the interior foam inserts - six per side. Shipped quickly and packaged proudly, this bag was a joy to unbox.
The best feature, however is the spinner wheels, which glide like they're on ice. I've never had a bag with smoother maneuverability!
When I removed all the foam inserts I was really taken aback by the amount of luggage space. Sans wine, this bag has some serious storage capacity.
Little touches like the rubber pads for propping on the floor made the bag even more functional.
As for security, I set the TSA lock quickly with their instructions and tested some bottles for fit and ease of use.
Everything, despite some various shaped bottles, fit very snugly and took a little bit of effort to really wedge in there.
"This is a good sign that my wine won't be going anywhere during flight."
Ideas for Traveling With Wine
My suitcase has been on a lot of adventures. Living part time in Zaragoza, Spain, we often visit the local vineyards for tastings and purchasing bottles to stock up the apartment, and we took my suitcase down to the vineyard one day for a debut photo session.
She did a great job wheeling over rainy, rocky and muddy soil for her photo op. What a champ.
Since the first test, we took her to Japan, where we filled her full of Japanese whiskey and sake.
Later we journeyed to get her to Oaxaca, where the haul was all mezcal - delicious, Smoky mezcal.
I've also brought my lovely wine suitcase on domestic trips to the Pacific Northwest (wine country!)
I've brought it on cruises, where you can often bring a couple of your own bottles on board. (Learn more about cruise advice and how much alcohol you can bring on board a cruise ship here).
Wine Flies Free Programs
I love to take my suitcase out to visit family in Oregon, like at the lovely tasting room at Domaine Drouhin, or at the many wonderful estates in the Willlamette Valley.
It's typical to fly on Alaska Airlines to get there, and guess what - they have a Wine Flies Free Program with this bag! They offer a whopping 32 destinations where you can travel from those places for free with a wine Suitcase stuffed to the hilt with wine (i.e. 12 bottles).
They offer destinations including in California, Oregon, Washington (hey Walla Walla!) and Idaho.
Alaska Airlines is also offering guests FREE tastings included with your boarding pass at participating wineries. There are dozens to choose from - check out the list here!
Avelo Airlines is also offering a similar wine flies free program from west coast cities like Sonoma.
Airlines that offer wine Flies Free programs include:
Alaska Airlines
Avelo Airlines (see Avelo review here)
Southwest Airlines (technically, you get 2 free checked bags - it doesn't matter what is in it)
That means you and your wine suitcase are about to have a lot of adventures together.
But, unfortunately, there are rules and restrictions on how much wine you can bring home with you if you are traveling overseas like I usually do. So let's get into that.
How Many Bottles of Wine Can I Bring Home With Me?
Although you are often at the mercy of your local TSA agent (more on TSA Liquid Rules here), there are some general thoughts I have learned and can share with you here:
Wine has no limits
Liquor is restricted to 5 liters per passenger if they range in 24-70% alcohol
Anything less than 24% alcohol has no limits
Anything over 70% is a no go, sorry.
So long as your wine is for personal use, there is no federal limit coming into the United States on what you can bring.
HOWEVER - I have had customs agents ask how many bottles I was bringing home (of wine, mezcal, whatever, and the answer varies wildly sometimes.
I have said 3 bottles per person and been told '2 is the limit'. I have said 'I have a case of wine' and been ushered through without issue. Play the situation carefully, and follow along some of my TSA tips from the link above.
You are not doing anything wrong, and at worst you may need to declare your wine at customs or even pay a tax. Play it by ear and follow directions from the customs agents.
Downsides of this Suitcase
Being literally the best luggage I have ever owned, there is truly only one downfall to this bag - check an empty suitcase (to fill with wine later), or leave room for clothes?
You have a choice: determine in advance if you want to check an empty suitcase (full of only wine inserts) OR bring 2, 4, or 6 bottles worth of inserts. Or...8 or 10...
So the downfall is also the most amazing thing too, because the foam inserts are totally customizable. Bring inserts for what you think you will purchase, leave room for clothes and other souvenirs in its place.
Overall
Wine lovers - spirits drinkers - rejoice. There will be no more broken bottles, no vino explosions, and no soiled laundry.
Travel like the high class folks that you are and by golly, get yourself a wine bag!
I can get you 20% if you use my code ALWAYS20 right now, so head on over to VinGardeValise to start browsing.
So go get 'em, tiger. Your new best friend awaits.
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