As wine lovers we all love to travel, right? How do you travel with wine? Do you wrap your bottles in your suitcase and white knuckle your flight, praying your suitcase does not drip down the baggage carousel? Or do you pay high shipping fees to ship your purchases home? What if you travel internationally, do you forgo buying wine? Traveling with wine is a challenge for all wine lovers, until now.

There are a few viable options for transporting wine on airplanes. To be honest some of the options are good. However, to protect my wine purchases while traveling, good is not good enough. I want full wine security. I want to believe that no matter how rough the wine is handled it will be safe at all times. Wine lovers, I have the solution to transporting your wine on airplanes so securely you can sleep like a baby on your flight.

VinGardeValise® is the ultimate wine suitcase, allowing you complete confidence your wine will arrive securely at your destination. Here is a little technical information from VinGardeValise®:

• The VGV® Grande 4.0 features a 100% polycarbonate shell with closed-cell foam
• The new asymmetrical Hinomoto wheels make the VGV® easy for you to maneuver
• A lift handle, located at the bottom of the VGV®, makes it easy to load
• The telescoping handle is constructed from 8 mm aircraft grade aluminum
• Stronger burst straps have been constructed with automotive seatbelt material
• A TSA compliant lock is flush mounted and integrated into the VGV®
• The interior zippers have been repositioned to make them easier to zip
• Foam cubes are included to use as fillers, insuring a snug fit
• The standard inserts are now 35cm, accommodating bottles with a longer neck

The VinGardeValise® Grande 04 is not a “wine carrier,” it is a wine suitcase. In fact, it is likely it is more durable than your actual suitcase. It is also versatile. We use it for wine purchases so we always use the full 12 bottle inserts. However, you can use it to fit your wine transportation needs. For example, you can pack your clothes in one side of the suitcase and pack 6 bottles of wines on the other side, or you can buy the wine glass insert and pack four bottles with two glasses. With VinGardeValise® Grande 04 you are only limited by your imagination and packing needs. The best part is when full with 12-750 ml bottles its total weight is between 43-50 pounds. No worries, and no need to pay an overweight fee at the bag check counter! To find out more of the technical details of the VinGardeValise® Grande 04 visit their web site.

On our recent trip to London we brought back 11 bottles of Burgundy and one bottle of Northern Rhone Hermitage wines. We planned this in advance because these wines sell at a much lower price in London, for now, then they do in Dallas. Because American Airlines offers us two free pieces of checked luggage on international flights, going over we checked an empty VinGardeValise® Grande 04 at no charge, and coming home we checked a full VinGardeValise® Grande 04 at no charge. Here are some photos I took so you can see my experience with the VinGardeValise® Grande 04.

VinGardeValise® is also perfect for beach, ski, and family vacations where you do not plan to purchase wine, instead you want to save money on your vacation by bringing your own wine. Easy breezy. Just check the VinGardeValise® Grande 04 wine suitcase full, then bring it home empty. A great way to save money and insure you have your favorite wines with you on your vacation.

Don’t just take my word for it, the Drunken Cyclist wrote about the VinGardeValise® Grande 04 in a Friday Rave almost two years ago. He concluded, “I am a huge fan, and I strongly endorse it.”

The VinGardeValise® Grande 04 is $299.99. Recently VinGardeValise® introduced a smaller option, the Petite 02 at $249.99. To learn more about both of these wine suitcases and order one for yourself visit the web site of VinGardeValise®