Do you happen to be a wine collector who’s getting ready for a move and wants their valuable collection to be stored safely in a new home? If you want to conduct a wine relocation you should be aware of a certain fact that make that kind of relocation a very specific one because of  glass bottles are fragile and can break easily, your wine bottles will most likely be (extremely) valuable, and the wine itself is highly volatile and its quality may be affected negatively during the move.

To avoid all of these difficulties please follow these Intermove Bosnia advices so that every piece of your collection arrive safe and unbroken in your destination. Moving wine is a very delicate process and you will have to be extra careful and we at Intermove Bosnia have learn how to deal with that and will be glad to shere our knowledge with you so that you continue to be a happy collector.

Who,s going to move your wine collection ?

The very first step to moving a wine collection to another home is to decide upfront who’s going to do it – you or a professional moving company. In fact, this is a really crucial moment because it will determine the next steps in the wine relocation process.

1. Moving your wine collection by yourself !

If you have a small wine collection this is the best option because you’re moving only a short distance away, and you don’t want strangers to handle your valuable wine bottles. If you can fit your entire collection in your family car and transport it to the new place on your own, then that’s the preferred way to do it.

Moving by yourself will give you complete control over the process and should also give you that all-important peace of mind that your precious wine is in the best possible hands – your own. But, nevertheless you still going to have to follow the best wine packing and transportation practices described below.

2.Hire a household moving company !

Trusting your move to a moving company to transport your wine collection is a good option when you’re not moving over a long distance (moving locally), when your wine collection is not particularly valuable, and when the temperatures outside are not extreme.

If this is the case, you can just have your movers transport your wine bottles with the rest of the household goods. Nevertheless, you still don’t want to find your wine collection ruined by incompetent movers, so you must make sure the moving company you hire has a decent amount of wine moving experience and we at Intermove has that kind of experience in a 25 years of our existance where we specialized in every kind of relocation.

If you choose to go with a moving company that does NOT specialize in moving wine, then do consider filling out a high-value inventory so that you get a better degree of coverage in case of any transportation problems.

Have your wine collection appraized !

If you intend to move your not-that-valuable wine collection in your own car, then you don’t really need to have your wine collection appraised by a specialist. In all other cases, wine appraisal is a good idea because it will help you determine not only the best way to transport the wine bottles, but also whether or not you should purchase adequate insurance for your wine collection.

If you own a large wine collection that is worth a lot of money, then you should definitely hire a qualified wine appraiser to determine its actual worth. Wine appraisal fees can vary greatly from state to state. In general, professional wine appraisers charge by the hour but you should be able to find one for a flat fee as well, if that’s what you want.

All in all, it’s important to know the true market value of your wine collection so that you can get the right type of coverage in case you’re about to trust a moving company to handle your bottles. That way, if something bad happened to any of your wine bottles, you’d be able to file a claim with the mover.

It shouldn’t be too hard to find a certified and reputable wine appraiser in your area – just contact specialized wine stores in your town or city and they should be able to recommend one..

Check the destination country regulations !

Moving a wine collection to another country may sometimes prove to be a bit trickier than you want. When you are moving internationally, you must check the regulations of the destination country because alcoholic beverages are regulated differently in different countries and every country has it,s own regulations that handle import and export of wine.

That means is that some countries will have certain restrictions about the amount of alcohol – wine, in your particular case – that can be transposed or brought into the state for personal use. Additionaly some countries have banned some kind of wines and some countries required more complicated import and export procedures for wine. It all depends so you will have to be extra careful with this.

In the majority of cases, you should not have any legal problems moving your wine collection to a new country. Nevertheless, you have to be sure before you start packing your wine bottles for a move.

Made a inventory of your wine collection !

The next step in the wine transportation process is to inventory your wine collection. Doing a wine inventory is necessary for a couple of reasons because you will know exactly what type of wine you have in your collection and the total number of bottles in it; and you will have a detailed record of your wine collection in case a bottle went missing mysteriously when using professional wine moving services. Additionaly having a inventory of your collection is required by a custom offices in most countries for custom procedures. So it is very important for you to conduct a wine inventory list.

How to inventory your wine collection? Take a photo of each bottle as you’re creating the inventory. Be sure to mark down any rare or vintage wine bottles you own. Your detailed wine inventory sheet can be used as a packing list as well to keep track of what you’ve already packed and what you’re yet to pack up.

When you conducting wine inventory task, you may decide to optimize your wine collection – a well-timed decision that should be beneficial for you right before the relocation. Also, you’ll have the option to sell part of your wine collection, especially in case of duplicates, or to gift some special bottles of wine to some special people – the perfect goodbye gifts.

Wine shiping supplies !

It’s very important that you choose the proper boxes in which you will pack and ship your wine bottles. Your first option is to order wine shipping kits online or purchase those from a local wine store. Or you can collected from us in Intermove Bosnia as we have all kind of packing and shiping material required for your move.

Those wine boxes come with a protective Styrofoam base that will keep the wine bottles protected while on the road. The Styrofoam insert has holes in it and each hole will fit one glass bottle, usually up to 3 7/8’’ in diameter. Wine shipping kits cost between $7 and $12 depending on the bottle quantity they can hold. So it is not to much money for such a delicate task that is wine relocation.

1.Corrugated wine shipers !

The better way to pack your wine collection is to use corrugated wine shippers that can hold from 1 to 12 bottles. Those specialized wine shipping boxes provide better protection than wine shipping kits because the inserts – made from durable recyclable Kraft paper – protect the entire length of the bottles and in such way your bottles will be fixed in the box and protected from any accidental damage.

Considering the fact that corrugated wine shippers cost the same as wine shipping and provide better overall protection, you’d be better off getting those for your wine packing needs.

2.Wooden crates !

If your wine collection is really valuable with some rare items then you may want to provide the best protection for every single bottle of wine you own. If that is the case, wooden crates will be the answer to your shipping needs because they are extremely durable and safe to be used in climate-controlled moving trucks as well.

Contact your local wine store for advice on where you can get wooden wine shipping crates and they will be happy to assist you.

Safety tips for packing & moving your wine collection !

Once you have asquired the right wine packing boxes, things should be quite alright. But packing wine for shipping is not complicated by any means – you only need to follow a few safety tips to make sure your valuable wine collection reaches the new home in a good condition.

1. Reinforce the boxes. Reinforce the bottom of each wine shipping box with packing tape. Make sure the cardboard boxes will safely hold the weight. Always use brand new boxes when moving wine bottles – second-hand boxes are never worth the risk as you’ll be moving very fragile and very valuable items.
2. Pack each bottle separately. That’s common sense but still, judgment errors are never out of the question during a chaotic house move. For maximum protection, place each bottle of wine into a separate Styrofoam base hole or into a corrugated cardboard insert. Don,t  pack wine bottles that have already been opened.
3. Immobilize each box. Once you’ve filled each wine shipping box with bottles – do not put more bottles than a box is meant to hold, place sheets of packing paper or bubble wrap on top to fill any gaps inside. Basically, you want to make sure that no bottle inside the box will move during the relocation. Shake very gently the box to check that you won’t hear any bottles clanging together.
4. Close the boxes. Tape each wine moving box shut with several layers of packing tape. Mark each box with FRAGILE on at least two of its sides and make shure that sign is visible.
5. Load the boxes horizontally. As a rule, you should transport corked wine bottles on their sides (horizontally) to ensure that the corks remain wet and that no air can seep in. So, make sure you load your wine shipping boxes on their sides for the haul to the new home.
6. Avoid bottle shock. Do not open any bottles too soon after the move due to a phenomenon called bottle shock – the loss of flavor after a bottle of wine is opened too early after it has been seriously shaken in transit. So, if you intend to open a bottle from your wine collection to celebrate a successful house move, you’d better wait at least 7 days to do it.

Please  move your wine accordingly and you will continue to enjoy in your sophisticated hobby. In any case we in Intermove wish you luck.

Keep on enjoying !