Have Wine, Won’t Travel

As a send-off to myself, I offered to raid my cellar for a wine-and-cheese reception at the last meeting of my term on the board of a New York City-based foundation. But then I realized, they don’t let you on the plane now with liquids. When the ban went into place, most people worried aloud about their Visine bottles and $40 designer hair products. It didn’t occur to me that I’d have to leave wine at sea level.

I think that’s because, weirdly enough, I don’t think of wine as a liquid. I think of it more as a food and figured, like mother’s milk, the TSA would make an exception for my Domaine Tempier.

For how I flew the wine-friendly skies, click for

But even though the liquid restrictions were somewhat relaxed recently, wine not purchased in the airport is still a no-go. The only solution? I packed six bottles in a sturdy box with styrofoam inserts made especially for shipping wine. Then I attached a makeshift handle. Tomorrow I’ll check it and start praying to Bacchus. (I’ll report from NYC if there are any casualties.)

According to the New York Times, though, I’m lucky I have a solution at all: first, I’m traveling in cool but not sub-zero weather, so my wine isn’t likely to bake or freeze on the tarmac. Second, I’m traveling with wine for pleasure, not work. It’s the consultants, importers, and distributor reps who are having to check cases (or worse, pack bottles in their suitcases, wrapped in socks) they need for tastings, samples, etc., sometimes to the tune of an $80 overweight baggage surcharge.