Comments on: Astor Wines says no to Styro, yes to plastic sleeves

By: Erich

Erich — Mon, 11 Jun 2012 15:22:43 +0000

Pulp trays are good for the environment but are terrible for shipping wine. I work in a wine storage facility and receive wine shipments daily from FedEx, UPS and other carriers and the percentage of damage (ie. broken bottles) is MUCH higher in shipments using the pulp trays than it is with styrofoam. I haven’t received any broken bottles using the plastic air sleeves yet but I’ve received too small a sample size of them so far to measure how well they hold up safety wise to stryo or pulp.

By: Alice

Alice — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 18:21:11 +0000

These are great but I have found something even better for the enviroment. It is pulp trays for shipping wine. They are recycled from newspaper and are recycable. The web site is http://www.supplyways.com. They also carry tissue and gift bags.

By: Paul Bressler

Paul Bressler — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 17:25:19 +0000

Are these UPS approved for wine shipments?

It matters, unfortunately. UPS won’t honor insurance claims for “improperly packed” goods. Using a shipping container that has not been specifically approved makes breakage claims a major hassle.

I know the whole idea is not to have the bottles break, but it happens anyway. No container is perfect. No one wants to be on the hook for expensive bottles broken in shipping.

By: Sergey Alekhin

Sergey Alekhin — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 12:08:31 +0000

But Kevin provides some evidence from his experience. More tests needed!

By: Dave Sedeno

Dave Sedeno — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 18:35:26 +0000

The chambers are small. The comparison to a air mattresses are way off.

By: Daniel Posner

Daniel Posner — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 17:05:15 +0000

Tyler,

Nice article. Good to see Astor helping out the environment as well.

By: chris robinson

chris robinson — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 09:48:41 +0000

THERE IS A COMPANY MANUFACTURING THESE FOR STORAGE IN SUITCASES AND FOR CARRIAGE TO EVENTS. I USE THESE WHEN I PURCHASE VERY GOOD OLD WINES THAT I PICK UP CHEAPLY OVERSEAS AND WANT TO BRING BACK HOME.

http://grandepassione.com/blog/2008/06/a_brillant_idea_an_hermetic_ba.html

By: Mark

Mark — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 23:24:09 +0000

Unfortunately, large airchambers are poor insulators — gravity and any change in temperature produce convection currents inside the bladders, which is why inflatable air mattresses are fun in sun and the swimming pool, but cold camping in the mountains. So I would be wary of using them for long distance shipping during the summer. As checked luggage, I think they’d be great, except for their bulk.

By: Dave Sedeno

Dave Sedeno — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 23:21:43 +0000

Actually, we bought in a large amount of these bags for my wine shop. We did have the bags tested by an independent source for temperature differance during shipping compared to Polystyrene and Pulp. The wines using all three shippers were sent from California to Connecticut and back. They were sent at the same time on the same shipment. The temp variance was no more the 5 degrees. The big attraction is 300 to 1 space ratio. We can store 300 uninflated bags(think box of zip locked bags) in the space that 1 polystyrene box takes up. The recycling aspect will improve with the hope that future bags are biodegradable. Death to Poly!

By: Claire

Claire — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 22:07:24 +0000

I had to purchase these airpaq things over two years ago when I made the mistake of telling Southwest that there were wine bottles in the wine bag I was checking (it’s hell to be a traveling wine rep these days). Two years later, these are still as inflated as originally. I reused them when packing bottles into luggage until I came across WineSkins, which are less bulky and seal better. Think the airpaqs would be better for shipping; better insulation and better protection.

By: Kevin

Kevin — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 20:41:43 +0000

No problem Santiago, LA, Seattle in late Feb. One reason I like checking wine as luggage, I have a pretty good idea how long it sits on the tarmack. I usually opt for Styro when shipping inside the US with an eye on weather and temps along the shipping route.

By: Josh

Josh — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 20:34:34 +0000

I’ve seen these but not yet done shipment tests. For those that have used them, how were the wines, themselves? The bottles could be just fine in terms of integrity but still have been damaged by weather–which was an original question I don’t believe has been addressed.

By: mrzitro

mrzitro — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 19:10:00 +0000

Great tip! I need to get some just for sword play. Dadgum it hurts when my kids whack my fingers with their swords.

By: Dr. Vino

Dr. Vino — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 17:15:53 +0000

Josh – glad you like!

Jane – not sure about insulation though it seems intuitive that it would certainly provide more than cardboard. But Kevin provides some evidence from his experience. More tests needed!

Damien – Sharp eye! I got the Les Rosiers bottling. As you can see, the taller, Riesling style bottles leave a bit of an air gap that the Burgundy bottles don’t.

By: Steve Raye

Steve Raye — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 16:34:34 +0000

For traveling with wine in checked baggage we found a product called Wineskin. It’s essentially bubble wrap inside a thick gauge flexible plastic bag that is sealable and essentially leakproof. It’s a great tool for packing wine for travel and not worrying about a broken bottle leaking all over your clothes.