Tips and advice on how to move a large or small wine collection safely and without any spoilage in South Africa.
No matter how large or small it is, moving a wine collection needs care and consideration. Wine bottles are heavy and wine can spoil if treated incorrectly.
These tips for moving a wine collection will ensure all your wine bottles arrive in one piece.
Make an inventory
Before you get started, take a full count of your wine collection and record it. Include the names and dates.
This will help you keep track of the bottles during the move. It will also help when you buy packing supplies and book a mover.
Have your collection valued
If your collection is valuable, have it professionally valued or research the value of each bottle online. Add this to your inventory records.
This is essential if you want to insure your collection for breakage, theft and spoilage.
Research moving options
If your collection is large and valuable, consider hiring professional movers. Try to find a moving company that has handled moving a wine collection before.
If you’re comfortable moving the collection yourself, make sure you pack the bottles properly and have sufficient space in your vehicle.
Move the bottles in one trip. This will minimise the time the wine is out of a controlled environment.
Get proper packing materials
Wine bottles are heavy. You’ll need to get cardboard boxes that can hold 12 bottles at a time. Six is better.
For extra protection get aerothene or cardboard to slot in between the bottles. This will prevent them from knocking against each other.
Rent a moving trolley for the boxes, especially if you’re moving the collection yourself.
Pack according to the type of wine
Red and white wine with corks can be transported upright for short distances. If they’re going to stand for longer than a day, they should be packed on their side.
Even though it has a cork, sparkling wine can be transported upright. The internal pressure will keep the cork moist.
Consider temperatures
Wine should never sit in extreme temperatures for any length of time or it will spoil. Valuable collections should be transported by professionals with climate-controlled trucks.
The ideal temperature for storing wine is 13°C but it can be transported at temperatures between 7°C and 18°C.
Take care when unpacking
Once your wine has arrived at its new location, let it rest to avoid bottle shock from the jostling during transport.
Bottle shock is a loss of flavour that can occur when the phenolics, tannins and other compounds are agitated. The recommended resting time is seven days.
Wine collection storage with XtraSpace
XtraSpace offers clean, secure and affordable self-storage units in Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal and the Western Cape.
We don’t have climate-controlled storage units, but we do offer indoor units at many of our branches that can accommodate a wine collection.
Contact us on 01 09 777 777 to find out more or browse to find your nearest branch.