Seriously Good Champagne -- Ship or Give Away?

Getting the kitchen ready to pack out on Monday and looking with dismay at a small collection of nice wine and a couple of bottles of Billecart Salmon champagne. The household stuff is going to be packed into containers and shipped over to Europe -- a 6 - 8 week process, in summer. Is there any chance the wine and champagne will be OK, or should I just give it away?

Melusine
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7 Comments

Maedl
Maedl July 24, 2016
Give it to a lucky friend. In addition to the heat, think of what would happen if the bottles break.
 
Nancy
Nancy July 24, 2016
If the shipping proves impossible, drink and enjoy, as Chef June suggests.
If too much to consume before you leave, yes give some of the precious bottles away to friends and acquaintances you are leaving behind and who will enjoy them.
A lovely parting gift and/or a way to "pay it forward"...
 
ChefJune
ChefJune July 23, 2016
The odds are against the Champagne surviving the journey. Why don't you enjoy it this weekend?
 
Melusine
Melusine July 23, 2016
Thanks. That's what I was afraid of. We're both Foreign Service, so we get a certain amount of diplomatic courtesy -- we can bring in a reasonable amount of wine without a customs hassle -- but the shipping containers will be on a dock and/or in uncontrolled storage, with varying temperatures for two months. Oh, well. Thank you both!
 
702551
702551 July 23, 2016
Thinking about it, there's a very good chance your containers would be stored above the waterline or even on the deck. Container ship operators put heavier containers toward the bottom for stability/safety reasons.

Your containers full of furniture and personal belongings would likely be packed in a manner in which they would not be particularly heavy, so they would end up toward the top.
 

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702551
702551 July 23, 2016
The wine may survive the trip provided the container stays cool.

However, you don't know how long the container will be sitting on a dock, baking in the summer sun. If it were winter, this would not be an issue. There are no guarantees whether or not it will be stored below the waterline or not either.

The other thing would be customs. Any alcohol may delay delivery of your belongings to your destination and you will certainly have to pay duties.

Good luck.
 
702551
702551 July 23, 2016
Ah, your profile says you're in Israel. Forget it. If you were shipping from the Pacific Northwest, you might have had a chance, but not from where you are.

Any wine will roast in the sun and there's a good chance that some corks may pop and it'll make a big mess.

Best to find good homes for your bottles and start a new collection in Europe.
 
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