15 May Please The Palate Pick of the Week: Traveling with Wine with the VinGardeValise Petite from FlyWithWine

I don’t think I have ever taken a trip to a wine region and not come home with wine. I try to find bubble wrap but typically wrap up bottles in dirty clothes and plastic bags and then make sure padding is all around. I then cross my fingers and hope when I get home there had been no accidents. But now, I no longer have to worry about that with the VinGardeValise® Petite suitcase/wine case from FlyWithWine, the Please The Palate pick of the week. As I prepared for my first flight in over a year, I realized that I had to bring wine with me for two virtual tastings I would be hosting while traveling. I thought I would tuck the bottles into my clothes, or even check a wine shipper. But, then I got the VinGardeValise® Petite suitcase which holds 8 bottles of wine. This was the perfect solution as not only did it hold the bottles I needed but I felt the wines were as safe as they could possibly be for the journey! The VinGardeValise® Petite is a hard shell suitcase that looks like an average carry-on suitcase. There are handles on the top, as well as a telescoping handle. In addition, it has four asymmetrical Hinomoto wheels that spin 360 degrees making is extremely easy to maneuver the suitcase. There are also handles on the side, making the suitcase easy to flip over when you want to unzip it. There is also a built-in TSA compliant security lock. But, all of these things are typical of a suitcase. What sets this suitcase apart is when you open it up! The suitcase opens up to two equal sides. The lining has a few zipper pockets to pack items. But, when you unzip the linings, you will find the wine inserts. The wine inserts are made of a high-density foam with cut-outs for 750ml wine bottles. However, if you want to travel with Magnums, wine glasses, odd shaped spirits bottles, or beer bottles, you can get customized foam inserts. The inserts are removable. If you only want to travel with 4 bottles, or 2 bottles, you can remove the inserts and pack clothes or other items. For my first trip with my VinGardeValise® Petite, I was traveling with eight bottles of wine. As I packed the bottles, I knew the bottles were safe, even the pet nat with a crown cap. I felt confident that my wine would travel safely and it did! After two weeks traveling in Lodi, Sonoma, and Napa, I knew that I would have some wine to bring home and having my VinGardeValise® Petite came in handy yet again. Not only did my wines travel safely in both directions, they traveled in style. A hard shell suitcase is much better looking than a cardboard shipper. When the suitcase was full with eight bottles, it weighed approximately 35-40 pounds but with handles and wheels, it was much easy for me to move and lift. The VinGardeValise® Petite 8-bottle retails for $299. There is also the VinGardeValise® Grande 12-bottle for $349 and the VinGardeValise® Piccolo 5-bottle for $249. To top it off, the VinGardeValise® comes with a 10-Year Manufacturer’s Limited Warranty on any defects in materials and workmanship. The suitcases are all available at Fly With Wine. Getting my wine to its destination safely and then bringing more wine home safely with my VinGardeValise® Petite was definitely the Please The Palate pick of the week.