Shipping wine in checked baggage

The recently created prohibitions for carrying liquid substances in carry-ons aboard airplanes makes shipping wine in hold baggage an exercise in creativity to prevent breakage, leakage or other calamities. On a November ’06 trip to the Mediterranean, I managed to get a bottle of wine home safely in hold baggage, but I held my breath until I opened the suitcase in which it had been secured.

In search of a better solution than the one I employed, I conducted a survey of currently manufactured containers that would adequately protect a 750-milliliter bottle of wine. In a section of different-sized acrylic containers at an outlet of the nationwide Container Store (888/266-8246, www.containerstore.com), I discovered a jar that perfectly fits the bill.

It is made of clear acrylic and has a cam lock and a pressure latex seal; the latching mechanism is chrome. At 12½ inches tall and 3½ inches in diameter, it is slightly larger than a 750ml bottle of wine, which fits exactly in this jar — and the locking pressure keeps the bottle from moving around.

Since there is some pressure exerted on the top of the wine bottle, there is some risk of a less-than-perfect seal, so I plan to enclose all within a waterproof bag as insurance.

When I asked the store clerk what this particular container was designed for, he said it was a pasta jar. Its price is $11.99.

STEVE JEFFRIES

Centennial, CO