If you are traveling to wine country and need a suitcase to carry back your finds, the VinGardeValise may be for you. We’ve owned a VinGardeValise for seven years and have taken it on the road internationally and across the country at least four times per year.
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History of the VinGardeValise
The VinGardeValise was invented by Barry Wax and has been on the market since 2014. The first advertisement for this item is fun and descriptive, showing people throwing suitcases of wine down flights of stairs. Soon after seeing this video, I was at Clos du Val in Napa Valley where they were selling a few of these in the tasting room. I was enamored with its look and quality, so I picked one up.
Wine Bottle Suitcases: Do You Need One?
No, you don’t really need the VinGardeValise. In fact, there are several other approaches to packing wine in a suitcase that you may want to try first. However, if you are frequently flying with wine and want a hard-sided suitcase designed for this specific use rather than leveraging or jury-rigging a solution, we highly recommend the VinGardeValise.
VinGardeValise: Special Features
When VinGardeValise was first released, the company encouraged feedback for future product releases. This customer feedback has led to various sizes and features over the years.
VinGardeValise, Various Sizes
12 Bottle Wine Suitcase
8 Bottle Wine Suitcase
5 Bottle Wine Suitcase
Colors of VinGardeValise
The attractive, hard-sheel exterior design of the VinGardeValise comes in Black, Burgundy, and Silver. You can select the color that goes best with your wardrobe or the rest of your luggage. Need two VinGardeValise wine suitcases? Get a silver one for your white and bubbly wines, and a burgandy one for the reds!
Construction of the VinGarde Valise
The VinGardeValise is constructed of a proprietary compound shell and foam inserts. Older models had symmetrical wheels that worked quite well. The newer models have Hinomoto wheels which are even easier to maneuver, especially around the airport.
Robustness of the VinGardeValise
Like we said, we’ve had our VinGardeValise for about seven years. Here are some photos of how the item as held up over the years.
The inserts and interior have held up exceptionally well. It still handles like a high-end suitcase.
Over the years, the exterior shell has understandably taken a little bit of a beating due to normal wear and tear in airports, trains, and cars. Thanks to the dark coloring, however, the scuffs are hard to notice.
The zippers have also held up well. We’ve used other high-end suitcases for our regular luggage needs and have found that the zipper is usually the first items to malfunction. This has not been the case with the VinGardeValise. We’ve also never run into any issues with the straps around the suitcase. We sometimes have wished that the straps were not there, as it is one more closure to deal with. However, it likely serves as an additional measure to keep the suitcase intact and keep its shape.
Using the VinGardeValise for Liquor or Beer
If you purchase and travel with beer bombers, any of the VinGardeValise suitcases will work just fine for your 750 mL beer bottles. Here’s a photo of the VinGardeValise I have holding several types of alcohol.
If you will be traveling with smaller bottles of beer, you may want to consider the BiereGardeValise, which holds up to 19 beer bottles.
How to Travel With Wine in a Suitcase
The main points to keep in mind when traveling with wine are to avoid too much heat or too much cold and try to minimize vibration as much as possible. Once you arrive home with your bottles, let them sit for at least two weeks before opening, to allow the contents to settle. Read our blog on how to check when when you fly for more tips on traveling with wine.
If you have a fairly short connection, chances are the foam insulation and hard shell will keep your wines nice and cool. However, if you have a long haul flight during the peak of summer, you may want to consider one of these specially made Chiller Sheets that come in two sizes: one for the 12 bottle model and another for the 8 bottle model.
While these chiller sheets are quite handy, I’ve found they don’t fit well into most itty-bitty hotel freezers so I’ve not taken the chiller sheet on any recent trips.
Setting the Lock on Your VinGardeValise
If you’ve purchased a VinGardeValise but accidentally threw away or lost your lock set instructions (or you just drank too much wine to remember the code), check out this video for instructions on how to reset your VinGardeValise code.
VinGardeValise and Luggage Fees
The VinGardeValise was designed to avoid excess weight and, as such, excess luggage fees. When full of bottles, it weighs less than 50 lbs.
Where to buy VinGardeValise
We hope you enjoy traveling with your new VinGardeValise!
Cheers!