5 ms·

Liquid logistics: The fine art of wine transport

56 points by shrikant 3y ago

luoc 3y ago
Well, designing a blog in alignment with DHL's corporate design that's pleasant to ones eyes is certainly not the easiest task but boy, what happened with this header bar (in dark mode)?
- TheJoeMan 3y ago
  It's yellow and red for me... to make me hungry? https://www.businessinsider.com/fast-food-colors-make-you-hungry-2018-9 https://www.businessinsider.com/fast-food-colors-make-you-hu...
datadrivenangel 3y ago
A shipping container is the ultimate box wine! 24,000 liters of wine, and it's easier to move around!
- wizardforhire 3y ago
  Harder to sneak into a show in your backpack though
- bonestamp2 3y ago
  Imagine trying to find and get the spigot out of a shipping container.
bonestamp2 3y ago
This gives me hope that it's easier to ship wine now. Last time I tried to ship wine to my parents as a gift I literally couldn't find a courier who would accept it. To a degree, I don't blame them... most people suck at packing, but there are products that are made for shipping wine bottles and they don't accept those from consumers either (although wineries use the same couriers and containers to ship wine to me). Hopefully this has changed.
- zippergz 3y ago
  At least within the US, individual to individual wine shipping is basically impossible without breaking some laws and/or regulations. Typically, you need to be a licensed retailer or producer (winery), and the rules vary depending on the state the recipient is in. Certainly people do it (often claiming it's "olive oil" or similar), but it's still not easy to do it legitimately as an individual. Even as a retailer or producer (which might be what you were trying to do) it varies a lot by state, and some states are very restrictive.
  - bonestamp2 3y ago
    Ah, that makes sense. So, they probably just have a blanket policy not to allow it because the regulations/laws basically make it impossible anyway.
barnabyjones 3y ago
Wouldn't storing wine in a giant plastic bag significantly affect the taste?
- iancmceachern 3y ago
  Most wine is stores, or transported in this way at some point in its life. Most blends are blends from multiple vineyards, and are transported in big metal tanker trucks with plastic lining. Some are transported in big 500 gallon plastic totes. In my limited knowledge, only pretty high end wines are made by only ever touching oak barrels and glass bottles.
- danielfoster 3y ago
  The plastic should not impart any taste directly, but it would expose the wine to oxygen. This is a factor that bulk producers take into account when formulating their wines.
Steve44 3y ago
There was a TV programme in the UK last year about a bottling plant in Bristol. It's now a contract packer which packs many of the top 20 wine brands in the UK and seems to have capacity for 40 million cases a year. https://thebusinessmagazine.co.uk/companies/bristol-based-the-park-becomes-europes-largest-wine-packaging-company/ https://thebusinessmagazine.co.uk/companies/bristol-based-th... https://www.thedrinksbusiness.com/2020/08/exclusive-massive-drinks-packing-and-storage-solution-emerges-at-key-time-for-the-uk-wine-trade/ https://www.thedrinksbusiness.com/2020/08/exclusive-massive-...
Symbiote 3y ago
They speak of the environmental benefits at the start, then finish with an advert for their service to move wine by air — two whole cargo planes most recently.

56 points by shrikant 3y ago

luoc 3y ago

Well, designing a blog in alignment with DHL's corporate design that's pleasant to ones eyes is certainly not the easiest task but boy, what happened with this header bar (in dark mode)?

TheJoeMan 3y ago
It's yellow and red for me... to make me hungry? https://www.businessinsider.com/fast-food-colors-make-you-hungry-2018-9 https://www.businessinsider.com/fast-food-colors-make-you-hu...

datadrivenangel 3y ago

A shipping container is the ultimate box wine! 24,000 liters of wine, and it's easier to move around!

wizardforhire 3y ago
Harder to sneak into a show in your backpack though
bonestamp2 3y ago
Imagine trying to find and get the spigot out of a shipping container.

bonestamp2 3y ago

This gives me hope that it's easier to ship wine now. Last time I tried to ship wine to my parents as a gift I literally couldn't find a courier who would accept it. To a degree, I don't blame them... most people suck at packing, but there are products that are made for shipping wine bottles and they don't accept those from consumers either (although wineries use the same couriers and containers to ship wine to me). Hopefully this has changed.

zippergz 3y ago
At least within the US, individual to individual wine shipping is basically impossible without breaking some laws and/or regulations. Typically, you need to be a licensed retailer or producer (winery), and the rules vary depending on the state the recipient is in. Certainly people do it (often claiming it's "olive oil" or similar), but it's still not easy to do it legitimately as an individual. Even as a retailer or producer (which might be what you were trying to do) it varies a lot by state, and some states are very restrictive.
- bonestamp2 3y ago
  Ah, that makes sense. So, they probably just have a blanket policy not to allow it because the regulations/laws basically make it impossible anyway.

barnabyjones 3y ago

Wouldn't storing wine in a giant plastic bag significantly affect the taste?

iancmceachern 3y ago
Most wine is stores, or transported in this way at some point in its life. Most blends are blends from multiple vineyards, and are transported in big metal tanker trucks with plastic lining. Some are transported in big 500 gallon plastic totes. In my limited knowledge, only pretty high end wines are made by only ever touching oak barrels and glass bottles.
danielfoster 3y ago
The plastic should not impart any taste directly, but it would expose the wine to oxygen. This is a factor that bulk producers take into account when formulating their wines.

Steve44 3y ago

There was a TV programme in the UK last year about a bottling plant in Bristol. It's now a contract packer which packs many of the top 20 wine brands in the UK and seems to have capacity for 40 million cases a year. https://thebusinessmagazine.co.uk/companies/bristol-based-the-park-becomes-europes-largest-wine-packaging-company/ https://thebusinessmagazine.co.uk/companies/bristol-based-th... https://www.thedrinksbusiness.com/2020/08/exclusive-massive-drinks-packing-and-storage-solution-emerges-at-key-time-for-the-uk-wine-trade/ https://www.thedrinksbusiness.com/2020/08/exclusive-massive-...

Symbiote 3y ago

They speak of the environmental benefits at the start, then finish with an advert for their service to move wine by air — two whole cargo planes most recently.