At Undercover Jetsetter, we believe great wine isn’t just for fancy dinners — now way!
It’s to be enjoyed every day, whether it’s at your kitchen island, sipping on a balcony in Tuscany, pouring it in your Marriott Timeshare in Napa, or even enjoying by the firepit during an autumn road trip.
But if you’ve ever brought wine home from a vineyard (or picked up a bottle on vacation), you’ve probably asked:
How do I store wine while I travel
And do it without breaking it?
Here’s our go-to guide — with tested tips, gadgets, and a few affiliate links to products we actually use when filming, traveling and wine tasting.
1. Protect It From Heat
Heat is wine’s enemy. Even a couple of hours in a hot car can “cook” your wine — flattening flavors or turning it sour.
Jetsetter Tip:
Keep your wine in the main cabin of your car whenever possible. When driving with wine, pack wine inside an insulated wine tote and store away from windows or hot surfaces. Use an insulated wine carrier with ice packs if you’ll be in transit for more than a few hours — especially in the summer.
Jetsetter Pick:
🧊 6 Bottle Wine Tote, Insulated and Reusable on Amazon – Stylish and packs flat when not in use.
2. Flying With Wine? Here’s What You Need to Know
Yes, you can fly with wine — but only in checked baggage (and under 24% ABV for customs). Use molded inserts or padded sleeves to protect against drops. Some travelers put bottles in shoes or wrap them in clothes or bubble wrap + Ziploc bags inside hard-shell luggage. Don’t take a chance. Make sure your wine is packed in safe, leak proof and padded protectors.
Jetsetter Tip:
Don’t rely on clothes alone — use protective sleeves or inserts made for wine. We swear by reusable padded wine sleeves. They’re leak-proof, TSA-approved and take up very little space. We swear by these. We’ve used them many times and they never fail!
Jetsetter Pick:
🧳 Air Travel Reusable Wine Protectors on Amazon – Lightweight, cushioned, and perfect for checked bags.
3. Storing Wine in Your Airbnb or Hotel Room
Once you arrive, resist the urge to stash wine on the counter (or worse, in the fridge!). Red wine prefers 55–65°F. Whites are fine in the fridge short term, but avoid long stays at sub-40°.
Jetsetter Tip:
If the room has a wine fridge or minibar, use it! No fridge? A cool closet or under-bed space works in a pinch. You can pop red wine into the fridge for 20 minutes before service, if there’s no wine fridge available. This also makes a great gift for the wine lover in your life!
Jetsetter Pick:
🍷 Wine Bottle Digital Thermometer on Amazon – Nerdy? Maybe. Useful? Always.
4. Sip in Style Anywhere with Collapsible Wine Glasses
Plastic solo cups? Not for us. When you’re wine tasting on the go — whether it’s a beach picnic, Airbnb patio or hotel rooftop — you still want to enjoy the experience without compromising style or flavor.
Enter: collapsible and foldable wine glasses. These lightweight, travel-friendly glasses are designed to go anywhere without breaking and still feel like a real glass in hand.
Jetsetter Tip:
Look for silicone or BPA-free plastic glasses that are shatterproof but shaped like a true wine glass. Bonus if they collapse or stack into a small pouch. These are easy to collapse and shatter resistant. Plus they’re light and very packable.
Jetsetter Pick:
🥂 Unbreakable Wine Glass – Foldable, Portable, Collapsible on Amazon Elegant enough for a toast, durable enough for the trail.
5. Open Wine Anywhere with a TSA-Compliant Corkscrew
Let’s face it — arriving at your Airbnb or picnic spot with a great bottle and no corkscrew is a travel fail we’ve all faced. But if you’re flying carry-on only, standard corkscrews (especially ones with foil-cutting blades) can get confiscated by TSA. That’s why a TSA-compliant corkscrew is a game-changer. These are typically bladeless, compact, and approved for carry-on bags.
Jetsetter Tip:
Look for foil-free or plastic spiral corkscrews, often called “waiter’s friends” with no knife, or airline-friendly twist-pull models. They also make a great travel gift for fellow wine lovers.
Jetsetter Pick:
🍷 TSA Compliant Travel Corkscrew on Amazon No Blade, Carry-On Safe. Compact, airport-friendly and one of our travel must-haves.
Bonus: Jetsetter Travel Wine Kit – Shop Our Wine Travel Essentials »
Here’s what we always bring for wine-tasting trips and vineyard getaways:
✅ TSA Compliant Travel Corkscrew on Amazon
✅ Reusable Wine Aerator on Amazon
✅ Foldable, Portable, Collapsible Wine Glasses on Amazon
✅ Air Travel Reusable Wine Protectors on Amazon
✅ 6 Bottle Wine Tote on Amazon
Final Sip
Wine is meant to be enjoyed — wherever you are. With just a few smart tools and travel habits, you can keep your bottles safe, cool and delicious until you’re ready to uncork and unwind.
Whether you’re headed to Paris, Temecula or Trader Joe’s, we hope this guide helps you sip in style.
🛍️ This post contains affiliate links, which means we may earn a small commission if you purchase through them — at no extra cost to you. It helps us keep bringing you Jetsetter-approved tips, recipes, and sips. Thank you!
John Daly and Susan Anzalone are the Co-Creators and Co-Hosts of Undercover Jetsetter, a show on travel, food, and booze. They show you how to jet set the world and at home. They also co-authored the book, The TV Studio In Your Hand: How to Shoot, Edit & Deliver the Easy Way on Your iPhone. Join them for tips and hacks on the road, at home, or in the kitchen, and all over the world. And yes, as you will see, all on the iPhone. Susan is an expert in food and wine since her childhood days in Australia and then the United States, being the daughter of two lifelong employees of Pan Am Airlines. John is also a world traveler starting when he studied in Italy through his alma mater Providence College. John is also a Nevada Hall of Fame Broadcaster during his years as a Las Vegas news anchor at KTNV. He gained international fame as the host of the first all-video news magazine show, Real TV while also securing his bartending and mixology credentials from the Harvard Bartending School. You can follow them here on the free Wingding app on the Food and Travel Channels, on YouTube, Facebook, X, and Instagram.