Wine Connoisseurs, have you ever shipped wine to Indiana from California?

[jkaetz]

Given CA's stance on self preservation I know that most of us only reluctantly step foot on CA soil but they do have some good wines. As such the wife and I have a trip to Napa later this month and are trying to get a definitive word on how to get some back to Indiana safely and without paying an arm and a leg. Anyone have experience in this area?


So far we've discovered that Indiana [STRIKE]has[/STRIKE]had one of the most complex and restrictive wine shipping laws. Most problematically we can't simply ship it to ourselves via UPS or FedEx. According to our interpretation the wineries should be able to ship directly to us as we will be there in person. Research is revealing that a lot of the wineries simply exclude Indiana as they likely don't want to deal with the restrictions.

That has lead us to look at third party shippers. While they claim to be able to ship it appears to be nearly $100 for a case (12) of 750ml wine bottles.

Another suggestion we've seen is taking the wine on the plane with us as checked baggage. This is appealing as it would be less expensive than any of the shipping options but the downside is the airlines wash their hands of any liability for damaging the bottles even if packed properly. We've looked into the lost/damaged luggage benefit for our credit card and on one interpretation it would cover the wine, but in another it would not. I'm sure it would turn into an argument should the wine not make it back to Indiana in tact.

 

[Kirk Freeman]

Dude, SB113 passed. Pence signed it in May.

 

[mrjarrell]

https://iga.in.gov/legislative/2015/bills/senate/113#digest-heading

 

[Kimber]

What I did when I was in California is to go to the wineries taste their wines and if you like them join their club. They will ship you wine. I was getting three bottles a month from three different wineries. Buy a wine refrigerator to keep it at right temperature. If you get to Sonoma check out KUNDE and SABASTIONI.

 

[Cameramonkey]

and with SB113 passing, take an official printout, and possibly some news stories from mainstream sites that explain it. Maybe being there in person if you find a winery that balks you could maybe educate them and get them to change policy on the spot.

Or do what I do and drink it by the box.

 

[mom45]

and with SB113 passing, take an official printout, and possibly some news stories from mainstream sites that explain it. Maybe being there in person if you find a winery that balks you could maybe educate them and get them to change policy on the spot.

Or do what I do and drink it by the box.

Those juice boxes are awesome! Every big kid should have a few of those on hand at all times.

 

[Moparracer89]

The wife and I took 5 bottles back from Jamaica. Wrap it in a t shirt and stuff it in a shoe.

 

[Tactically Fat]

Is there a particular reason that you'd rather go to the trouble and expense to have wine shipped?

Because there are plenty of great-tasting / award winning wines from right here in Indiana.

*studies show that if wine-tasters are told that a wine is more expensive, they'll generally "rate" it as tasting better. However, many lower-cost wines win many taste awards all the time - without the pretense.

 

[CountryBoy19]

Is there a particular reason that you'd rather go to the trouble and expense to have wine shipped?

Because there are plenty of great-tasting / award winning wines from right here in Indiana.

*studies show that if wine-tasters are told that a wine is more expensive, they'll generally "rate" it as tasting better. However, many lower-cost wines win many taste awards all the time - without the pretense.

What? You mean to tell me that you don't get what you pay for all the time?

I love Brown County Winery... just picked up a case this weekend in Nashville... only 1 or 2 of the wines I bought were over $10 per bottle...

 

[BehindBlueI's]

Is there a particular reason that you'd rather go to the trouble and expense to have wine shipped?

Because there are plenty of great-tasting / award winning wines from right here in Indiana.

*studies show that if wine-tasters are told that a wine is more expensive, they'll generally "rate" it as tasting better. However, many lower-cost wines win many taste awards all the time - without the pretense.

True. A fancy label makes wine taste better, just as good presentation enhances the enjoyment of food. Mark Twain remarked upon this phenomena with cigars. He used to save the rings around his expensive cigars, put them on cheap cigars, and put the cheapies in the box for the expensive ones for when he had company over.

Something to remember, though, it's not just pretense. People actually do enjoy it more. You're not really buying wine (or anything else) just for the taste in a vacuum. You're buying the total experience.

 

[findingZzero]

Not all CA distributors will ship to IN, but some will. I've found some years ago.

 

[Tactically Fat]

True. A fancy label makes wine taste better, just as good presentation enhances the enjoyment of food. Mark Twain remarked upon this phenomena with cigars. He used to save the rings around his expensive cigars, put them on cheap cigars, and put the cheapies in the box for the expensive ones for when he had company over.

Something to remember, though, it's not just pretense. People actually do enjoy it more. You're not really buying wine (or anything else) just for the taste in a vacuum. You're buying the total experience.

I understand, I really do.

I'm currently price shopping the top-tier hotels in downtown Indy for a night's stay with my wife for our anniversary. I KNOW that the Courtyard by Mariott right on the Canal would be just fine.

But I want the "experience" of a big fancy hotel.

 

[jkaetz]

Is there a particular reason that you'd rather go to the trouble and expense to have wine shipped?

Because there are plenty of great-tasting / award winning wines from right here in Indiana.

*studies show that if wine-tasters are told that a wine is more expensive, they'll generally "rate" it as tasting better. However, many lower-cost wines win many taste awards all the time - without the pretense.

We visit the Indiana wineries frequently. As mentioned earlier this is an experience thing. We likely won't make a habit of it.

Not all CA distributors will ship to IN, but some will. I've found some years ago.

This is what we had found as well.

While the law may have been cleared officially on the Indiana side, the wineries and shippers will likely need some time to update their info. We do intend to take some documentation with us regarding Indiana law.