Everything You Need To Know About Bulk Wine Transport

Like any other liquid, wine needs to be transported in bulk from the supplier. Only then can it be bottled and shipped to stores, ready to be bought. There's a lot that needs to go into wine bulk liquid transport. Here's everything you need to know before shipping wine in bulk for the first time. 

Certain Conditions Must Be Met

First, it's important to know that wine needs to be shipped in certain conditions, to keep it at the best quality possible. There are several things that can affect the quality of your wine. First, there's the risk of contamination from containers. Depending on what containers you use for your wine, there is a small risk they won't be totally clean from their last use, which can contaminate wine. There are ways you can avoid this, as described below. 

Temperature will also affect wine as it moves to it's new location. When planning a route to ship wine, the climate of the areas you'll pass through should be taken into account. If it gets too warm, the wine could be damaged in transit. There are ways to avoid this. Refrigerated trucks or protective foil on the containers can help keep them cool and keep the wine in top condition. Wine should be kept between 55 and 65 degrees Fahrenheit in order to keep it from spoiling, re-fermenting or oxidizing. 

A Valuable Shipment

It's worth considering that wine is a valuable commodity. It's certainly one of the most valuable edible liquids you can transport. Because of this, you want to reduce the risk of any accidents or leaks if at all possible. 

To do this, you'll have to look at how your transport your wine. There are several bulk liquid solutions available, so you need to find the one that works best for you. You need something that's easy to fill up and move around, reducing the risk of spillages or leaks. Something that reduces the need for labor is good too, and it will help reduce costs overall. 

Laws And Regulations For Shipping

Like anything else you can ship, there are laws in place around the transport of wine. You need to be aware of these before you look into shipping your bulk wine. 

The laws differ slightly depending on your location, so if you want to ship your wine you'll need to make yourself familiar with the laws in your area. Most commonly, you'll need to take note of the weight of each shipment, and send that detail ahead to the locations your wine will end up. 

Laws do change, so you'll need to keep up with them and see that you're sticking to the rules. If you don't, even by accident, your shipments can be detained and fines can be levied at you. 

Types Of Transport Vessel

If you're looking into container liquid storage for your wine, you'll see that you have several options available to you. Which one is the best for you?

Most commonly, businesses have gone for ISO tanks as a way to move wine around the country. It's not hard to see why. They offer you the opportunity to move a lot of wine on just one truck, making it easier to reduce costs when it comes to shipping. They also can be used again and again, so you can keep shipping your wine using the same tank. 

They are hardy tanks and are a safe way to move wine, but they aren't the most cost effective. As they're reusable, they need to be cleaned down and stored in between uses. That's going to drive up costs of transport, eating into your profits. You'll also see that you can't actually fill up an ISO tank the whole way. You can usually only fill them up to 95% capacity, to allow for thermal expansion and avoiding damage to the contents. 

Another option is drums and barrels. These work well for stacking on pallets, as they are all of a uniform size. They're another reusable option, so again you can clean them out and reuse them again as often as you need them.

Because of this, they do come with similar problems to ISO tanks. Being reusable, they have to be cleaned and stored which costs money. You may even need to ship them back to storage empty, which is another cost. The problem with reusable drums is that there's always the risk of contamination, no matter how careful you are with your cleaning. If your wine is contaminated, that's a large loss you'll have to shoulder. 

The final option, one that many shippers are now turning to, is the Flexitank. This is a bulk liquid transportation tank that addresses many of the issues people have with shipping liquids. The tank itself is a one time use bag, that is made of several layers of polyurethane. It has a nozzle in the top that allows you to feed wine directly into it. 

Being a one time use tank, there's no concerns about contamination. Each time you use a Flexitank it will be brand new and clean, so there's no concerns. They're even approved by the FDA, so you know you're safe using them. There's also no costs in cleaning or storing them for the same reason. They're a lot cheaper to use overall. 

This is also thanks to the fact they're so easy to use. They don't require forklift trucks or pallets to use. Simply place the tank in the truck, fill it up, and it's ready to go. It's so much simpler and quicker to get it ready for shipping. Finally, the tank fills up to use the available space in the truck. No more wasted space and money, like you would get with other shipping methods. 

There's a lot to keep in mind when you're looking to ship wine. Laws need to be adhered to, and you need to protect your shipment from damage or leaks. You'll need to find the right shipping method in order to do that, too. Follow this guide though, and you'll be able to ship wine easily.