Sending wine takes creativity and alternative strategies.
The United States Post Office, UPS, Fedex, DHL and all other large mail carriers and shipping companies will not knowingly ship wine. UPS, Fedex and DHL will ship wine only for those who hold a special license to ship wine. Aside from lying at the post office, the only (legal) options for shipping wine to send to someone as a gift are to purchase a bottle at an online boutique and have it sent gift wrapped, to package the wine and hire a local private courier service, or to ship it as airline luggage to be picked up by the recipient. The easiest and cheapest option is to purchase the wine online or through a store to be shipped.
Instructions
1. Locate an online boutique or store dealer that will ship wine for you. There are many online wine shops such as wine.com that will gift wrap and send bottles and even gift sets to anywhere you desire. An alternative to an online store is to visit your local wine shops and inquire into whether they can ship bottles of your choosing. Many wine shops have shipping licenses, and depending on your relationship with the staff, they might even let you gift wrap the bottles yourself. Just remember that when shipping heavy items like wine, the shipping charges increase.
2. Hire a private courier. If you do not want to ship via a wine shop or online boutique, hiring a local ground courier is an option. Depending on your location, ground couriers can be hired to carry local, intrastate and in some cases even interstate mail. These services are not common and you will need to do research into what is offered in your particular location. Couriers can carry wine as it is shipped ground rather than by air. These services are most common when sending something inner-city.
3. Ask a friend, neighbor, colleague or family member to personally deliver the bottle for you. This is possible only if the recipient is local. Offer money for their services even if they refuse. Wrap the bottle in tissue paper and tie it at the neck with a thick ribbon. Attach a note card or gift tag to the ribbon, or place the bottle in a wine bag and slip the card inside. Have the "delivery person" either leave it at the front door of the recipient, or deliver it as "a special delivery from your name."
Tags: ship wine, online boutique, wine shops, even gift, gift wrap
