As I mentioned earlier, we will be relocating from Massachusetts to Washington state very shortly.

And as the plans start to materialize, I have a growing concern over our wine collection. Truthfully, the collection is not that large (on the order of 100 bottles), but the average bottle cost is moderate (probably about $60)... That's about $6k in wine - a product that is very easy to destroy with improper shipping and handling. Especially if Mother Nature decides to conjur up any extreme weather during the move.

It's not just the cost of replacement that I'm worried about, but rather a combination of other factors too

• Some collector's vintages, such as 1999 Chateau Mouton Rothschild and Almaviva, 1999 Castello Banfi Excelsus and Summus, and a vast array of 1997 and 1999 Brunello di Montalcinos;
• Major sentimental value;
• Most likely, it'd be a “wait and see” game to find out which - if any - were ruined in the move... imagine the disappointment of uncorking a $300 bottle of wine only to find out that it's ruined;
• It's taken a lot of time and careful picking to build up what we have, with an eye for vintages that age well.

So, all of these factors together are making me consider specialty shipping. But, it's expensive.

Of course we could just drink them all before we move. :)