The Perfect Travel Companion: Ensuring Safe Transport of Champagne and Sparkling Wines with GPS Trackers

Champagne can be shipped safely and reliably when properly packaged. A GPS tracker placed on a wine shipment can help reduce the risk of theft and other supply chain problems.

Choosing the best time and route to ship your wines is key. Predictive climate tracking, like the one built into our PAG GPS vehicle tracker, allows you to assess information about climatic conditions along your wine shipments routing.

Temperature Control

Since wine is no longer consumed only where it’s bottled, most bottles are transported far and wide to reach consumers. As such, it is important that wines are shipped and stored correctly to minimize degradation from temperature changes, mechanical stress (vibrations), and other environmental factors.
Studies on the effects of transportation on wine have shown that fluctuations in temperature and vibration can significantly impact wine quality. For example, a study by Jung et al. monitored the effect of transport on grappa (an Italian distillate from fermented or semi-fermented grape pomace) by tracking its temperature, relative humidity, shocks and accelerations. The results showed that the movement and vibrations during transport caused a decrease in organic acids and tannins as well as an increase in phenolic compounds, which led to a change in the aroma profile.

Time of Arrival

While Champagne is arguably the most iconic of sparkling wines, it is also one of the priciest. Production is a meticulous, labor-intensive and time consuming process and the quality is reflected in the price.

However, the beauty of Champagne is that it is incredibly versatile and pairs beautifully with almost any dish or occasion. The best way to enjoy bubbly is paired with friends over appetizers or dessert and in the glass it’s a treat for all of the senses – sight, sound, smell, taste and mouthfeel. A brief inhale sends prickles through the nose and the first sip delivers a burst of citrus or pear flavors with a light, crisp and refreshing mouthfeel. Beyond Champagne’s renowned trio of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier are traditional method sparklers from all over France as well as Spain’s Cava, Italy’s Franciacorta and South Africa’s Cap Classique.

Security

More than 450 million nine-liter cases of wine are sold each year, so it’s important for wine manufacturers, merchants, and transportation and logistics companies to take steps to protect their product during shipment. GPS trackers allow you to create a geofence around your wine shipment, letting you know when it leaves its designated location. This feature is especially useful for ensuring your wine doesn’t end up in the wrong hands, since a stolen bottle of wine could cost you hundreds or even thousands of dollars.

If you’re considering shipping champagne or sparkling wine, make sure to wrap your bottles carefully and add plenty of packing material. Additionally, remember that champagne sent by mail or courier is illegal unless you have a special agreement with the shipper. This is because most courier companies list it as a restricted item. Licensed companies that send champagne in bulk benefit from CMR insurance, which can help you get reimbursed for damaged shipments.

Safety

Studies have shown that temperature fluctuations are the biggest risk factor for wine spoilage, especially during transport over land. Whether shipped in a refrigerated container or in dry trucks, these fluctuations can affect both the analytical and sensorial characteristics of wines. The same is true of vibrations during transit, which can also significantly alter the quality of a shipment.

Using GPS trackers can help to mitigate the risks of long-distance transportation, by monitoring the conditions of wine shipments in real time. These devices emit signals that ‘talk’ to satellites, giving users the ability to track high-value items like wine shipments on their desktop computers or smartphones.

One way to reduce the likelihood of temperature fluctuations is by replacing bottles on pallets with flexitanks, which can carry more than double the amount of wine in a 20ft container. These tank systems are less susceptible to temperature shocks and are also more secure against taint compounds, which are often caused by contamination during the production process.