Ideal Wine Conditions

The World Food Logistics Organization (WFLO) recommends that “...all wines are stored in refrigerated warehouses and shipped in refrigerated containers/trucks with the temperature exposure continuously logged to assure that the refrigeration system has indeed been working.” For more information, see the WFLO Wine Shipping Recommendations.

Recommendation for Wine Transport

 
      Storage Time
      Heat Exposure Temperatures
      Cold Exposure Temperatures
    
      Never
      30°C (86°F) or above
      -5°C (23°F) or below
    
      Spike of 30 min or less
      29°C (85°F) or below
      0°C (32°F) or below
    
      1-4 weeks
      24°C (75°F) or below
      10°C (50°F) or below
    
      Long-term storage
      10-16°C (50-60°F)
      10-16°C (50-60°F)

Dry vs Reefer Containers from Europe

This graph shows a dry container and a reefer container that were shipped from Europe. The reefer container, shown in blue, left one week later than the dry container, shown in red. During this trip, the Reefer container never rose above the maximum recommended temperature of 24°C. The dry container, however, frequently reached temperatures above 24°C.

Dry vs Blanket vs Reefer

Dry

Dry containers can reach both extreme high and low temperatures.

Blanket

Blankets can provide protection against only brief temperature swings.

Reefer

Reefer containers continuously protect product from all temperature swings.