Summer Shipping: Refrigerated or Next Day Air
Posted: May 11, 2023
We love the summer sun. It ripens our grapes and provides the Santa Ynez Valley with months of warm weather. The major downside is that we have trouble shipping our wines using normal delivery trucks. Our policy is to avoid shipping wine if the weather is too hot or cold for wine storage. The threshold for what might damage wine is 80°F, and it gets much hotter than that in many places we ship to throughout the summer.
One of the great paradoxes of wine is that it can age for decades when stored and sealed properly, but a mere two-hours in the heat can ruin it forever. When wine is exposed to warm temperatures, it cooks, which permanently changes the flavor. When wine is overheated, all the expressions of vineyard and variety that a winemaker works to present become flattened. All that’s left on the nose and palate of the wine is acidity and alcohol. Heat can quickly render a quality wine into a cheap tasting, even undrinkable, wine.
Cork is also delicate. When exposed to heat, the natural cork that we use can dry out, causing the seal of a wine to be compromised. When this happens, the wine will begin to prematurely oxidize and age years over the course of days.
We take a patient approach throughout our vineyard management and winemaking. We believe that good wine can’t be rushed. All our care and work would be destroyed if our wine was rushed into being shipped through an unsafe environment.
In much of the United States, it may be too hot for you to get unrefrigerated wine shipments for several months of the year. Even in temperate Los Olivos, our winery sees hot days for much of the summer. The solution is to offer those who want to stay stocked through the summer the option of refrigerated ground shipping.
We have refrigerated FedEx trucks scheduled to come to the winery twice a month from May through September. These trucks take wine straight from our warehouse to you without leaving an ambient temperature of 55°F until the morning it is delivered on a priority truck. Refrigerated shipping is costly, but we have negotiated discounted rates that we pass on to our customers.
To schedule temperature-controlled shipping, just select the FedEx Refrigerated (Next Shipping Date) option from the “Shipping Options” drop-down menu at checkout. Platinum Members select Plat. FedEx Refrigerated (Next Shipping Date).
Please note that cold chain shipping takes 7 – 8 days to arrive from the next scheduled pick up date. If you have a question about the delivery date, please contact us.
For the states where refrigerated shipping is unavailable, we offer discounted UPS Next Day Air rates, with much lower prices available for Platinum members. Next day air arrives the morning after an order is shipped between 10:30 a.m. and noon to most zip codes. Some addresses will take until the end of day.
Platinum members receive flat rates on both refrigerated shipping and next day (if refrigerated shipping is unavailable in your area). These are further discounted from the price that we pay, making year-round shipping quite affordable. Arguably, the best reason to upgrade to Platinum is to have affordable, safe shipping during the hottest time of year.
To schedule next day air, just select the UPS Next Day Air — Summer Rates option from the “Shipping Options” drop-down menu at checkout. Platinum Members select Platinum UPS Next Day Air.
There’s something nice about knowing that a cool bottle of Rosé or Sauvignon Blanc is heading to your house when it’s oppressively hot outside. If you have any questions please email wineclub@beckmenvineyards.com for details on shipping wine during the summer.