Just got an unnerving email from Neal. I live in Iowa and they just sent my case of 01 out by ground instead of air, which I paid for. The person I talked to was very nice, admitted they made a mistake, offered to refund shipping costs, etc., etc. What I'm way more worried about than the costs is the safety of the wine. Anyone in colder climates know much about ground? It's very cold here right now, and although she said overnights are in a heated facility, I can't help but be concerned, as I have been told before that ground at this time of year is a very risky proposition. What they settled on was to wait until I get it early next week and then talk to them again about what to do, as it is probably half-way here by now. How will I know if there is a problem? Some good advice might put my mind at ease. Thanks.

Hmmmm maybee open one. Other than that I dont know if cold weather would make it seep. But remember it will be shipped in stirafoam container which should help.But if there is any problem I am positive that Mark will make it right.

Ouch. At least they're not shipping ground in the summer, which would be much much worse.

Either way, give them a few days to settle down after arrival before opening one.

Oh yes. And call me, I'll sacrifice myself to a taste test.

In defense of wine, recall that everything depends on who drinks it, its quality and on the company. Once these conditions are favorable, you might ask: “Who drinks wine, if not a sage?” Omar Khayyam

It all depends...You knew that right? Where it's loaded in the truck will make all the difference in the world. I would look for pushed corks or wine stains below foil, might even remove a foil or two to check for leakage due to expansion from freezing. If you see no leakage you should be fine. I got a 6 pack of '96 Bordeaux from Binny's in Chicago, shipped ground, last week that, to my horror, wasn't even packed in foam, but everything was fine. Your odds are really pretty good and if there is a problem I'm sure Neal will be more than gracious to make things right.

Thanks for the thoughts of those of you who answered. Makes me feel a little better. From what I've read here and other places, it seems that all that needs to be worried about is if the wine freezes. This seems to be evident by whether or not the cork is protruding or wine is visibly leaking. That seems simple enough, I just hope there isn't any damage that cannot be detected before I try this wine in a few years. Thanks all.

clay,

Do you have an update on the condition of the wine?

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2003 Whirlwind Tour

pyang-
I did get the wine a few days ago and everything seems to be fine. The bottles were very, very cold...but not frozen. There was no leakage around the capsules. I took one off and the cork was sitting exactly where it was supposed to be. I'm not going to try one for a couple of weeks, but it appears that all is well. From what I've learned here and on VC, everyone seems to think that if there aren't any of the above signs of damage, there shouldn't be any long-term problems.
Jammie King at Neal was more than helpful. She tracked the case from Fed-Ex and called the day I received it to make sure everything was ok. They will probably have a large and loyal base of fans for many years to come.

clay,

Good to hear the wine seems to be fine. Be sure to report back if you don open one in a few weeks.

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2003 Whirlwind Tour