The first time Barry Wax threw the suitcase full of wine down the three-dozen- step stairway in Istanbul, he wasn't sure what was going to happen. Maybe one or two bottles would break, maybe more. None did. The tenth time he threw it down the steps, though, he didn't believe what had happened.
“No bottles broke then, either,” says Wax, whose 12-bottle wine suitcase, the VinGarde Valise, has been sold out almost continually since its introduction last fall. “A wheel snapped off, but that's to be expected. Airlines break wheels all the time. But every wine bottle, every time, was unbroken. It worked beyond my expectations.”
A robust traveller
The VinGarde line debuted a second, roomier version this spring and will launch an 8-bottle suitcase this summer, in addition to a United Kingdom distribution centre for improved delivery in Europe.
On the outside, the luggage looks like most wheeled suitcases, though a little more robust and with a couple of stronger handles. On the inside, though, its modular design makes room for up to a dozen 750-ml bottles, using inserts similar (but sturdier) to those used in wine shippers. There are also inserts for sparkling wine bottles and two wine glasses. And, when the VinGarde holds less than 12 bottles, there's room for clothing and other travel necessities.
The VinGarde, made with polycarbonate and ABS plastics, weighs less than 22 kilos when holding a dozen bottles, so it’s exempt from oversized luggage and excessive weight fees. It also meets airline and US government standards and restrictions.
“We have used it for several trips, and it’s very handy that you can pack it half-full of wine and once it’s drunk, you can pack souvenirs like t-shirts in the wine spaces or even wine purchased at your destination,” says Darcy Rea of suburban Chicago, who got her VinGarde last November. “It was also really nice to know the wine would be safe, that we would have our favourite choices to watch sunsets, make dinners, whatever we want. And no more worries of red wine exploding over my vacation clothes.”
An end to explosions
In fact, that's the reason Wax developed the VinGarde. He is a long-time wine accessories manufacturer who retired after retinal detachment surgery left him blind in one eye. That's when a wine retailer friend, tired of broken bottles and wine-stained clothes, asked him to come up with something better for carrying wine on trips.
The process took three and a half years of working with a Chinese manufacturer, and went through five prototypes; the eventual VinGarde not only had to safeguard the wine, but meet airline and government codes and satisfy patent requirements, and none of that was easy.
“Why did I keep going? Because I'm an obstinate son of a bitch,” says Wax. “I don't give up easily or well. I thought, ‘I've taken this thing this far – let’s keep moving and see what we can do.’ It was always a work in progress.”
Even more surprising has been VinGarde's popularity, he says. Sales have far exceeded expectations, and have come from around the world. One recent order was from French Polynesia: “Who knew they needed a wine suitcase in French Polynesia?” asks Wax.
And the orders have done so with almost no marketing – no advertising in wine magazines, no placements in lifestyle publications. In this, the VinGarde has thrived on social media, including a YouTube video that shows the initial Istanbul testing. “It's all been blogs, articles online, word of mouth, and other social media,” says Wax. “That's something I never expected, either.”
The other lesson he has learned from the VinGarde’s success: don't underestimate a great product. “We're never going to be sold out again,” he says with a laugh.
