The ultimate way to safely transport wine: the hiking boot

Published 6 December 2012

Vintage wine.  In a hiking boot.

As already discussed you don’t have to just to put your feet in a pair of hiking boots. Oh no. In fact they can be used for multiple things. Such as flower pots. And, err, somewhere for keeping your socks at night… But the other night I saw a use of a hiking boot that even surprised me. As a wine carrier.

The wine in question was a bottle of Elderberry wine given to Catherine’s parents when they got married forty years ago. Given to them by Catherine’s grandfather, the homemade wine was given with strict instructions that it was not to be opened until the birth of their first grandchild. No pressure then.

Forty years later, the bottle was transported in the boot of a car (protected by a hiking boot) from Manchester to our house in London. Following its safe arrival it was cracked open to celebrate the arrival of our newly born son, Sam, who arrived in to the world on 24 November 2012. (Amazingly Catherine’s parents never mentioned this wine to us until Sam was well on the way.)

"Only to be opened on the birth of your first grandchild"

Catherine’s grandad died several years ago (although Sam does have a Great Grandad on my side of the family) however I’m sure he’d be happy to know that his wine had matured superbly. Almost port-like in taste, it had a rich and fruity flavour. And the fact that it arrived in a muddy hiking boot just made it even more wonderful.

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