When you have thousands of dollars worth of wine in your home and have decided to move, you may be unsure of how to safely pack and transport the wine. You would not want your collection to be ruined by temperature changes or bottles bumping into each other! Here are four steps to follow before moving with a valuable wine collection.

Have the collection appraised.

In order to have the collection insured against damage, you'll first need to know how much it is worth. While having the receipts for your wine on hand is a good start, it's not enough since some wines may have increased significantly in value since you purchased them. Contact a wine appraiser in your area. If you're having trouble finding one, stop in to a local wine store – they should be able to give you the names of people to contact. Most appraisers will visit you on-site to look at the wine, since the value may depend in part on the condition of labels and bottles. However, if there are no appraisers close to you, sending one pictures of each bottle is an okay approach.

Get photos of each bottle.

Even if you don't need to send pictures to the appraiser, photograph each bottle so you have documentation as to the contents of your collection. Keep these photos in a secure folder in the cloud so they're not lost if your phone or PC is damaged.

Tell moving companies about your wine.

Some moving companies won't transport wine because the regulations about carrying it across state lines can be complicated. For instance, some states will only let you transport a certain volume of alcohol in a vehicle, so the moving company may have to split the wine up between two or more trucks. Find a moving company that is familiar with the restrictions in your area and can assure you that they'll follow them. Ask for references from previous customers who have had wine collections moved. Ensure that they will move the wine in a climate-controlled truck so it does not undergo temperature changes.

Purchase a separate insurance policy.

Though most moving companies offer insurance against damages to your items, there's usually a limit on their policies – and it's probably below the value of your wine collection. Seek coverage from an outside insurance agency so that if there is any damage to your wine during the move, you can seek compensation.

For more information and options, talk with different moving companies in the area, like Christos & Christos Moving and Storage.