Travel gadget: Wineskin

The Wineskin protects your precious bottles of wine in transit. Photo / Brett Phibbs

Taking fine New Zealand wine overseas, to share with family or friends, is a bit fraught these days. The security rules on liquids mean you can no longer carry a couple of bottles in your hand luggage (unless you buy it in duty free where it's usually expensive and the choice limited). But pack it in your check-in luggage and you travel in fear of arriving to find your clothes stained a tasteful red colour.

Happily, there is an alternative in the form of the US-invented Wineskin, a vinyl bubble-wrap container which both protects the bottle against impacts and is sealed so nothing leaks out if it breaks.

It's easy to use, provides good protection and, while I haven't been able to bring myself to smash a bottle to test the seals, it certainly looks as though it would be leakproof.

Imported here by Bright Idea Solutions Company, the Wineskin is available through 47 retailers for between $3.50 and $5.

The manufacturers recommend you only use each container once but that's not too much on a great bottle of wine. You can get further details and a list of retailers at brightidea.co.nz.