Alcohol in Checked Luggage 2026: Wine, Spirits and Customs

Drinks at 24% or less have no limit in checked baggage. That covers practically every wine and beer, sparkling wine too. The cap only kicks in for spirits. It comes straight from the IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations (DGR, 67th edition, in force since 1 January 2026): more than 24% and no more than 70% only in retail packaging, containers up to 5 litres, 5 litres per person in total.

What about the airlines? easyJet's own dangerous goods page states the same rule almost word for word. We haven't checked other carriers' pages here, so there's no airline list, and honestly we'd be wary of a second-hand one anyway. Airlines can be stricter than IATA. Two minutes on your own airline's dangerous goods page can save you an argument at the check-in desk.

A quick side note on that retail packaging bit. The homemade grappa from the vineyard, poured into an old water bottle, fails at 40% no matter how good it tastes. We think the rule makes sense here. A plastic bottle full of spirits getting shaken around in the hold for hours? No thanks.

In hand luggage, wine falls under the same liquids rule from Germany's Federal Police (as of 28 Sept 2026, in German). Containers are limited to 100 ml, all in one transparent, resealable bag of no more than 1 litre. There's more in our guide to carry-on liquids.

The exception is duty-free in a sealed bag, which has its own traps when you change planes. We cover those in duty-free alcohol in hand luggage.

The airline rule only tells you what's allowed to fly. What stays duty-free is a different question. For Germany's alcohol allowance, customs mostly wants to know one thing: are you coming from an EU country or not?

Source: German customs (Zoll), as of 28 Sept 2026. Non-EU allowances apply from age 17.

Strictly speaking, there are no allowances from another EU country, only guideline quantities set by German customs (in German). Bring more and you'll need to show it's for personal use. For wine from other EU states, Germany hasn't set a guideline at all, so six bottles from Tuscany aren't an issue.

From non-EU countries, the much tighter travel allowances apply. Spirits and still wine are counted separately, so 1 litre of whisky plus 4 litres of wine is fine. And a suitcase on the same plane counts as carried with you. A parcel you ship ahead doesn't.

The Canary Islands trap (and Heligoland)

German customs lists the Canary Islands and Heligoland as special territories where the rules for returning from a non-EU country apply. Flying home from Tenerife? Non-EU allowances. On Heligoland, anything above the allowances has to be declared at the island's own customs office, because clearing it on the mainland later isn't possible.

Let's run the numbers (our own maths, using the customs figures). Six bottles of still wine at 0.75 litres each make 4.5 litres. From Gran Canaria, that's half a litre over the 4 litre allowance. Five bottles would still have been fine. With the sixth, you're heading for the red channel to declare.

Bottles belong in the middle of the suitcase, padded with clothes on all sides, each in its own sleeve. Leaking is the real enemy. A zip-lock freezer bag around every bottle costs next to nothing and saves the rest of your stuff if a cork gives way. A hard-shell suitcase probably handles pressure from outside better, but against a hard knock on the belt it's mostly the padding inside that helps.

Weight is the part people tend to underestimate. There's no standard for the glass: a standard Vetropack Bordeaux bottle weighs 350 grams (NZZ, 2016, in German), while pricier wines often come in bottles of around 700 grams (VINUM, 2023, in German). Then add the wine itself. By our rough maths a full bottle comes to 1.1 to 1.5 kg, and six of them to around 7 to 9 kg, depending on the bottle. Sparkling wine bottles have thicker glass and tend to be heavier. How much of that fits your baggage allowance depends on your booking.

The sleeves below are packing aids, nothing more. They don't make any alcohol allowed that isn't, and we haven't tested any of them ourselves. We picked them by Amazon ratings (at least 4 stars, more than 100 reviews, as of 28 Sept 2026).

For a few bottles: reusable padded bags

Bringing home two or three bottles? Then the Wiederverwendbare Wein Beutel für Reisen [4 Stk] – Auslaufsichere Verpackung für Flugzeuge will probably do the job: a 4-pack of bubble-padded bags that go back in the cupboard after the trip.

For a case from the winery: the 6-pack

Six bottles at once? With the Wein Cush Weinflaschen-Reiseschutz, 6er-Set wiederverwendbar you get six reusable sleeves, which the product page describes as triple-sealed with three layers. That's exactly what you want when a cork gives up.

The budget option: inflatable sleeves

Price matters most? The PIQIUQIU Aufblasbarer Weinflaschenschutz, 10er-Set mit Luftpumpe are ten inflatable air-cushion sleeves with a small pump, and according to the listing the colour is random. Of the three options here, it's the cheapest (as of 28 Sept 2026).

Then the airline won't automatically pay. Germany's Federal Aviation Office (LBA) (in German) explains that liability for checked baggage lapses if the airline proves the damage comes from the nature of the item, fragile goods for instance. Badly packed? That counts as contributory fault. Whether baggage insurance is worth it for cases like this is covered in a separate guide.

If it happens, get a damage report (PIR) at the airport before you leave, take photos, and notify the airline in writing within seven days (deadline per the LBA). Since 28 December 2024, the cap has been 1,519 special drawing rights per passenger, roughly €1,800 depending on the exchange rate. How to actually claim is covered in lost luggage rights, deadlines and compensation.

Our tip for the Canaries, totally unscientific: if you're bringing alcohol home in your suitcase, pack five bottles, not six. Drink the sixth on your balcony on the last evening. That's when it tastes best.