With the holiday season just around the corner, here’s a gift your favorite traveling wine enthusiast will use over and over again.

VinGardeValise, from FlyWithWine, is a line of hard-sided suitcases that securely carries bottles of wine to their destination, whether in the back seat of a car or in the baggage hold of an airplane, thanks to dense foam inserts and excellent design.

VinGardeValise Piccolo, sent to me as a sample, is one of the company’s smaller wine suitcases, designed to hold up to five 750-ml bottles of wine or spirits, as well as clothes and other personal items. This sleek-looking, hard-sided suitcase feels very sturdy, with heavy-duty corner guards and a durable exterior shell, yet when I picked it up, I was surprised how lightweight it is, only 7.8 pounds when empty. And with 360-degree spinner wheels, it’s really easy to maneuver.

Better yet, this versatile suitcase can be customized with accessories that hold magnums, beer or wine glasses since the inserts are removable. Or, when not filled with beverages, the Piccolo can double as an airline carry-on piece of luggage since its size (22.8 x 9.5 x 16) complies with most airlines’ carry-on requirements. All this convenience for $279!

**Wine bottles fit snugly inside the precut foam inserts and secured with luggage straps.**

Looking for something bigger? Other versions of the VinGardeValise are available that hold either 12 or 8 bottles.

The Perfect Gift

Here’s a terrific idea: Fill the VinGardeValise Piccolo suitcase with five great wines and give your wine loving friends the best present they’ll receive this holiday season.

No longer will they have to wrap their precious bottle in dirty clothes and plastic bags after a trip to their favorite wine country destinations.