Meet Jeanine Lum the Founder and CEO of 3rd Bottle™, the company behind the patent-pending insulated wine transport system designed to help protect wine from heat exposure and travel shock. A retired Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Sergeant, retired SkyWest Airlines flight attendant, and successful construction company owner, Jeanine brings a unique combination of leadership, problem-solving, and real-world experience to product innovation.
As a lifelong wine enthusiast and WSET II-certified wine professional, Jeanine became frustrated by the lack of effective solutions for safely transporting wine. After experiencing heat-damaged bottles and seeing firsthand how traditional wine bags protected the bottle but not the wine itself, she set out to create a better solution.
The result was 3rd Bottle™, a premium wine cooler bag transport system featuring patent-pending interlocking ice packs that create a structured cooling chamber around each bottle. Designed for winery visits, wine sales routes, air travel, RV adventures, boating, and everyday wine transport, the product was developed to help wine arrive as the winemaker intended.
Building 3rd Bottle has required the same determination that defined Jeanine’s law enforcement career. She navigated multiple manufacturers, patent and trademark challenges, supply chain disruptions, and personal setbacks while remaining focused on her vision. Today, 3rd Bottle is gaining recognition among wine lovers, collectors, and industry professionals who understand that protecting wine means more than protecting the glass.
Jeanine’s mission is simple: bring cellar-inspired protection wherever wine travels. Through 3rd Bottle, she is redefining how wine lovers transport, preserve, and enjoy their favorite bottles without heat damage.
You have been a lifelong wine enthusiast. What has been missing?
As a long-time wine enthusiast and WSET II-certified wine professional, I’ve spent years visiting wineries, collecting bottles, and bringing special wines home from my travels. Along the way, I became increasingly frustrated by one simple problem: there wasn’t an effective way to safely transport wine. Most products on the market were designed to carry bottles, not protect the wine inside them. They offered little defense against extreme heat, temperature fluctuations, or the bumps and vibration that come with travel. After nearly losing $1,400 worth of wine when a case tipped over in my car, and later discovering that a prized bottle I’d purchased in Paso Robles had been ruined when a cork was pushed out from heat after being left in my vehicle during the heat, I realized this wasn’t just my problem; it was a problem shared by wine lovers everywhere. I searched for a solution but couldn’t find one. That’s when I decided to create it myself. What began as a personal frustration became the inspiration for 3rd Bottle®, a wine transport system designed not just to carry wine bottles but to protect them, so every bottle arrives exactly as the winemaker intended.
Your company, 3rd Bottle is captivating wine lovers across the US. What is the buzz all about?
The excitement around 3rd Bottle® comes from solving a problem that wine lovers have simply accepted for years.
Whether you’re leaving a winery, traveling through wine country, heading to a dinner party, or flying home with bottles you can’t replace, most wine bags are really just carriers. They hold the bottles, but they don’t adequately protect the wine from heat exposure or the rigors of travel.
That’s exactly why I created the 3rd Bottle®. Our patent-pending interlocking ice pack system, combined with premium insulation, creates a portable wine transport system that helps maintain a stable environment and protects your wine during travel. Instead of wondering if your wine survived the trip or rushing to get it home before it’s compromised by heat! You now can travel with confidence, knowing you’ve done everything possible to preserve it as the winemaker intended.
I think the buzz comes from people immediately recognizing the problem because they’ve experienced it themselves. Once they see there’s finally a solution designed to protect the wine, not just carry the bottle, it becomes one of those products that makes people say, “Why hasn’t this existed all along?”
Tell us about the patent-pending interlocking ice packs and TSA Approval.
One of the features I’m most proud of is our patent-pending interlocking ice pack system, and that the reusable ice packs are TSA-compliant.
Anyone who’s traveled with wine knows the challenge. TSA has strict rules regarding liquids. Frozen ice packs, and even loose ice, are generally permitted when they’re completely frozen during screening at baggage check-in. If the loose ice has begun to melt and there’s visible liquid, you may be required to discard it. Suddenly, the cooling system you were counting on is gone, leaving your treasured bottles vulnerable to heat during the rest of your journey.
That’s why we designed a reusable cooling system specifically for wine. Our patent-pending interlocking ice packs lock together to create a continuous cooling chamber that surrounds the bottles with consistent cooling while helping minimize movement during travel. Instead of relying on a bag of loose ice or hoping your wine survives the trip, travelers have a purpose-built system designed to protect what matters most, the wine itself.
Beyond protecting your wine, the reusable ice packs are also eco-friendly and save money. There’s no need to repeatedly buy bags of ice every time you travel or visit a winery. Simply freeze the ice packs, use them again and again, and enjoy dependable performance trip after trip.
For me, 3rd Bottle® has never been about making another wine bag. It’s about giving wine lovers the confidence to visit wineries, discover exceptional bottles, and bring them home knowing they’ve done everything possible to preserve them as the winemaker intended.
As we move into the fall and then the holidays, what are your goals?
As we head into the fall and holiday season, my goal is simple: to introduce more people to a better way to protect and travel with wine.
The holidays are one of the biggest times of year for gifting wine. People spend hundreds of dollars on beautiful bottles for clients, family, friends, and hosts, yet those bottles are often handed over in a paper gift bag that was never designed for wine. To me, the wine inside the bottle deserves better.
I do expect the holidays to be a busy season because 3rd Bottle® isn’t just another wine accessory; it’s an experience. It’s a gift that keeps giving long after the first bottle has been opened. Every winery visit, road trip, picnic, holiday gathering, flight home from wine country, Europe, or weekend getaway becomes easier because the wine enthusiast has a dependable way to protect the wines they love. Your family, friends, and clients won’t just appreciate the gift; they’ll think of you every time they use it.
I also believe today’s consumers are looking for gifts with purpose. Our reusable, eco-friendly interlocking ice pack system eliminates the need to continually purchase bags of ice while protecting wine from heat exposure and the rigors of travel. It’s thoughtful, practical, and unlike anything else on the market. Let’s be honest: a gift card may be convenient, but it rarely makes someone say, “You really thought about me.”
Ultimately, my hope is that people stop thinking of 3rd Bottle® as simply a wine bag and begin seeing it as an essential piece of wine equipment. We don’t just carry wine; we help preserve the experience, the memories, and the investment inside every bottle. That’s what makes it such a thoughtful and meaningful gift.
www.3rdbottle.com
FaceBook – 3rdbottle.wine
Instagram – 3rdbottle.winebag
TikTok – 3rdbottle.wine.bag
