Passengers carry booze al the time, especially returning from overseas where it is cheap. Carry on is safer in terms of breakage, but is heavy and takes room for other important things you should have in your carry on. Like enough clothes and everything else for a minimum of 2 days, in case your checked bag gets involuntarily separated from you by the airline.
In checked bags, I place a bottle the the center of the bag wrapped with pants and such for maximum padding and to lower the chance that a single sharp pointed blow can hit the bottle.
Regardless of where you pack it, ALL bottles of liquid need a special caution. The lower pressure and vibration on a plane can loosen a cap or cork, so leaks are possible at all times. On screwcap bottles I tighten the cap well and then tape it-- duct or electricians tape works well. Take some with you for your trip home.
Especially with a large bottle of something that will stain, leak, and stink up your clothes, for safety place that bottle in two or three layers of heavy sealing bags, like one or two gallon Ziploc freezer bags. If space is tight, suck all the air out before sealing. Or leave a half inch of air in one bag, to add cushioning. Remember, the clothes you save from dripping red wine might be mine, in the bag under yours.
Remember you are going through security coming and going, corkscrews are a TSA on again off again prohibited item. Unless you have a screw cap bottle, plan to push the cork in with a pen
, or your hotel provides cork pullers, if you plan to take your own put it in your checked bag where it is allowed. Even if your model is allowed in carry on, it might be of enough concern to the xray security that you and your bag will be pulled aside for a hand search, something to be avoided if possible.
