carrying wine to Italy
Dec 21st, 2002, 06:59 PM
#1
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carrying wine to Italy
Hello! Has anyone tried carrying American Wine to Italy? Will I be able to get through customs with wine? I'll be meeting my finance's parents this Christmas and wanted to carry some American gifts. (This has been challenging as it seems everything in America is made in another country!) I've chosen some good wines from a vineyard near my home and some pecan candy that has been cooked and packaged in a tin canister. I would appreciate you input however it you say that I'll have a problem, then you'll have to please leave a suggestion on an "American" gift that I can substitute. THANKS!
Dec 21st, 2002, 07:09 PM
#2
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I predict that you will have no problem, unless you have a truckload. More and more, I have seen arrivals in Europe where no one is even in attendance at the customs counter. Passport control is still the same, but arriving passengers are generally of no interest to customs officials at many Europe airports, it seems.<BR><BR>I'm not sure thst there would be a duty process even if you were an Italian returning with alcoholic beverages (California wines, Kentucky whiskeys, whatever) that you purchased in America.<BR><BR>Best wishes,<BR><BR>Rex<BR>
Dec 23rd, 2002, 03:05 AM
#9
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I agree with XXX on the wine subject, for two reasons. In first place, we are really proud of our own wines and many Italians are even suspicious of the wines from neighboring areas of Italy. Unless your hosts are really into wine (or highly open to new experiences when it comes to food) your gift may be misunderstood (in case you still bring the wine to Italy and it is not too well received, I live in Milano and am wiling to try new experiences ^_^). As a second point, wines can really suffer from long travels, so that your wine might not be at its best after several hours in an airplane.<BR>Yet, I still think that food is always the best choiche when it comes to planning gifts to us Italians, I woudl rather try to pack up a selection of several foods that are not available here in Italy in small amounts, so that your hosts will be able to taste all of them but will not be forced to eat too much of a food they do not like in case some of the food stuff you bring along will not meet their taste.<BR>Also, remember that although one single food might be of European origin, it is still exotic to us, since we have just as much knowledge of German food as of Us food. I was at the arts and crafts exposition in Milano in early december (where I bought some lovely cheeses from Portugal and confits from France ^_^). For lunch I bought myself a big pretzel in a German area of the exposition: it may have come from a place with a big "Bavaria" sign on top, but it still made me think of New York!
Dec 23rd, 2002, 04:19 AM
#10
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I'm not sure how the wine would be received, I think most Italians would be interested in it. Here are a few other ideas for 'unique' American foods:<BR>Maple syrup, cranberry sauce, and strangley enough, grape jam. Grape jams and jellies are almost unheard of in Europe.
Dec 23rd, 2002, 10:06 AM
#12
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Peanut butter is now found in a lot of stores. I have seen it in Torino, Asti, Alba, Bologna, Lucca, Florence, Siena, Rome, Naples and many other towns. Same with maple syrup. It has really changed over here since I arrived 8 years ago. More and more htings are available. Jelly Bellies unfortunately are still not found (at least not where I have been)
Dec 23rd, 2002, 11:06 AM
#13
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I always take wine with me to give as gifts. Now I will say, I tend to always indentify myself as being from Califoria with Eurpoeans and find that brings a much better reaction, especially in Italy. Often times as on my recent trip to Tuscany where I gave a bottle of my wine to a Innkeeper in Greve he returned the favor with a classico reserva that at a recent vintners meeting here everyone raved over(I guess the long flight didn't hurt???)I bring wine from France and Italy back regularly and have never had a problem with any wine. I would always suggest taking wine from small family type wineries and not the well known names. A lot of wineries are producing Italian Varieties like sangiovese or pinot grigio and they like that.
Dec 24th, 2002, 10:10 AM
#14
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Overall, American wines are well received in Italy. In fact, many show on the wine lists of upscale restaurants, especially California cabs and merlots. Rather than California, you might consider great, but somewhat lesser known wines from Washington or Oregon. .
Dec 24th, 2002, 10:27 AM
#15
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I made a Sangiovese/Cab (70/30) this year from California grapes from the Lodi region. I racked it for the first time last week, and it is superb. When I bottle it in August, I plan to bring a few bottles with me on my trip to Tuscany in late September and offer it as a token to the landlord of the villa that I will be renting. Anything wrong with that?<BR><BR>Does anyone think the airplane ride (noise & altitude) will ruin the wine?
