mbb

One of my favorite pastimes is tasting and buying wines from different regions that I visit domestically. This will be my first trip to Europe as an adult and my husband has warned me that he will not shlep wine around in suitcases on and off the trains. Does anyone know if vineyards will ship wine to the U.S. if you buy enough? How have others handled this issue? Thanks.

elvira

Shipping out isn't the problem; importing is. There are U.S. regulations you must meet AND many states will not allow importation of wine unless you have a license to do so. Call U.S. Customs to get the current information, and call your state government for their requirements. No point in having the stuff shipped, only to have it confiscated...

Judith

Shipping from Italy is very, very expensive. Some will ship it back for you. We opted for carrying it back. We carried the wine in a leather bag and it was very heavy. We packed the Grappa. Grappa is more expensive in the states and some of it was stolen out of our bags coming home. <BR> <BR>We also bought a cheap rolling bag in Florence from the street vendor and used it for carring souvenirs around and back home. It was a lot cheaper than shipping. <BR>

Lee

MBB, Elvira is correct. The importing of some items can be a problem. <BR> <BR>When I lived in Germany, I sent home bottles of wine and beer on an almost regular basis. I can't remember how many times I shipped "books" and "dishes" home. Probably quite a few. Well, maybe not enough, after all, I'm fresh out. <BR> <BR>When you check with customs, you'll probably find that you will be allowed to send back some limited quantities for "personal use" legally. <BR> <BR>Good luck.

Judith

The allowed limits are very small. I'm not sure but I believe you are only allowed a couple of liters per person, equal to about two bottles each person. You're allowed $400 duty free (if this hasn't changed)$100 on gifts. Additional 10% flat tax rate on anything over the $400.00 up to $1,000. <BR> <BR>There are other rules too, just a little info to get you thinking. We brought back 9 bottles and were lucky that we didn't have any trouble and lucky that we didn't have to pay any extra. We even declared total dollars on souvenirs and were not charged the 10%.

mbb

Thank you all, I very much appreciate the informative AND clever responses! What a great site.

Ann

I think you'll find it's not worth trying to play games with customs, as they're rarely interested in people bringing home wine. On my last trip, I brought a case of Mosel wine in a rolling bag (VERY well padded), declared it on the customs form, tried to go through the line for items to declare, and they waved me through. I said, "But I have a CASE of wine," and they waved me through again... I think this is just small stuff for them when there are issues to deal with...

mos

I went to Tuscany last year and brought back about 8 bottles of Chianti de classical by hand carry. I passed custom with no problem. I think the reason was that I did not know I was not supposed to and I did not feel and look guity. I have a friend who shipped back 4 cases of Amarone by UPS. He paid a fraction of what he would have to pay here. He had no problem whatsoever. He just bought the wine from a store. They were very willing to ship. Don't quote me on anything.

Judith

It's been a year but I believe I was quoted approx $120.00 american to ship back a case of wine at a wine shop in Florence.