I do not have much idea about wines so I need help. I would be in France for Christmas and New Years and would want to know which are the fine wines of France ? How many bottles can I carry back to the US duty free ??? <BR> <BR>Personally, I like red wine which is slightly sweet.

This is from a message posted in September. I have brought it to the top for you - - it's titled "Bringing Italian Wine home to the US". <BR> <BR>You should read the whole thread (and yes, I did post the original message, citing this article in the Wine Spectator) - - while shipping is essentially impossible, many people, including myself have had the experience that you can bring back as much wine as you can physically carry. <BR> <BR>Be careful using the expression "fine wines of France" - - there are many GOOD wines of France - - ranging from $5 to $30. The "fine wines" may range well into the hundreds of dollars - - and virtually none of them is "slightly sweet". Of the better known red French wines that are slightly sweet, try Beaujolais - - and of course, from right now, the "Beaujolais Nouveau" is freshly released for this year. This is a seasonal wine, released in late November, meant to be consumed now - - not held in your cellar. There are also some interesting sweet(er) reds that come from the Alsace, made from Tokay grapes. <BR> <BR>You might also enjoy some German or Austrian wines - - look into Affenthaler, for example - - from the Schwarzwald. You don't have to leave France to get some great bargains from other countries in europe. Wines from other countries are imported into France from all over europe (and the world). <BR> <BR>Enjoy, <BR> <BR>Rex. <BR> <BR>============================ <BR> <BR> <BR>Message: I think this was first posted by "Rex". I couldn't find it with the search function, but I did keep a copy of the URL when I read it some time back. <BR> <BR>From the Wine Spectator, a little bit out of date, but as far as anyone knows, all the information in it is still factually correct: <BR> <BR>"Getting Your Wine Through Customs" <BR> <BR>http://www.winespectator.com/Wine/Sp...ollecting.html <BR> <BR>It seems to be the consensus in both this article and all over this forum that it is essentially impossible to ship wine home.

all wines in France are fine! that's my unbiased opinion! <BR> <BR>I am not sure how many you can carry back, I have brought back three at a time without any problems. <BR> <BR>Perhaps a Gamay would be to your taste? Where in France do you plan to go - perhaps bring back a bottle or two which is made in the region you will be visiting. <BR> <BR>I think you will find that the wine store owner would be very helpful, too. and, if you are in an area which grows a lot of wine, try to find out if you can attend a tasting at a cave. <BR> <BR>hope this helps.. <BR> <BR>Beth

I agree with Beth, it is tough to find a wine that is not wonderful in France. Even the worst table wine is still better than some American wines. If you are going to be in Paris, try spending some time at Willie's Wine Bar, they have an extensive selection of wines by the glass, which you can then go buy somewhere else. IMHO, the best prices I found on wines were in the Food Market at Bon Marche in the 6th. PS - on our last trip we were in Burgundy - we brought home 9 bottles of wine and 3 bottles of champagne in our carry on luggage - no problem.

Obviously, you can carry as many bottles of wine as your luggage and strength allow - the question is how much can you bring in DUTY FREE. The answer is one liter of alcoholic beverage per person. A standard bottle of wine is 750 ml, so in practice the limit translates to one bottle per person. <BR> <BR>Can you bring in more and not get caught? Sure - I've done it myself along with probably millions of others, but I knew I was taking a chance it would be confiscated. Alternatively, you can declare the excess and pay the duty - I don't know exactly how much that would be but I suspect it is worth it for expensive wines, not so for cheaper ones. <BR> <BR>Bear in mind also that certain states may have more restrictive limits and those also apply depending on where you enter the country. The chance of getting caught in that case is probably even smaller, but only you can decide how much risk you want to take.

I just returned from Provence and carried back 6 bottles (4.5 litres). Technically, this was 2.5 litres more than my wife and I could bring into the US duty free, but the customes agent in Atlanta just waved us through even though the case, which clearly contained wine, was right on top of our cart. That is not to say that you will have the same experience but it does happen. That being said, I think the duty is 10% of the value paid so you may want to keep any receipts handy with your travel documents. <BR> <BR>As far as types of wine, we were in the Southern Rhone region and took a trip to Chateauneuf-du-Pape to sample some of the self named reds of the area. Southern Rhone wines, I believe, are not considered among the "finest" French wines, but Chateauneuf-du-Pape has distinguished itself as a particularly noteworthy wine from this region. The red is generally the most recognized, but they do produce a very good white as well.

Another easy-to-like red wine that is not exported to the US as far as I know is called "Bouzy Rouge" (yes, Bouzy!) <BR>It is produced in the Champagne area. <BR>It was recommended to us in a restaurant on our first trip to Paris, and I've looked for it in the US ever since.

Just a footnote to clarify a difference in my suggestion of a Beaujolais, versus that of Beth who suggested a Gamay. Beaujolais is a name that can only be given to wines - - made from Gamay grapes - - from that (rather small) region. There are other good wines made from Gamay grapes also from other regions in France that cannot legally be called a Beaujolais. The same is true of sparkling wines; only those bottled in the Champagne region can be so designated. <BR> <BR>And I object to the suggestion that those who do not pay duty on a dozen bottles of wine are scofflaws; the laws regarding import of wine (whether U.S. customs regulations or tax regulations of individual states are aimed at unlicensed COMMERCIAL importers - - not at individuals bringing home wine for personal consumption). When it is well-recognized that such levies are not routinely collected, this is akin to getting self-righteous about driving 1 mph over the speed limit, or over-staying a parking meter by 5 minutes. Yes, you may have to pay a nominal fine, but it doesn't make your behavior, nor your intent criminal. <BR> <BR>Best wishes, <BR> <BR>Rex

Hey Rex, Lighten up buddy...

Huh?

Rex, <BR>The second paragraph of your most recent posting seemed somewhat preachy and unsolicited, that's all...

Hello, <BR> <BR>My wife and I love wine and been to most of the wine regions of the US, France, and Italy. We used to try to carry wine back but it really isn't worth the hassle. It's too heavy and awkward to carry. And I have been able to find most any type of wine at home. <BR> <BR>Recently on a trip to Napa Valley we did learn from the Anderson Winery which specializes in sparkling wines, that they were involved in a law suite in the Supreme Court of Indiana were we live. Their feeling was that they would win the suite thereby allowing them to ship wine interstate to Indy. Indeed they did win the suite and we did have a case delivered to our front door. It arrived in great shape and we didn't have to wrestle with 40 pounds of wine. <BR> <BR>We haven't had wine shipped back from Europe. I would assume the same rules apply as bringing it in throught custums, ie 750 ml/person. You might want to check this out with your local customs people. <BR> <BR>Enjoy good wine at home and where ever you travel. <BR> <BR>Good luck, <BR> <BR>Randall Smith <BR> <BR>

Before you go any further, find out your state's laws about liquor importations (as Randall pointed out, it affects between states as well as foreign importation). Once you know the amount you can bring in, state taxes, paperwork if necessary, etc. then you can plan on how much to bring through UNITED STATES customs. One bottle is duty-free, the rest will be subject to duty and IRS taxes. My personal advice is to list on your customs form the EXACT quantity you're carrying and the correct value; sometimes Customs just waves you through, sometimes they'll make you pay - sometimes, a fraction of what you had calculated. I know I wouldn't want to be caught sneaking stuff through U.S. Customs. <BR>If you are planning on bringing in several cases, contact Customs BEFORE you go to make arrangements. Again, there may be paperwork to fill out, etc. but better you should know about it and take care of it before you leave on your trip than spend hours in Customs after a long flight home.

As a Californian, who has sampled some of this state's "great" wines along side many European like products, you may find that your best source of French "fine" wines may be at your local liquor market. As many have already indicated, French wines, available even in France, range wide in quality. Most of the premier wines of the highest quality (whether American, European, Australian, or wherever) are way beyond the pocket book of most, but unless you have many months available to you to visit the various wine tasting venues and wineries, it would be best to give your local liquor store manager a visit. As was mentioned above, enjoy the wines at every opportunity wherever you travel. More than likely, you can sample a glass or more of many "fine" wines. Just note the information on the front and reverse label, keep notes of your own "tastings" and search for these better wines upon your return to your home. The fun is in the search, and it's much lighter on the lifting. Bring back a bottle of that special wine, if you like. I agree, that most French table wine is certainly on the dry side, but ask at various restuarants and stores for the "sweeter" wine that you prefer. Most of these sweeter wines are made to accompany deserts, and some are very pricey. But wine is what YOU like. Trust your own taste and savor your discoveries.

While sweeter wines are great in some deserts, they are meant to accompany desserts...and so did I mean to write.

I suppose you mean "desserts" not deserts"!

Who classifies "sweet" red wines? Does this mean light?

As a side...there is an interesting article in the most recent Atlantic Monthly on Robert Parker, editor of The Wine Advocate which discusses his philosophies on wine and his battles with the French wine culture. <BR> <BR>

In general, experienced tasters determine if a wine is "sweet", semi-sweet, semi-dry or dry. <BR> <BR>And though I am not formally trained in oenology, I understand that human tasters are very accurate in determining residual sugar content. In general, wine does not have its sugar content measured by chemical analysis, though I think it correlates very highly with specific gravity, which is routinely checked. Over the typical range of 10-12%, alcohol content does not change a wine's specific gravity that much, but sugar content does, if I remember correctly.